Tag Archives: society

Our Stories

We make sense of life through our stories. Life is mysterious, scary, wonderful, big – replete with challenges, stumbling blocks, triumphs, sorrow and joy – and we feel a deep need to put it into words. As Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”.

When another person listening to our own story looks into our eyes and nods, we feel that we are coming home, the challenges are surmountable, and it will all be alright. We feel understood in our journey.

Look at the story that is currently being written for humanity. (Yes, with the amount of control being wielded on this planet right now, it is someone else’s idea of what our lives should be.) Is it a story that makes you feel happy? If not, what needs to change in order to make it a better story? How can we each contribute to that better story?

It’s time to start imagining the future WE want.

Inspirational Quotes:

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~ Maya Angelou

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ~ Anne Frank

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.” ~ Terry Pratchett

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ~ Philip Pullman

“If you ever find yourself in the wrong story, leave.” ~ Mo Willems

“If you don’t like someone’s story, write your own.” ~ Chinua Achebe

“Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.” ~ Ben Okri

Wisdom of Gandhi

Lighting the Darkness

2 Replies

Out of the profound sadness that haunted much of Vincent Van Gogh’s life emerged one of the most famous paintings of the world, “The Starry Night” (1889).

Vincent was one of those souls who lived a life that in the fullness of time proved to be famously inspiring to others. While he was alive, his most fervent wish for his art was that it would help people “to see”. During his own personal journey of darkness he created works that would help to light the world.

Not everyone will paint a world-famous picture or write a widely read novel that inspires others. However, each one of us CAN be a light in the world.

Please, endeavor today to do one small random act of kindness for another human being. Be the light, and watch it ripple outward.

Inspirational Quotes:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle

“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” ~ St. Francis Of Assisi

“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ~ Plato

Not a Blue Monday

3 Replies

No Monday blues here. I’m bringing you some of Nature’s signature green to start your week feeling uplifted and rejuvenated. Think of it as a building block, a foundation for your day (and I hope) for your week. Build on it.

Pen onto your calendar, right now, something that will uplift you each and every day. Commit to those goals. They can be small, and they don’t have to cost money. Perhaps just a little extra time daily to take a walk, ride your bike, pick up that book you’ve been meaning to get to, or more time spent talking with members of your family, face-to-face. Make your well-being and happiness the most important item on your calendar this week.

You know the things that bring you personal happiness, that lift your heart. It is the focus upon and gratitude for all the seemingly small things that give life much of its delight.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” ~ John Muir

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” ~ John Muir

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ~ John Muir

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Photos courtesy Luis del Río Pexels, HoliHo Pexels, KANENORI Pixabay, Pixel2013 Pixabay, SplitShire Pexels, denizhosbas_, PIxabay

Susan L Hart / Author