Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, April 20, 2013
No Man is an Island
Togetherness. Unity. Companionship. Love. These things can exist outside of a romantic relationship. Too many people live their everyday lives believing that they are islands. Solitary entities that have nothing to do with anybody else. I believe this is wrong. I believe the action of one person reverberates until it reaches the heart of another. We are not alone. We are in this together. And together doesn't mean we have to speak...or even have to know each other. "Together" is a penny left and a penny taken. A passing smile in the coffee shop. A knowing nod in the hospital waiting room. Together doesn't have to declare itself because it just is. Don't ask how something can help you. Ask how it can help everyone. Once we learn to focus our love and strength outward, only then will we be open and ready to receive. You are not alone. You are not an island.
No Man Is An Island by John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
No Man Is An Island by John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Gracious me.
I like to practice something I call the "Sanctification of the Quotidian." Literally, praising and expressing graciousness and gratitude toward the everyday processes of life.
The thought occurred to me this morning, that if everyone counted their blessings... there would be less worrying, more kindness, and a shedding of the rigid masks that we tend to wear as people. Now, when I say count your blessings, I know what you just did. You thought about your kids, your mortgage, and just said "yeah, yeah, I know". But you are missing the point here. I mean, really get in there with your blessings and roll around. Go toe to toe with them. Listen to their secrets. Learn their ticklish spots. Only then, will you truly understand what gratitude means.
When I speak of the quotidian, I speak of the mundane. Why? Because if we can learn to lavish in the mundane, than everything else...well that is just extra. When you wake up each morning, appreciate the texture of the sheets beneath you, the blanket, the distant chirping of birds. Wear your favorite scent and put on the radio. Enjoy a cup of your favorite herbal tea...the coos and giggles of little ones, the comfortable mess in your home that sends the message that, well, someone lives there. Smile at a stranger. Hold the door for others, and well just BE at peace.
Replace all negative thoughts with positive ones. You can't control what others do and how others behave, so there is no use trying. As humans, worry happens, but we should only worry about that which we can control. Otherwise, there is no point. None. What we can control however, is our own thoughts, and our own reactions to others. Don't get angry over a driver who sped around you in a blaze. Be thankful that the reckless driver is now away from you, thus preventing any possible accidents. Don't be upset that you don't have your dream job, just be thankful that you have any job. And if you don't, just be thankful that the universe decided that regardless of your employment status, you are precious and whole, and the universe has found a way to feed your belly. You are here. You are alive. You are mingling and buzzing and pulsing with the outside world. Money will come. Money is extra. When we think of our basic needs as humans: Food, water, shelter....we must know that we are thriving if we have all three. That is what matters. That is what is important. Everything else, is extra.
Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like – Will Rogers.
As people, we are told from a young age that we should go to school, get degrees, good jobs, penchants, mortgages, have kids. While all of these things are wonderful, they are not the key elements needed to finding happiness and being at peace. I doubt that we were put here on this earth to obtain MBA's and Stock holdings. The purpose of life is to discover your gift, and the meaning of life is to give it away.- David Viscott. Discovering your gift is your life's work! If you choose to seek that through school, organizations, or whatever else...that is your choice. As long as you don't lose sight of why you are doing it in the first place.
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive – Howard Thurman.
Be humble and kind. I can't tell you how many people I know that just cannot be kind. They look for reasons to tear into you. To knock you down. To point out flaws. Be kind to these people too. For they are hurt and angry and have not found their gift. They have lost their way and do not know where to look. They are unhappy and not at peace. They are uncomfortable with the fact that they cannot control others. Be at peace and treat these people with kindness. Whether they admit it or not, they'll remember.
You are not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations, nor should you feel the world must live up to yours – F Perl.
So here's your assignment. Start a gratitude journal.
Every night write in it 3 things that happened that day that you are thankful for. Perhaps you caught a cab right away? Perhaps someone complimented your shoes? Perhaps your daughter drew you a picture? You are NOT allowed to complain in this journal. Only be thankful.Then at the end of every month, write down three BIG things you are grateful for. Whether it's your family, your health, or your mortgage...it's up to you.
The purpose here is to start small and work your way up. From the inside out. That is where true gratitude begins.
Live well.
Tiffany
The thought occurred to me this morning, that if everyone counted their blessings... there would be less worrying, more kindness, and a shedding of the rigid masks that we tend to wear as people. Now, when I say count your blessings, I know what you just did. You thought about your kids, your mortgage, and just said "yeah, yeah, I know". But you are missing the point here. I mean, really get in there with your blessings and roll around. Go toe to toe with them. Listen to their secrets. Learn their ticklish spots. Only then, will you truly understand what gratitude means.
When I speak of the quotidian, I speak of the mundane. Why? Because if we can learn to lavish in the mundane, than everything else...well that is just extra. When you wake up each morning, appreciate the texture of the sheets beneath you, the blanket, the distant chirping of birds. Wear your favorite scent and put on the radio. Enjoy a cup of your favorite herbal tea...the coos and giggles of little ones, the comfortable mess in your home that sends the message that, well, someone lives there. Smile at a stranger. Hold the door for others, and well just BE at peace.
Replace all negative thoughts with positive ones. You can't control what others do and how others behave, so there is no use trying. As humans, worry happens, but we should only worry about that which we can control. Otherwise, there is no point. None. What we can control however, is our own thoughts, and our own reactions to others. Don't get angry over a driver who sped around you in a blaze. Be thankful that the reckless driver is now away from you, thus preventing any possible accidents. Don't be upset that you don't have your dream job, just be thankful that you have any job. And if you don't, just be thankful that the universe decided that regardless of your employment status, you are precious and whole, and the universe has found a way to feed your belly. You are here. You are alive. You are mingling and buzzing and pulsing with the outside world. Money will come. Money is extra. When we think of our basic needs as humans: Food, water, shelter....we must know that we are thriving if we have all three. That is what matters. That is what is important. Everything else, is extra.
Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like – Will Rogers.
As people, we are told from a young age that we should go to school, get degrees, good jobs, penchants, mortgages, have kids. While all of these things are wonderful, they are not the key elements needed to finding happiness and being at peace. I doubt that we were put here on this earth to obtain MBA's and Stock holdings. The purpose of life is to discover your gift, and the meaning of life is to give it away.- David Viscott. Discovering your gift is your life's work! If you choose to seek that through school, organizations, or whatever else...that is your choice. As long as you don't lose sight of why you are doing it in the first place.
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive – Howard Thurman.
Be humble and kind. I can't tell you how many people I know that just cannot be kind. They look for reasons to tear into you. To knock you down. To point out flaws. Be kind to these people too. For they are hurt and angry and have not found their gift. They have lost their way and do not know where to look. They are unhappy and not at peace. They are uncomfortable with the fact that they cannot control others. Be at peace and treat these people with kindness. Whether they admit it or not, they'll remember.
You are not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations, nor should you feel the world must live up to yours – F Perl.
So here's your assignment. Start a gratitude journal.
Every night write in it 3 things that happened that day that you are thankful for. Perhaps you caught a cab right away? Perhaps someone complimented your shoes? Perhaps your daughter drew you a picture? You are NOT allowed to complain in this journal. Only be thankful.Then at the end of every month, write down three BIG things you are grateful for. Whether it's your family, your health, or your mortgage...it's up to you.
The purpose here is to start small and work your way up. From the inside out. That is where true gratitude begins.
Live well.
Tiffany
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Orchids in the City
Charlotte MacAleese is a shy, inquisitive girl who always wondered what life would be like in the adventurous shoes of her beautiful and troubled best friend, Kay Vazquez. But as the girls navigate through adolescence in the city of Manhattan, Charlotte struggles with confusing feelings, while a dark secret threatens to tear the girl's worlds apart. Will their friendship survive the secrets of the past?
http://www.wattpad.com/story/1453004-orchids-in-the-city
Read my story!
http://www.wattpad.com/story/1453004-orchids-in-the-city
Read my story!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Call for papers, lecturers, volunteers and more!
The Diversity Alliance at Georgia Perimeter College is planning a women's conference for the Spring of 2013. We feel that the empowerment of women is an instrumental part of our diversity initiatives and would love to bring that kind of inspiration and education to our students.
Georgia Women’s Conference: The Female Perspective in Scholarship, Art, and Politics.
The conference will provide a series of scholarly, presentations, discussion forums, and networking opportunities. Students will have access to the experience and advice of successful Georgia women, and community leaders will have a chance to reach the next generation.
We are looking for the following:
Keynote Speakers
Paper Presentations
Workshop lecturers
Poets
Artists
Photographers
Performers
Ushers and Volunteers
Sponsors
We would like to put together a conference that touches on all topics relevant to women's studies. We would like the focus to be on the empowerment of women specifically and are planning a week long series of events, activities, performances, etc.
If you would like to contribute to these efforts, please send all submissions/abstracts to Michael.hall@gpc.edu by November 21, 2012. Please use subject line "Women's conference at GPC".
All ideas are welcome!
If you know anyone who might be interested, kindly forward this post.
We look forward to hearing from you.
http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcdiver/
Georgia Women’s Conference: The Female Perspective in Scholarship, Art, and Politics.
The conference will provide a series of scholarly, presentations, discussion forums, and networking opportunities. Students will have access to the experience and advice of successful Georgia women, and community leaders will have a chance to reach the next generation.
We are looking for the following:
Keynote Speakers
Paper Presentations
Workshop lecturers
Poets
Artists
Photographers
Performers
Ushers and Volunteers
Sponsors
We would like to put together a conference that touches on all topics relevant to women's studies. We would like the focus to be on the empowerment of women specifically and are planning a week long series of events, activities, performances, etc.
If you would like to contribute to these efforts, please send all submissions/abstracts to Michael.hall@gpc.edu by November 21, 2012. Please use subject line "Women's conference at GPC".
All ideas are welcome!
If you know anyone who might be interested, kindly forward this post.
We look forward to hearing from you.
http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcdiver/
Monday, May 21, 2012
Shake it Out
Shake it Out
Let it Go. Start over.
Because you can.
<<< Click here to Shake it Out.
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