(I found “Love is Free” in Santa Monica, CA.. and that love IS in fact a doormat, here in Orlando)
Love is no doormat. Or is it?
08 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
in Inspirational, Quotations, Randomites Tags: California, doormat, Florida, heart, Love, Orlando, Venice Beach
Sometimes nature tells you
08 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
in Inspirational, Nature, Photography Tags: breathe, clouds, nature, relax, stop, sunset
Wise words from the Dalai Lama
08 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
Please take a moment to read through these, you will be surprised at how you feel once you have 🙂 Then take another moment -a lifetime, actually- to put them into a real practice….
Leaving aside the perspective of spiritual practice, even in worldly terms, in terms of our enjoying a happy day-to-day existence, the calmer our minds are, the greater our peace of mind will be and the greater will be our ability to enjoy a happy and joyful life.
The nature of the mind is such that if certain mental qualities are developed on a sound basis, they not only remain, but they also increase. In fact, once properly developed, the mind’s good qualities eventually increase indefinitely. Therefore spiritual practice brings us long-term happiness and inner strength.
The compassion we feel normally is biased and mixed with attachment. Genuine compassion flows towards all living beings, particularly your enemies. If I try to develop compassion towards my enemy, it may not benefit him directly, he may not even be aware of it. But it will immediately benefit me by calming my mind. On the other hand, if I dwell on how awful everything is, I immediately lose my peace of mind.
In daily practice, reflect on the benefits of love, compassion and kindness, then reflect on the disadvantages of anger. Such continuous contemplation, the growing appreciation of love, has the effect of reducing our inclination towards hatred and increasing our respect for love. By this means even anger can be diminished.
Under certain circumstances, you may need to take steps to counteract someone else’s wrongdoing, but it’s better to do so without anger. That will be more effective, because when your mind is overwhelmed by a disturbing emotion like anger, the action you take may not be appropriate.
Let us cultivate love and compassion, both of which give life true meaning. This is the religion I preach. It is simple. Its temple is the heart. Its teaching is love and compassion. Its moral values are loving and respecting others, whoever they may be. Whether one is a lay person or a monastic, we have no other option if we wish to survive in this world.
It is clear that feelings of love, affection, closeness and compassion bring happiness. I believe that every one of us has the means to be happy, to access the warm and compassionate states of mind that bring happiness. In fact, it is one of my fundamental beliefs that not only do we inherently possess the potential for compassion, but I believe that the basic or underlying nature of human beings is gentleness.
I pulled these from his page, please click >here< for more – for this isn’t even a morsel of D’ Lama’s wisdom…
Smart Women
08 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
in Inspirational, Photography, Quotations
Put together a quick photoshoot in a friend’s room in LBC that she was gracious enough to let me stay in while she was in NY.. 🙂 Kudos to her for these props!
Spotted!: Driving The Getaway Boat
07 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
(and yes, with some well-calculated maneuvers, we did escape… the impending thunderstorm!)
I dated Blockhead
07 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
in Moi, Randomites, Remember When...
Always well dressed, I never could get over all his sharp edges (not to mention the chicken-head…)
Bea and the Tree
07 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
in In-sites, Inspirational, Moi, Photography
Having the honor of passing this tree almost everyday, I am amazed by it every time, without fail:
May God grant me with the:
– Strength of this tree: it stands strong against large storms, save for a few fallen branches, and against the searing daytime sun from which it gains life
– Serenity & Patience of this tree: it stands strong, silently growing, the spanish moss swaying gently in the breezes. It shows nothing but quiet existence
– Beauty of this tree: it has the power to strike awe in its beholders
When still, it appears as completely strong and immovable as a stone wall. When it is faced with forces beyond its control, it simply bends and allows them to pass; the winds flow through the branches, gently yielding to the trespass.
We can learn volumes from nature, especially when it says nothing at all.
Fountain of Youth
07 Oct 2011 Leave a comment
in In-sites, Moi, Recent Posts
Realizing that smiling to myself, at others, and simply in general, makes me feel better, I also realized that those with smile lines on their face are happier than those with frown lines (no coincidence).
Some people search for the right product to apply (some just have beautiful skin lol!), when really, youth lies in happiness. If you find yourself getting upset about something, try this: remember that whatever it is, it too, shall pass, and that a positive outlook will help you through it. Yes, there are times when these little tricks seem impossible, but take a look back to some of the times you have had that you thought were just the worst. You made it through them, and are you better now?
Sometimes people snip at me for pointing out the good side of a potentially doomed situation (doomed is what they think), but I continue to believe that we can get through anything. We are only bound by the ties we create in our minds.. when I watch nature “happening,” like animals scavanging for their food, and when they are threatened with an impending danger, they do what they need to get to safety and to warn others. They do not stop, think things over and then react, they simply follow their natural instinct. I truly believe that if we are in tune with ourselves, our minds will follow, and our instincts can guide us towards what is best for us (regardless of what our measly minds think). After all, as humans who are able to think, and think, and then think more, we sometimes bring ourselves to the point of madness over something we cannot change, rather than to simply accept what is, and go from there. If someone asks me if I’ve “lost my mind,” I like to smile and reply “yes.” Wouldn’t it be nice sometimes, to just lose the compulsive-thinking mind?.. Sometimes I do, and it’s nice 🙂
People complain. This is a fact. If you find yourself feeling a complaint coming on, try to stop yourself before spreading that negativity to anyone else (who may perhaps be having the best day of their life, you never know), and just accept what is, and put your energy instead towards making the situation better in any way that you can -not only for yourself, but for those who would otherwise be affected by the complaint. At work, as most of us do, we know it is not the best feeling to be inside all day, especially when you know how beautiful it is outside- remember, you are not the only one spending time inside, and isn’t it better to spread positivity than bring others down?
“Happiness depends on ourselves.” -Aristotle
It is a hugely liberating experience to bring positivity to any given situation -the more difficult ones are the ones we learn most about ourselves. Stay young. Smile often. Getting angry about the trivial things (or anything at all..) is wasted energy. The less resentment and anxiety you harbor, the lighter your heart and younger you will feel. Some think that if they do not hold on to anxiety & worry, then they are not getting anything accomplished. To them, I say STOP. take a deep breath, and re-center– for one single minute, listen to yourself, and ignore anything else but the peace inside yourself, the “magic” of the natural energy that propels your own heartbeat.
Keep your curiosity, it is amazing what you can find out by being curious and asking questions – from people and of situations.
It is a choice – and it is not always easy to remain positive and keep on. Are you in, or are you out (of touch with yourself, with the God within us ALL)? Let’s stay young 🙂
beatrixszucs 