Posts tagged ‘life’

October 16th, 2009

To be, or not to be inspired, that is the question.

If you let it, life can be mundane, tedious, boring.  Every day can mesh together into one long year of disappointment and heartbreak.  And one moment becomes years of meaningless life.  On the other hand, life can also be magical, breathtaking, uplifting, inspiring.

What determines the difference between the two?

The difference is in the eyes of the beholder and what lies behind those eyes.  The ability to reach through difficulty, pain, indifference and come out the other side, hopeful and compassionate for ourselves and others.

In ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn,’ John Keats wrote these famous words, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.”  And though he might have had a different meaning, it reminds me of something else about life that is inspiring.  It’s the moments of vulnerability, deep and often painful honesty that reveals our true humanity.  That truth itself can be inspiring and meaningful because it connects us to one another.  It delves deep into our psyche and pulls out from under it, an authentic being.  One that does not hide behind superficialities, that does not cover itself in the way we wish things were but only shows beauty in what they are.

What’s inspiring are the people that are perfect in their imperfection, that strive to be themselves, that struggle for self-acceptance, that work hard to better their lives and the lives of their family.  From simplicity and love, dwells magic and inspiration.

When heart trembles, goose bumps form and love fills in the gaps, there is life-a truly inspiring one.

CategoryInspirational Stories | CommentNo Comments »

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August 25th, 2009

Life's Haunting Questions

What makes a life?  Is it the things we do?  The places we visit?  The people we know?  Or is it comprised of what we neglect?  The choices we didn’t make, the path we didn’t take?  The older I get, the more I am a witness to life’s greatest pleasures and pain.  It’s who we are and who we become despite the challenges we face and in spite what life throws at us.  The thing is-how do we accept what isn’t working in our lives and tranforms them into butterflies?

Life comes and goes and we can choose to embrace all of it-the happiest moments and the most difficult or we can stand in front of it and pretend none of it exists.  When it comes to life’s thorns, do we let ourselves experience the pain or cover our wounds with a band-aid?

CategoryInspirational Stories, Life | CommentNo Comments »

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June 9th, 2009

Now What?!

You’ve done it!  You’ve made that big decision, dealt with your feelings of impending fear and doom, and you’ve acted on it.  So now what?!  

In Martha Beck’s book Finding Your Own North Star, that period between your old and new self is where “square one” takes place.  So if you’re experiencing even more fear now than before and questioning if you made the right decision, know that you’re on the right path.  Square one is all about figuring out who you are now.  

Now that for example, you’re _____ (Pregnant, married, divorced or unemployed?  Fill in the blank with your change in identity here.), you might feel like you’re going through an identity crisis.  This decision may have caused a change in who you thought you were or who you thought you would become.  

The best way to deal?  

  1. Look forward not behind.  Remind yourself of why you made the decision in the first place and focus on that.
  2. Get protected.  Protect yourself by surrounding yourself with others who have gone through similar circumstances or read about them in books or online.  Find great friends and loved ones who you can rely on to vent during these uncertain times.
  3. Be kind to yourself.  Know that what you’re feeling is normal and realize that you’ll eventually get through it.  Most importantly, it’ll be a whole lot easier, the faster you’re able to accept yourself and your situation.

Carmel

CategoryInspirational Stories, job, Life | CommentNo Comments »

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May 23rd, 2009

Synchronicity

Synchronicity is kind of like a God wink. It’s what happens when meaningful but unrelated events randomly come together (Wikipedia).  I’m all too familiar with the term since it’s occurred quite often in my life.  Several years ago, for example, while I was going through a particularly difficult time, the rain brought me to an old musty bookstore.  Here’s a passage from a 2004 blog entry I wrote about the event:

1) I am grateful for old bookstores on a rainy day. Walked into one and was looking for some message or sign. I went directly to the religion section and found nothing. Walk toward psychology/self-help, mystery, no clues. Headed out towards the exit and stopped to see “Daily spiritual thoughts.” The cover was unbound and torn. The middle pages looked like they were burnt. I turned to February 21. It said patience. Patience and appreciation that like nature everything comes in due time. Flowers start from the seed in the soil, it takes several days and months before they unfold and bloom into a flower. How can we expect life to hurry because we want to find out the answers? In times of distress, be patient and trust like the seed to the flower, with love and patience, our answers will unfold and develop in time.

CategoryInspirational Stories, Life | CommentNo Comments »

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May 11th, 2009

Riding the Roller Coaster of Life

DSC04751I was off on another mini adventure this weekend, and this time it was with my favorite mouse.  Yes me and the hubs headed to one of our favorite destinations, Disneyland, for the upteenth time.  Though we had tons of fun riding my all time faves like Pirates and Big Thunder, it was a different kind of magic that befell me and that inspires me to write this entry.

It all starts with my love of roller coasters.  Let’s just say though I can’t get enough of them, they scare me to death.  Even though I’ve ridden Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain a hundred times, I always get stricken with fear right before I get on.  My husband thinks it’s funny that, for example, I always look down when approaching the gigantic mechanical snake in Indiana Jones because I’m too scared to look at it, or that I get so nervous before any ride even though I’ve been on it a thousand times.  But here’s what’s so magical about it.  I realized that these “rides” were symbolic of CHANGE in my life.  Right before I get on, there’s a lot of waiting which leaves time for anticipation.  And questions such as, “Can I handle this?  What if I don’t like it?” make my palms sweat and my heart beat faster.  I start to question whether or not I’m prepared for it.  Then, I began to doubt myself.  Wouldn’t it be easier, for example, if I just stuck with something safe like, “It’s a Small World”?  Sure, it may be a big bore, but at least I know what I’m in for.  Yet, though there are enough excuses not to try, there’s only one reason why you should.  Because life isn’t supposed to be about predictability and safety.  Life is about living.  It is hard and it is challenging but it is meant to be fully lived.

And so in the end, I always take the plunge.  Although I’m afraid of the challenge, I can’t risk what I’d be missing.  And the result?  Well it’s a lot like life.  You feel the fear and adrenaline as you climb, but when you let go and move with the flow, it produces the most awesome kind of ride.  The kind where you feel alive.  While I was racing through the dark in sharp turns and unexpected dips, I screamed until my voice was hoarse but I was laughing at the same time, and I realized that this joy I was experiencing was not just the magic of Disney’s Magic Kingdom but that it was also about that magical little gift that we call life.

CategoryFacing Fears, Following your dreams, Inspirational Stories | CommentNo Comments »

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