Quotes and Verses to Lift You When the World Flips You The bird.
Words of wisdom and beauty can put us back on track.
Each morning as I brush my teeth and apply make-up, I wonder why the hell I make an effort. We are here; briefly, we struggle, we die. We’re forgotten.
Sometimes the constant uphill battle doesn’t make life feel like much of a gift.
The difficulties are many, humanmade, and natural.
Tsunamis, fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes devastate without mercy or regard. Is the earth attempting to cleanse herself and spew humankind out into space? Will we become extinct like the dinosaurs?
The news and social media are filled with finger-pointing, name-calling, complaining, fake news, and stories of first world tragedies.
We feel that our goals have moved a bit further away; one step forward, a leap back.
At these times, I try to remember that we’re all in this together, and we’ve been together for centuries.
It’s not futile.
It’s just life testing us, molding us, and letting us experience the natural complementary forces of the yin (dark, negative, feminine) and yang (positive, bright, masculine) of life.
Balance.
Life is just being itself, not punishing us.
We need a spark of positivity to remind us that life is beautiful, people are good, and the earth is abundant with natural beauty.
We can find comfort in words, the yang (light) to the yin (dark).
They have the power to heal, console, and lift us. They reflect life’s mysteries and can light the way or help us find a place to rest and think.
So take a seat.
Take a breath and breathe in the beauty of the following words.
Kahlil Gibran
“We are all prisoners, but some of us are in cells with windows and some without.”
“We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“As long as we are consumed with our everyday problems–distress, regrets about the past or constant worries about the future–we cannot be a free person; we are not able to live in the here and now.”
“We don’t have to go anywhere to obtain the truth. We only need to be still, and things will reveal themselves in the clear water of our heart.”
“Each one of us has to ask ourselves, What do I really want? Do I really want to be Number One? Or do I want to be happy? If you want success, you may sacrifice your happiness for it. You can become a victim of success, but you can never become a victim of happiness.”
Wayne Dyer
“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles.”
Francis of Assisi
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
Dalai Lama
“It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.”
Marilynne Robinson (Gilead)
“Water is the purest, clearest of liquids, in virtue of this its natural character it is the image of the spotless nature of the Divine Spirit. In short, water has significance in itself.”
“These people who can see right through you never quite do you justice, because they never give you credit for the effort you’re making to be better than you actually are, which is difficult and well-meant and deserving of some little notice.”
Walt Whitman
“Keep your face to the sun, and the shadows will fall behind you.”
Helen Keller
“Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
Albert Einstein
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Jack Canfield
“For every reason, it’s not possible; there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.”
John Wooden
“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”
Glennon Doyle Melton
“Wherever you go, there you are. Your emptiness goes with you.”
And my favorite:
Marcus Aurelius
“It is not events that disturb people; it is their judgments concerning them.”
I carry these words, and others, with me. I read them as little meditations and reminders that life is what you make of it.
It isn’t easy, but the words are there to tell us the truth.
