ghoster's blog: "Words by me"

When by my solitary hearth I sit, When no fair dreams before my "mind's eye" flit, And the bare heath of life presents no bloom; Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed, And wave thy silver pinions o'er my head. Whene'er I wander, at the fall of night, Where woven boughs shut out the moon's bright ray, Should sad Despondency my musings fright, And frown, to drive fair Cheerfulness away, Peep with the moon-beams through the leafy roof, And keep that fiend Despondence far aloof. Should Disappointment, parent of Despair, Strive for her son to seize my careless heart; When, like a cloud, he sits upon the air, Preparing on his spell-bound prey to dart: Chase him away, sweet Hope, with visage bright, And fright him as the morning frightens night! Whene'er the fate of those I hold most dear Tells to my fearful breast a tale of sorrow, O bright-eyed Hope, my morbid fancy cheer; Let me awhile thy sweetest comforts borrow: Thy heaven-born radiance around me shed, And wave thy silver pinions o'er my head! Should e'er unhappy love my bosom pain, From cruel parents, or relentless fair; O let me think it is not quite in vain To sigh out sonnets to the midnight air! Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed, And wave thy silver pinions o'er my head! In the long vista of the years to roll, Let me not see our country's honour fade: O let me see our land retain her soul, Her pride, her freedom; and not freedom's shade. From thy bright eyes unusual brightness shed— Beneath thy pinions canopy my head! Let me not see the patriot's high bequest, Great Liberty! how great in plain attire! With the base purple of a court oppress'd, Bowing her head, and ready to expire: But let me see thee stoop from heaven on wings That fill the skies with silver glitterings! And as, in sparkling majesty, a star Gilds the bright summit of some gloomy cloud; Brightening the half veil'd face of heaven afar: So, when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud, Sweet Hope, celestial influence round me shed, Waving thy silver pinions o'er my head. - By: John Keats

1. If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two and keep away from children. 2. It's a very strange name they picked for "Social Security." For what they actually send you, you can't afford to be "social" nor can you really feel "secure." 3. Short skirts have a tendency to make men polite. Have you ever seen a man get on a bus ahead of one? 4. It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blamed it on the cost of living. 5. We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse. 6. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong. 7. It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try and pass them. 8. If the shoe fits, get another one just like it. 9. The things that come to those who wait may be the things left by those who got there first. 10. Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will sit in a boat drinking beer all day. 11. When you're swimming in the creek and an eel bites your cheek, that's a moray! 12. A fine is tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. 13. The only cure for insomnia is to get more sleep. 14. Everybody lies, but it doesn't matter since nobody listens. 15. I wished the buck stopped here. I could use a few. 16. When you go into court you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people that weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

This is a combination of two old blogs that I posted awhile ago.They kind of go together.I think a lot of us are feeling like this now days and ....well...maybe this might help you keep moving forwards.At least I hope it does. Paddling On I'm lost and all alone Adrift on a barren sea No landmarks to point the way Trying to live... Trying to survive each day Time seeming to stand still Paddling...paddling But not seeming to make any progress Everything today Much the same as it was Yesterday Frustration,desperation and depression Setting In Here I am Willing to do anything Wanting to do something But not sure What else to do But paddle....paddle Hopefully getting closer Hopefully making things better But not knowing for sure Everything seems to stay the same Nothing seeming to change And yet all I can do Is keep paddling...paddling Trying to Survive By Bruce © June 2005 When you feel like giving up When you feel like giving up, it's a very good sign that you're truly making progress. So by all means keep going. Eventually you're going to reach the point where just one more attempt, one more effort will bring real success. What a shame it would be to give up just as you reached that point. You do not know what the next effort will bring because the future is not based on the past. That feeling of wanting to give up is based solely on the past, which really doesn't matter any more. What matters now is where you're headed, not where you've been. And when you view it from that perspective, giving up is simply not an option. Success is always achieved after one last effort. You're working your way toward that point, and you may very well already be there, ready to make that very effort. So keep going, keep making the effort, no matter what has happened before. Somewhere up ahead is that one more effort, the one that will take you all the way to where you want to be. Ralph Marston

Everybody Knows... You can't be all things to all people. you can't do all things at once. You can't do all things equally well You can't do all things better than everyone else. Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's. So... You have to find out who you are...and be that. You have to decide what comes first...and do it. You have to learn not to compete with others, Because no one else is in the contest of being YOU. And then... You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness. You will have learned to set your own priorities and make decisions. You will have learned to live with your limitations. You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due. And you'll be the unique...and happy human being! Always believe... That you are a wonderful,unique person. That you are a once in all history event. That it's more than right...it's your duty, To be who you are! That life is not a problem to solve, But a gift to cherish. And this way you'll always be able to stay one up On what used to get you down!

If I call you Friend If I call you friend, You will always share a piece of my heart. I will always pride myself, To always be true to you. As much as I need friends, So must you. I will also share a place in your heart, To be there whenever you need me. I may not be there in flesh, But I will always be there in spirit. I will cope with your moods, And try to understand your needs. When you are angry, I will laugh with you. As sadness overwhelms you, We will cry together. If you feel down and kicked, I will pick you up and brush away your doubts. When you think you can't continue, I will remind you that you can. As you become discouraged, I will boost your ego high. At times when you wish to talk, my attention will be all yours. Being a friend I don't take lightly, It's my desire, never a chore. At times when you must mourn, I shall mourn with you. If you need some silence, yet not be alone, We will sit together in the peace of quiet. When you wish to play, You will always have a playmate. When you feel on top of the world, I'll pat your back and tell you, you deserve to be. You will never be completely alone, A piece of me will always be with you. One thing I can always give, Is the gift of friendship for you to accept. Allow our friendship to make you smile, Bring joy to your life as you have to mine. When you become confused and lose your way, Let me guide you in the right direction. Lean on me when you need support, Let me share your sorrow and pain. What good can a friend really be, If you can't understand we will always care. If I call you friend, You will always know, A friend you have in me.

It's mid-morning, and several minor crises have already derailed you. Your plan for the day is in shambles, your to-do list feels like a boulder around your neck, and all you want to do is hide. You're reaching for a Diet Coke in the hopes that it will give you the energy to decide which item on your list to tackle. Then you remember that there's another way. You make the choice. You feel your feet connecting with the ground beneath you. You take a deep breath and reach your arms overhead, exhaling with a huge sigh. You put your hand on your heart and recall feeling balanced and flowing, trusting the flow of life. You gently ask, "What choice feels the easiest in this moment?" You visualize yourself bringing this question into your heart, and take a breath or two to infuse it with flow and peace. Perhaps a brief image of your sister comes to mind. Or maybe you hear a refrain of an old song, and when you focus on it, you realize it reminds you of your sister. Or perhaps you remember the feeling of your sister hugging you. You call your sister, have a lovely chat, and when you get off the phone, you have new energy —enough to move you forward to the next task awaiting you. Do you begin to see to get the picture of how this approach flows with life? I'm not proposing you sell your worldly possessions and move to the woods to live in an unheated yurt. I'm not recommending you consult crystals or the I Ching before moving a muscle. What I am saying is that when you think you're lost, overwhelmed, and without direction, you do "know" what to do to restore your balance and your direction–but it's a different kind of knowing, one you already possess, and need only be reminded of how to access. This is part of the process That's called "Life Organizing." It's infinitely richer than plotting your days in 15-minute increments in your day planner, but it does require trusting your own experiences. It involves a quick in-the-moment check-in that lowers your stress while allowing you to move beyond your conscious mind and respond with creativity and intuition to challenges and opportunities. Here are some of the check-in steps from the example above: 1. Connect: Move your body – breathe deeper, stretch your arms overhead, step outside and feel the breeze on your skin- anything that connects you with your life energy. 2. Feel: Tune into your heart, which can give you information your head can't. Simply put your attention on your heart, perhaps by placing your hand there. Recall a time in which you felt loved and appreciated or loving and appreciative toward someone else. Linger there for a few seconds. 3. Inquire: Ask a mindful question. This opens up possibilities you literally couldn't see before. In the first example, the mindful question was: What choice feels the easiest in this moment? Another of my favorite questions: What do I need to know right now? 4. Allow: To allow is simply trusting that by connecting, feeling, and inquiring, you will hear or see or feel or sense what your next step is—and only your next step.. Allowing is not about belief: it's about noticing your experience and opening to your next step, allowing love, inspiration, and knowing to come into your body and heart, to inform and direct you.

PERCEPTION There are two ways to look at every situation in life: Is the cup half empty? Or is the cup half full? It is amazing how our perception can be changed by our attitude. For example, think about God and then look at these letters. N-O-W-H-E-R-E You can assume that God is NO WHERE. Or you can believe that God is NOW HERE! Follow this advice and you can improve your life: Always remember that you are loved, even when it doesn't seem like it. Believe in yourself and your values. Don't sell out when things go wrong. Don't let anything get you down; always bounce back up. Set goals for your future and never settle for anything less. Realize that there are others in the world with much bigger problems than you. Appreciate the good things in your life, and be thankful for the time you have with your loved ones. Spend more time with your family and friends. Appreciate the simple things in life, and don't get caught up in material things. If you follow that advice you can't go wrong! So the next time you're looking at a situation in your life: Is the cup half empty? Or is the cup half full? Be an optimist and see the cup as being half full. Before long, your attitude will rub off on others. You can make the world a better place by simply making yourself a happier person. If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.

My friend John always has something to tell me. He knows so much that young men have to have older and more worldly wise men to tell them. For instance who to trust, how to care for others, and how to live life to the fullest. Recently, John lost his wife Janet. For eight years she fought against cancer, but in the end her sickness had the last word. One day John took out a folded piece of paper from his wallet. He had found it, so he told me, when he tidied up some drawers at home. It was a small love letter Janet had written. The note could look like a school girl's scrawls about her dream guy. All that was missing was a drawing of a heart with the names John and Janet written in it. But the small letter was written by a woman who had had seven children; a woman who fought for her life and who probably only had a few months left to live. It was also a beautiful recipe for how to keep a marriage together. Janet's description of her husband begins thus: "Loved me. Took care of me. Worried about me." Even though John always had a ready answer, he never joked about cancer apparently. Sometimes he came home in the evening to find Janet in the middle of one of those depressions cancer patients so often get. In no time he got her into the car and drove her to her favorite restaurant. He showed consideration for her, and she knew it. You cannot hide something for someone who knows better. "Helped me when I was ill," the next line reads. Perhaps Janet wrote this while the cancer was in one of the horrible and wonderful lulls. Where everything is -- almost -- as it used to be, before the sickness broke out, and where it doesn't hurt to hope that everything is over, maybe forever. "Forgave me a lot." "Stood by my side." And a piece of good advice for everyone who looks on giving constructive criticism as a kind of sacred duty: "Always praising." "Made sure I had everything I needed," she goes on to write. After that she has turned over the paper and added: "Warmth. Humor. Kindness. Thoughtfulness." And then she writes about the husband she has lived with and loved the most of her life: "Always there for me when I needed you." The last words she wrote sum up all the others. I can see her for me when she adds thoughtfully: "Good friend." I stand beside John now, and cannot even pretend to know how it feels to lose someone who is as close to me as Janet was to him. I need to hear what he has to say much more than he needs to talk. "John," I ask. "How do you stick together with someone through 38 years -- not to mention the sickness? How do I know if I can bear to stand by my wife's side if she becomes sick one day?" "You can," he says quietly. "If you love her enough, you can." by Bill Walls

Life Still Has Meaning If there is a future there is time for mending Time to see your troubles coming to an ending. Life is never hopeless however great your sorrow If you are looking forward to a new tomorrow. If there is time for wishing then there is time for hoping When through doubt and darkness you are blindly groping. Though the heart be heavy and hurt you may be feeling If there is time for praying there is time for healing. So if through your window there is a new day breaking Thank God for the promise,though mind and soul be aching. If with harvest over there is grain enough for gleaming There is a new tomorrow and life still has meaning.

Perhaps the most arresting bit of personal advice I ever encountered was this: If you want to be popular, live so that a blind person would like you. The point is that lasting popularity depends not on having good looks or other surface personality traits, but upon inner qualities that somehow communicate themselves to others. Such qualities include a friendly voice, a sense of humor, kindness, thoughtfulness of the other fellow's tender ego, sincere praise, gratitude, and encouragement. How well would a blind person like you?