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Ancient Wisdom

A grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt, late in life.

He said, "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is full of anger, despair and hopelessness. The other is full of compassion, strength, and hope."

The grandson asked, "Which wolf will win this fight in your heart?"

The grandfather answered, "The one that I feed."

~Unknown

Smallness

"Animal so shy and small,
Dreaming you were Bold and Tall--
You hesitate, all sensitive,
Waiting for a chance to Live.

Time is swift, it races by;
Opportunities are born and die...
Still you wait and will not try--
A bird with wings who dares not
rise and fly.

But that You you want to see
Is not you, and will never be.
No one else will ever do
The special things that wait
inside of you.

You can be a guiding star,
If you make the most of Who You Are.
And the sensitivity
That you're now ashamed to see
Can be developed even more,
So you can find the hidden doors
To places no one's been before.
And the pride you'll feel inside
Is not the kind that makes you fall--
It's the kind that recognizes
The bigness found in being Small."

"The Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff

An Island of Feelings

Once upon a time there was an Island where all of the feelings lived; Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge and all the others including Love. One day it was announced to all the feelings that the Island was going to sink to the bottom of the Ocean. So all of the feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the Island paradise until the last possible moment. When the Island was almost totally under, Love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, “Richness, can I come with you on your boat?” Richness answered, “I’m sorry, but there is a lot of Silver and Gold on my boat and there is no room for you anywhere.” Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, “Vanity, help me please!” “I can’t help you”, Vanity said. “You are all wet and will damage my beautiful boat!” Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, “Sadness, please let me go with you!” Sadness answered, “Love, I’m sorry, but, I just need to be alone now.” Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, “Happiness, please take me with you!” But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn’t hear Love calling to him. Love began to cry. Then she heard a voice say, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed she forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land, the elder went his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder. Love then found Knowledge and asked, “Who was it that helped me?” “It was Time”, Knowledge answered. “But why did Time help me when no one else would?”, Love asked. Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is.”

~unknown author

Desiderata

by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

The Seesaw

by Tania Tyler

Let’s take a moment to remember the seesaw from our childhood. Some of us may have very vivid images… all the coats of paint on the seats, usually the primaries; blue, red and yellow. A fresh coat every year. The feel of the metal handle in our little hands. Holding on tight. Think back to the thrill of the ups and downs. Perfect balance was what we thought we were supposed to achieve, suspended, stuck, balanced in the middle. Or, to be left hanging on the high end or slammed to the ground, the exhilaration getting to either was fun but being trapped at the top or bottom wasn’t a good feeling either. The ups and downs, that’s why we enjoyed the seesaw.

Now, let’s move to the present. Still the same, isn’t it? Life, the metaphorical seesaw.

If we haven’t experienced the lows, we can’t appreciate the highs. The sunny days without the rain. Light without the dark. Happiness without disappointment.

Appreciation.

Living in the present, experiencing life and all that it has to offer. Lessons to be learned, gratitude to be shown. Finding the safe balance between the extremes without stagnation. A place to grow and experience life.

“So quite often, the easiest way to get rid of a Minus is to change it into a Plus. Sometimes you will find that characteristics you try hard to eliminate eventually come back, anyway. But if you do the right things, they will come back in the right ways. And sometimes those very tendencies that you dislike the most can show up in the right way at the right time to save your life, somehow. If that’s ever happened to you, you’ll think twice before setting out to completely Unbounce yourself.”

Wu Wei.

“Water flowing over and around the rocks in it’s path – not the mechanical, straight-line approach that usually ends up short-circuiting natural laws, but one that evolves from an inner sensitivity to the natural rhythm of things.”

Going with the flow. Minimal effort. “Doing without doing.”

Quotes from the “Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff

The Invitation

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

by
Oriah Mountain Dreamer