Control

"Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock." Mahatma Gandi (1869-1948) India

Calmness or chaos is something you can control. Take control of your life today & improve your chances for achieving success.

The Strength of Water

"Nothing in the world is more flexible than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it."Lao Tzu (c.604 - c.53/BCE), from the Tao Te Ching, China

Have you ever tried walking across a river? My husband's a fly fisherman and, a few years ago, he decided that we needed to cross the Madison River, in Yellowstone, so we could fish & picnic on the other side. So, we both started out with our walking staffs, hoping they would tame the wild water & allow us to cross. My knuckles were white, not only from hanging onto the walking stick, but from fear as we made our way carefully across the river. There were many times when I thought I was going to fall, be rushed downstream & slammed into a large rock. Lukily, although the water was powerful, it wasn't deep, so we did make it across, but I have a very healthy respect for rushing water & hope to avoid crossing another river. I'll just fish & picnic on the "safe" side of the river.

Have you tried paddling out to catch a wave when the surf is coming in? Have you tried swimming

against the tide? Water is stronger than we are. We cannot conquer it. We may be able to channel its' strength at times but, when it comes right down to it, we have to change our actions in order to work with.

Remember the Reason

I was watching Sunday Morning a few minutes ago as Ben Stein did a tribute to Independence Day. His message was that our founding fathers developed a document in 1776, The Declaration of Independence, which epitomized the aspirations of the human heart - freedom and diginity.

We should all remember the reason for this holiday as we have our picnics, light our fireworks and gather with family and friends. Many people have died, and are dying, to protect the freedoms that we have today. I hope you'll join me in giving thanks to God, and to the brave men and women who are, and who have been, fighting for the freedoms we have today, and pray that we never lose the freedoms that we treasure.

I wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July.

The Moods of the Sea

"I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild, when it is quiet and serene, when it is dark and moody. And, in all its' moods, I see myself." Martin Buxbaum (1912-1991), USA

I thought this was a nice quote. If you think about it, the sea does seem to have moods, just as we do. If you follow that form of reasoning, though, I guess that means that Mother Nature has moods too. Sometimes she's calm & easy to be around and other times, you just want to hide from her. Do you know anyone who's like that - easy to be around some days & terrible on others? Interesting analogy.

Art or not art - that is the question

"Art distills sensation and embodies it with enhanced meaning in memorable form - or else it is not art." Jacques Barzun

I included two pictures today to make a point about how art is different depending on who is viewing it. Do you consider the first picture art or is it just an unusual photo that has been manipulated by the photographer? What about the second image? Is it art with the filter applied to give it a slight painterly effect? Would it have been art if a filter wasn't used to enhance it? The quote above says art distills sensation & gives it enhanced meaning. Do either of these pictures meet that criteria? Art is an unusual subject because, as we've discussed here before, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." I'd be interested to hear your comments so, as always, please feel free to leave them.

Save Our Planet

"What's the use of a fine house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?" Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

We may think that we're the first generation to realize that we need to take care of the planet but, as you can see from this quote from Thoreau, we're not. I wonder, though, why has it taken us so long to start to do something about it?

One Day At A Time

"I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once." Ashleigh Brilliant

I think this baby bobcat looks like life has gotten him down, like he's tired and has had enough. Do you ever feel like this, like the world is ganging up on you, like you just can't take one more thing? When you do, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and just relax for a few minutes. When you open your eyes, you'll feel better and be more prepared to face the challenges of the day.

I hope that today is a day of joy for you.