“I don’t think of all the misery,
but of the beauty that still remains.”
Anne Frank
What would Anne Frank have given the world had she been allowed to live?
The cost of hatred is high.
Sadly, people are still buying hate and its ugliness.
One can only imagine all the wonders that have been lost to its venom.
When will the madness end?
“Nature has given men one tongue but two ears,
that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.”
Epictetus
I must admit I too often failed to follow this advise. I tended to only half listen and began forming my response before the other person had finished talking. Of course, I missed a lot of what was being said and ended up not really making much of a contribution to the conversation.
After realizing that I was saying stupid things because I hadn’t paid attention to what was being said and sometimes causing hurt feelings I worked on changing my ways. I have learned that conversation can be subtle and with nuances that are important. Now I try very hard to listen attentively and patiently so I can hear what is being said in its entirety and context.
We all want to be heard and we all have something to say but we miss a lot when we start thinking about what we want to say before the one speaking has said what they want us to hear. I think there would be much less anger and conflict in this world if people would slow down and truly listen to each other.
I haven’t perfected my conversational skills. I still too often get distracted and either don’t listen attentively or just rudely interrupt the one speaking. Still a work in progress here.
I will add this…
some people need to be interrupted or they would never shut up
some people really have nothing interesting to say
some people are hateful trouble makers and should be silenced
Like I said, still a work in progress here.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is
like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
William Arthur Ward
I have a good life with much to be grateful for and I am grateful. But I am afraid I don’t express it as often as I ought to. I may say thank you for something said or done. However, my response may be offhand or with little thought given to it. I can give excuses for my lame replies but in truth there is no excuse for not taking the time and making an effort to let others know how important their attention and thoughtfulness is to me.
Having something given to me whether it be big or small, written or spoken, a need met or a want fulfilled is a gift. It may be given with love by a friend or casually given by someone I don’t know well or just a hello said by a complete stranger. A gift is meant to be appreciated not left on a shelf to be forgotten and so it is with gratitude. It needs to be given a place in the heart so it can be enjoyed and shared with others.
“When I started counting my blessings,
my whole life turned around.”
Willie Nelson
Good for Willie! He has found the key to happiness.
Counting your blessings makes everything better. It doesn’t take away the difficult times or make all the wrongs right. There are still tears and hurts and grief that come our way but they don’t drag us down into the bottomless pit of despair when we remember the blessings in life.
There are times when I let myself be dragged down and I sort of wallow in the mess of being miserable for awhile. But those times are fewer and less dramatic than they used to be and the reason is that I have learned to count my blessings.
In the beginning of my blessing counting days it was a bit hard to make a list of the good things in my life. I thought blessings were big things, things that were awesome and made me stop and say WOW! But I have learned a few things since then.
Blessings are big things like not being homeless or hungry, being healthy, having family and friends and pets to share life. Blessings are the wonders of nature; trees and flowers, squirrels and birds, clouds that make temporary paintings on the sky, soft rain, lightening and thunderstorms, the stars and moon that decorate the night.
Blessings are also the small things; waking up and remembering a dream, a morning walk, a warm shower and shampooing your hair, lotion that makes your skin feel soft, laughter, conversation, the feel and smell of freshly washed sheets, an afternoon snack of coffee and cookies, reading a good book, watching a movie, sitting quietly by yourself or with someone you love. The list is endless.
Some situations and circumstances try to hide blessings. Sometimes we have to sort through the messiness of life to see or recognize them and there are some that don’t seem like blessings at all but with time they are revealed as some of the wonders of life. Ya just gotta have faith…and a lot of patience!
“Look on every exit as being
an entrance somewhere else.”
Tom Stoppard
It seems most people think of an exit as an ending but surely it is more than that. There can be no beginnings without endings. It starts with birth. We leave the womb and enter this life apart from the place where we were brought into being. Beginnings and endings go on and on all through life.
We continue to exit from where we are and find ourselves at the entrance to new experiences and lessons. Some look at these doorways with fear and foreboding, others with happiness and excitement . I have stood at my doorways with both attitudes and feelings at different times and places in my life.
I have found that things are rarely as bad as I think they will be and usually much better than I imagined. It has a lot to do with mindset. If you think the worst will happen you will be miserable and miss out on the wonder of exploring the world while on your journey and that would just be too sad.
“Maybe your weird is my normal.
Who’s to say?”
Nicki Manaj
There are those who think I am weird and that’s okay with me. I sort of agree with them. My lifestyle isn’t one that would make many folks happy. For the most part, I like to be alone in my home, just me and the catkids. I also like it quiet. I rarely have the radio on or the TV.
I am definitely a quiet introvert. I don’t socialize much and when I do I prefer small gatherings. I can be quite talkative when with friends or once I get to know someone but with those I don’t know I tend to keep in the background.
People ask me if I get bored being retired and on my own most of the time. The answer is, no. My favorite things to do are those things that one does by themselves like reading, writing, doing puzzles, crocheting and needlework. Even before retirement those were my chosen past-times and I never had enough time for them. Now I do.
I used to be a bit embarrassed that I wasn’t more outgoing and active because people were always trying to get me out more and to be more social thinking that I was lonely or depressed. I wasn’t then and I am not now. I am happy with my life.
So, maybe I am weird. I don’t care, others can think what they want. Of course, it is entirely possible that they are the ones who are weird. Really, who’s to say?
Patricia's Place 
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