From the Quote of the Week Files; July 27, 2015

Contentment is the theme of this week's quotes. We start off with the Recycled Quote of the Week (Picture actually) that was first posted on August 23, 2010. It's from an embroidered sign in Bowker's South Beach Grill, Long Beach Island, NJ.  It Inspired me again this Saturday. Inspiration is everywhere if you look for it!

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Some other thoughts on Contentment...

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. 

Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. 

Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” 

Lao Tzu

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“Happiness is self-contentedness.”

Aristotle

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!​ 

OPA!

From the Quote of the Week Files; July 20, 2015

“Like a wild animal, the soul is tough, resilient, resourceful, savvy, and self-sufficient: it knows how to survive in hard places. I learned about these qualities during my bouts with depression. In that deadly darkness, the faculties I had always depended on collapsed. My intellect was useless; my emotions were dead; my will was impotent; my ego was shattered. But from time to time, deep in the thickets of my inner wilderness, I could sense the presence of something that knew how to stay alive even when the rest of me wanted to die. That something was my tough and tenacious soul.”

Parker Palmer

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​Some Soulful Recycled Quotes of the Week...​

Out of the night that covers me,

      Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

      I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

      My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

      Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

      Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

      How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

      I am the captain of my soul.

​

​

William ​

Earnest Henley "Invictus"

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"There's a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there's a little Darth Vader in all of us. Thing is, this ain't no either-or proposition. We're talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can't hide. My experience? Face the darkness. Stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. So give that ol' dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!"

"Chris in the Morning" character

​; 

TV show Northern Exposure.

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Comin' to ya on a dusty road
Good lovin' I got a truck load
And when you get it, you got something
So don't worry 'cause I'm coming

​    ​

I'm a soul man
I'm a soul man
I'm a soul man
I'm a soul man

​Sam and Dave

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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!​ OPA!

From the Quote of the Week Files; July 13, 2015

Inspired by my time along the beach this weekend, this week's quotes are about lessons (gifts) from the ocean.  Enjoy!

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“if
the ocean
can calm itself,
so can you.
we
are both
salt water
mixed with
air.”

Nayyirah Waheed
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Some Recycled Quotes of the Week...

“There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.”

Dave Barry

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"For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half known life."

Herman Melville, Moby Dick

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“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came…”

John F. Kennedy

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Wishing you a MOST beautiful week wherever this may find you! OPA!

From the Quote of the Week Files; July 6, 2015

This week Quotes ~ American essayist, lecturer,poet and champion of individualism, Ralph Waldo Emerson (Next week, quotes  by Lake and Palmer!)

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“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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3 Recycled Quotes of the Week by Emerson (15 Emerson quotes were featured over the years)

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files; June 29, 2015

This week some life lessons on stillness, love, miracles, compassion, peace and 1-ness from the Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author and poet, Thich Nhat Hanh.

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“Around us, life bursts with miracles--a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life's daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

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Recycle Quote of the Week Classics…

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

“The source of a true smile is an awakened mind. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding."

Thich Nhat Hanh

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files; June 22, 2015

This week: Some insights from French-Cuban writer Anais Ninn (1903-1977). Enjoy!
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“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

Anasis Nin
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Two Recycled Quote of the Week Classics...

"The secret of a full life is to live and relate to others as if they might not be there tomorrow, as if you might not be there tomorrow. It eliminates the vice of procrastination, the sin of postponement, failed communications, failed communions. This thought has made me more and more attentive to all encounters. meetings, introductions, which might contain the seed of depth that might be carelessly overlooked. This feeling has become a rarity, and rarer every day now that we have reached a hastier and more superficial rhythm, now that we believe we are in touch with a greater amount of people, more people, more countries. This is the illusion which might cheat us of being in touch deeply with the one breathing next to us. The dangerous time when mechanical voices, radios, telephones, take the place of human intimacies, and the concept of being in touch with millions brings a greater and greater poverty in intimacy and human vision."

Diary of Anais Nin
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"And then the day came when the risk to remain tight inside the bud was greater than the risk to blossom."

Anais Nin
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Wishing you a most BEAUTIFUL day wherever this may find you!

How does life work? One quote and a short autobiography by Portia Nelson might explain it!

“I am astounded at how long it takes to discover...
for the first time, the things I have learned...

​

over and over again all my life.” 

Portia Nelson
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

​There's a Hole in my Sidewalk​

My Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

Chapter One....
"I walk down the street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I fall in.  I am lost. I am helpless. It isn't my fault!  It takes me forever to find a way out."

Chapter Two....

"I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I'm in the same place, but it isn't my fault!!  It still takes me a long time to get out."

Chapter Three....

"I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the middle of the sidewalk. I see it there. I still fall in....it is a habit. I know where I am.  It is my fault.  I get out immediately."

Chapter Four....
"I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the middle of the sidewalk. I walk around it."

Chapter Five....

"I walk down another street!"

Portia Nelson

​

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I think I am still in Chapter 3!  ;-)

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Wishing you a most BEAUTIFUL day, on another Street!​

"The Man and the Dog" A Simple Story with a Big Message

All Quotes Swedish

"Glöm inte vad en skatt en vanlig dag är!"

​  Loosely translated: 

"Don't forget what a treasure an ordinary day is"

​

Swedish Proverb
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"Deep in the forest there's an unexpected clearing that can only be reached by someone who has lost his way."

Tomas Transtromer

​  

(Swedish

​ 

Poet)

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​"Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more,
whine less, breathe more,
talk less, say more,
hate less, love more;
all good things will be yours."

Swedish Proverb

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This week's are in honor of my cousin, Henrick and his lovely new bride Brita, who were married this weekend in Minneapolis. The wedding weekend involved many Swedish customs and traditions making for an extremely fun weekend. ​Bottom Line ~ The Swedes know how to party! ;-)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/fashion/weddings/brita-bergh-henrik-dahlback.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

From the Quote of the Week Files; June 1st Using our time wisely!

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
​ 

Hunter S. Thompson
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

​

"I would rather be ashes than dust!  I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot.  I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.  The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.  I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.  I shall use my time."

Jack London

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Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!​ OPA!

Interesting Story; Inspiring Landscape ~ The wonders of Nature that once was

Memorial Day Quotes plus Video!

Today in the US we celebrate Memorial Day. The holiday began after the Civil War, and at that time was known as “Decoration Day.” While it was originally founded to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War, today, Memorial Day is a day to honor all of the Americans who have died in military service. This week's quotes are dedicated to those men and women who gave their lives so that, we might be free.

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"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."

Joseph Campbell

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"I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day.  I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it.  We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did."

Benjamin Harrison

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Bonus Video...

Memorial (Decoration) Day Parade ~  how it used to be in Brooklyn, NY. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxfoFrSP9Pc

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video 56th Street Memories; Decoration Day

56th Street Memories; Decoration Day

Some ​Bottom Line, In the End quotes for this week. ​Enjoy!​

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”

Jack Kerouac
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Recycled Quote of the Week Classics

“Everything will be all right in the end, so if it is not all right, then it is not the end.”

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

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“And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

The Beatles
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And in the end, I wish you a MOST beautiful day wherever this may find you!