The Virtue of the Camera...

The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking.

~© Brooks Anderson~

Just Before

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.

~© A.A. Milne~

One Friend

One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider a problem, can change our whole outlook on the world.

~© Dr. E. H. Mayo~

Complementary Colors

She was blue-
The color of tranquility,
Not of oppression
Or discontent.
She was the color
Of the unrelenting ocean
Or a mid-Summer Sky.

He was gold-
The color of comfort and warmth,
Not of frailty
Or disquiet.
He was the color
Of a budding Spring flower
Or the gratifying afternoon sun.

Each color individually
Possesses its own precedence.
Together,
They complement
One another
In a manner
Which is sheerly unsurpassable.

Complementary Color: Two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel, that when placed next to each other make both appear brighter.

~© Lady Treemont~

Lucky

Mean Mr. Mustard says he's bored
of life in The District.
He can't afford the French Quarter high
says it gets old real quick
and he pales up next to me
and scrawled on the pavement.
It says- "Son, time is all the luck
you need."

And if I stay lucky, then my tongue
will stay tied and I won't betray
the things that I hide.
There's not enough years underneath
this belt for me to admit the way
that I felt.

Mean Mr. Mustard says don't be
the wave that crashes
from a sea of discontent.
He says he's wrestled with that blanket-
It leaves you cold and wet
any way you stretch it.
Divine apathy,
Disease of my youth...
watch that you don't catch it.

And if I stay lucky, then my tongue
will stay tied and I won't betray
the things that I hide.
There's not enough years underneath
this belt for me to admit the way
that I felt.

And I'm the wave that crashes
from a sea that turns itself
inside out every chance-
I get to see what it's like in hell.

And if I stay lucky, then my tongue
will stay tied and I won't betray
the things that I hide.
There's not enough years underneath
this belt for me to admit the way
that I felt.

~© Seven Mary Three~

Real World

I wonder what it's like to be the rainmaker.
I wonder what it's like to know that I made the rain.
I'd store it in boxes with little yellow tags on every one
And you can come and see them when I'm...done...
When I'm done.

I wonder what it's like to be a super hero.
I wonder where I'd go if I could fly around downtown.
From some other planet, I get this funky high on yellow sun.
Boy I bet my friends will be...stunned...
They're stunned.

Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?
If I were someone else would this all fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me.

I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho.
I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said.
I'd shout out an order,
"I think we're out of this man. Get me some.
Boy, don't make me wanna change my...tone...
My tone."

Please don't change.
Please don't break.
The only thing that seems to work at all is you.
Please don't change at all...
From me...
To you...
And you...
To me...

~© Matchbox Twenty~

Focus

Remember, your focus determines your reality.

~© Star Wars: The Phantom Menace~

The Four Freedoms

The First Freedom: BODY

“Longing, desire, and need melt from our psyches drip sparkling life—renewal in these suits we call our bodies.”—Al Link

Awaken your senses. See, hear, smell, taste, and feel love. Know your body as a divine temple of love, carrier of the soul, manifestation of god and goddess. Become truly at home in your body—at ease, at peace, comfortable in your skin. Allow yourself to experience physical pleasure. Feed yourself and all around you with sublime, intimate human touch. You are your body. Your body is freedom.

The Second Freedom: MIND

“Our words meet and mingle like hummingbirds competing for space at the scarlet feeder.”—Al Link

There are no limits. All limits are self-imposed. Change thought from being your master to being your powerful servant, a tool of your liberation. Turn your thinking on, and turn it off, when you want to. You have the power over what you think. You also have the power over how you think about things. Connect with your higher self for guidance and direction. You are your mind. Your mind is freedom.

The Third Freedom: HEART

“Hearts made sweet by surrender to each other.”—Al Link

Heal your broken heart. Open your healed heart. Give and receive love easily, naturally, spontaneously, and unconditionally. Discover your lover within. Love yourself. Accept yourself. Forgive yourself. Know that you are worthy of love. Acknowledge and welcome the love of others. Dare to be the great lover you are. You are your heart. Your heart is freedom.

The Fourth Freedom: SOUL

“Souls made sweet by surrender to God.”—Al Link

Your body, mind, and heart are windows to your soul. Your soul transcends space and time. It is outside of cause and effect. Your soul is complete and perfect. When you communicate with your higher self, with god and goddess, you are communicating with your soul. Your soul has your body, mind, and heart within it. Your soul is what you are. Your soul is The Soul. Your soul is freedom.

~© Pala Copeland and Al Link-Excerpted from "Soul Sex:Tantra for Two"~

Gratitude

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

~© William Arthur Ward~

Be A Bud

Be a bud sitting quietly on the hedge.

Be a smile, one part of wondrous existence.

Stand here. There is no need to depart.

~© Thich Nhat Hahn~

Every Day

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture and, if possible, speak a few reasonable words.

~© Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe~

This Day Belongs To Me

This is the way to the freedom I've only dreamed of.
These are the wings I was never allowed to try.
Come closer and hear me, there's a world out there to see.
I say this day belongs to me.

This is the day I make lovers and friends of strangers.
My turn to learn about wonderful love and care.
Our love will be gentle, sentimental, spread its wings
This day belongs to you and me. I believe it.
If the stars are in our corner we'll have love and laughter. And love is long overdue.
If you see light in my sympathetic eyes, it's for you. For you, all for you.

This is the door I have waited so long to open.
This is the day when I'm given my room to breathe.
One chance in a lifetime, and my name is on the key.
I say this day belongs to me. I believe it.
If the stars are in my corner I'll have love and laughter.
This day belongs to me.

~© Seals & Crofts-lyrics written by Paul Williams~

Silent Adoration

Among men and women, those in love do not always announce themselves with declarations and vows. But they are the ones who weep when you're gone. Who miss you every single night, especially when the sky is so deep and beautiful, and the ground so very cold.

~© Alice Hoffman~

What Would It Be Like?

What would it be like to swing on a star, or walk on a cloud?
Would it be anything like what I feel whenever you are near?

~© Author Unknown~

Capricorn

A thousand nights I've spent alone,
Solitaire to the bone.
But I don't mind, I'm my own best friend,
From the beginning to the end.

My life, my heart,
Black night, my star-
Capricorn

December's child, the only one,
What I do is what I've done.
I realize I get so cold,
When I was young I was already old.

My life, my heart,
Black night, my star-
Capricorn

I always knew the only way
Is never live beyond today,
They proved me right, they proved me wrong,
But they can never last this long.

My life, my heart,
Black night, my star-
Capricorn

~© Motorhead~

The Best Things

The best things, the special moments, usually happen spontaneously, when you least expect them.

~© Marion Montgomery~

Undefined

I want out of the labels. I don't want my whole life crammed into a single word. A story. I want to find something else, unknowable, some place to be that's not on the map. A real adventure. A sphinx. A mystery. A blank. Unknown. Undefined.

~© Chuck Palahniuk~

From "Ode"

We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.

~© Arthur O'Shaughnessy~

Tonight

Tonight his eyes were shining-he looked wonderful.

~© Paulo Coelho~

When...

When I look on you a moment, then I can speak no more, but my tongue falls silent, and at once a delicate flame courses beneath my skin, and with my eyes I see nothing, and my ears hum, and a wet sweat bathes me and a trembling seizes me all over.

~© Sappho~

Keep On Singing

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

~© Maya Angelou~

Awareness

Awareness is the path of immortality;
thoughtlessness is the path of death.
Those who are aware do not die.
The thoughtless are as if dead already.

The wise having clearly understood this,
delight in awareness
and find joy in the knowledge of the noble ones.
These wise ones, meditative, persevering,
always using strong effort,
attain nirvana, the supreme peace and happiness.

If a person is awake, aware, mindful, pure, considerate,
self-restrained, and lives according to duty,
that person's glory will increase.
By awakening, by awareness, by restraint and control,
the wise may make for oneself
an island which no flood can overwhelm.

Fools follow after vanity, are ignorant and careless.
The wise keep awareness as their best treasure.
Do not follow after vanity
nor after sensual pleasure nor lust.

Whoever meditates with awareness obtains great joy.
When the wise conquer thoughtlessness by awareness,
climbing the terraced heights of wisdom,
free from sadness viewing the sad crowd below,
they gaze upon the fools, like one on the mountain peak
gazes upon those standing on the plain.

Aware among the thoughtless, awake among the sleepy,
the wise advances, like a racehorse leaves behind the slow.
By awareness Indra rose to become chief of the gods.
People praise awareness; thoughtlessness is always blamed.

A mendicant who finds joy in awareness,
who looks with fear on thoughtlessness,
moves about like fire,
burning all restrictions, small or large.
A mendicant who finds joy in awareness,
who looks with fear on thoughtlessness,
cannot fall away, but is close to nirvana.

~© Buddha~

You Are Me

You are me and I am you.
It is obvious that we are inter-are.
You cultivate the flower in
yourself so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself so
that you do not have to suffer.
I support you, you support me.
I am here to bring you peace
you are here to bring me joy.

~© Thich Naht Hahn~

Perspective

Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.

~© Betty Smith~

When The Sun Appears In The East

When the sun appears in the East,

I make friends with my poetry.

I see a golden disc

Right above the blue sea,

A red hibiscus is smiling at me.

Is there anybody on earth, O Sun,

Who does not long for your smile?

No, nobody.

Everybody wants your smile.

I too want your smile

And something more:

I want to bow to you

With my heart's adoration.


~© Sri Chinmoy~

Hope

Ah, Hope! What would life be, stripped of thy encouraging smiles, that teach us to look behind the dark clouds of today, for the golden beams that are to gild the morrow.

~© François de la Rochefoucauld~

The Lady's Reward

Lady, lady, never start
Conversation toward your heart;
Keep your pretty words serene;
Never murmur what you mean.
Show yourself, by word and look,
Swift and shallow as a brook.
Be as cool and quick to go
As a drop of April snow;
Be as delicate and gay
As a cherry flower in May.
Lady, lady, never speak
Of the tears that burn your cheek-
She will never win him, whose
Words had shown she feared to lose.
Be you wise and never sad,
You will get your lovely lad.
Never serious be, nor true,
And your wish will come to you-
And if that makes you happy, kid,
You'll be the first it ever did.

~© Dorothy Parker ~

This Is True

There's one thing a quote does that no one else can do...it can become a part of you. You may never meet the person who said it, but that person is now a companion. Quotes help you get over pain, feel love, make you smile and laugh, and help you through those tough days when you think that no one else knows what you are going through.

~© Author Unknown~

Genuine Love

Your body needs to be held and to hold, to be touched and to touch. None of these needs is to be despised, denied, or repressed. But you have to keep searching for your body's deeper need, the need for genuine love. Every time you are able to go beyond the body's superficial desires for love, you are bringing your body home and moving toward integration and unity.

~© Henri Nouwen~

A Dream Fulfilled

There is always a realistic way to fulfill any dream. There has never been a dream that you can't have -- at least, not the heart of it, not the part you love the most.

~© Barbara Sher~

What You Give

Who's the one that makes you happy?
Or maybe, who's the one always on your mind?
And who is the reason you're livin'?
Who's the reason for your smile?

I feel so lonely, yet I know I'm not the only one
To ever feel this way.
I love ya' so much that I think I'm goin' insane.
I'm goin' crazy, outta my head.
Goin' crazy, outta my head.
Can't think about nothin' but your good, good love,
And what you give.

Every one needs somebody.
And you know,
Everybody needs someone.
Well, and yes it's true.
Everybody needs a special kind of love,
And you're the only one I'm thinkin' of.
You mean the world to me.
You are my only.

I feel so lonely, yet I know I'm not the only one
To carry on this way.
I love ya' so much I lose track of time,
Lose track of the days.
I'm goin' outta my head,
Goin' crazy, outta my head.
Can't think about nothin' but your good, good love,
And what you give.

It's not whatcha' got, it's what you give.
It ain't the life you choose, it's the life you live.
It's only what you give, only what you give, only what you give.
It's not whatcha' got, but the life you live.
It's the life you live.

You're the one that makes me happy.
Oh yeah, baby.
And you're the one always on my mind.
And yes, it's true.
You are my reason, my one and only
That I've been livin' for.
Why can't forever be forever and nothin' more.

I feel so lonely, yet I know I'm not the only one
To ever feel this way.
I love ya' so much I lose track of time,
Lose track of the days.
I'm goin' outta my head,
Goin' crazy, outta my head.
Can't think about nothin' but your good, sweet love,
And what you give.

It's not whatcha' got, it's what you give.
It ain't the life you choose, it's the life you live.
No, no, no, no, no!
It's not whatcha' got, it's what you give.
And it ain't what it's not, but what it is.

~© Tesla lyrics~

Never Give Up

Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

~© Author Unknown~

When...

When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.

~© Greg Anderson~

The Sun Never Says

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe Me."

Look what happens with
A love like that,
It lights the Whole Sky.

~© Hafiz~

Dogfish

Some kind of relaxed and beautiful thing
kept flickering in with the tide
and looking around.
Black as a fisherman's boot,
with a white belly.

If you asked for a picture I would have to draw a smile
under the perfectly round eyes and above the chin,
which was rough
as a thousand sharpened nails.

And you know
what a smile means,
don't you?


*

I wanted the past to go away, I wanted
to leave it, like another country; I wanted
my life to close, and open
like a hinge, like a wing, like the part of the song
where it falls
down over the rocks: an explosion, a discovery;
I wanted
to hurry into the work of my life; I wanted to know,

whoever I was, I was

alive
for a little while.

*

It was evening, and no longer summer.
Three small fish, I don't know what they were,
huddled in the highest ripples
as it came swimming in again, effortless, the whole body
one gesture, one black sleeve
that could fit easily around
the bodies of three small fish.

*

Also I wanted
to be able to love. And we all know
how that one goes,
don't we?

Slowly

*

the dogfish tore open the soft basins of water.

*

You don't want to hear the story
of my life, and anyway
I don't want to tell it, I want to listen

to the enormous waterfalls of the sun.

And anyway it's the same old story - - -
a few people just trying,
one way or another,
to survive.

Mostly, I want to be kind.
And nobody, of course, is kind,
or mean,
for a simple reason.

And nobody gets out of it, having to
swim through the fires to stay in
this world.

*

And look! look! look! I think those little fish
better wake up and dash themselves away
from the hopeless future that is
bulging toward them.

*

And probably,
if they don't waste time
looking for an easier world,

they can do it.

~© Mary Oliver~

Rain

It can't rain all the time.

~© The Crow-Eric Draven~

Chasing Cars

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

~© Snow Patrol lyrics~

Go Slow

There is absolutely no reason for being rushed along with the rush.
Everybody should be free to go slow.

~© Robert Frost~