Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal...

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.

Life is just like an old time rail journey... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

― Jenkin Lloyd Jones

Moving Mountains

Photo by Ken R. Young










To move a mountain was my aim,
the highest goal I could achieve.
I knew all things were possible
to every soul who would believe.

The road was long, the passage hard.
Sometimes a mountain blocked my way,
but through my faith and God’s own grace,
each stony peak was swept away.

The world was mine; no pile of rocks,
however high, could hold me back.
Surely the Lord would always grant
the strength and courage I might lack.

And then, one day, the mountain came,
the one that would not move for me.
I pounded it with all my might,
prayed day and night for victory.

To my surprise, the mountain stayed;
each vain attempt to move it failed.
I plied my faith, petitioned God,
and yet, the obstacle prevailed.

How could it be? I pled. I wept.
I broke my skin against the stone
to no avail. The mountain stood,
and I stood at its feet, alone.

Humility engulfed my soul.
Contrite, I fell upon my knees,
for they who wait upon the Lord
rise up with answers to their pleas.

By still, small voice the counsel came
in words both simple and profound:
Must every mount bend to your will?
Climb over, child…or walk around.

- Susan Noyes Anderson

For more inspiration on mountains, see also:
http://positivethinkersjournal.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-mountain.html
and
http://positivethinkersjournal.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-climbing-mountains.html

Donkey in the Well

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. As every shovel of dirt hit his back, the donkey did something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed, as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off.

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

- Author Unknown

An Interesting Funeral

One day all the employees of a very unusual company reached their office and all saw a big sign on the main door which said this...

'Yesterday, the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.'

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that person who hindered the growth of their colleagues and the company itself?

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up.

Everyone thought - 'Who is this person who was hindering my progress?'

One by one the intrigued employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it, they suddenly became speechless.

They all got to stand near the coffin, and all ended up shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see themselves! There was also a sign next to the mirror that said. . .

'There is only one person who is capable of setting limits to your growth and IT IS YOU!'

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your husband or wife changes, when your company changes, when your church changes, when your location changes, when your money changes, when your status changes . . .

No, your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs.

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses. Be a winner, build yourself and your reality. It's the way you face life itself that makes the difference.

- Author Unknown

Changes

Someone once said that the only thing constant in life is change. With that in mind, I guess you could say I've had a lot of constancy in my life lately. Some of the changes have been anticipated, some not. Some have seemed to be good, some not. But as I now reflect, these changes were needed.

And more changes are to come, I'm sure.

I'm learning not to be afraid of change, to roll with it, and to look for the good in it. Not so easy to do, but it makes transitioning easier. You can't prevent change, you can only alter your attitude towards it.

Some great thoughts on this subject some to mind:

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn." - Unknown

"Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune." - Socrates

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." - Alan W. Watts


.... so, I'm joining the dance.

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Breather

Yesterday I woke up with something off balance. I had no motivation and everything seemed wrong. Perhaps it was an emotional reaction to the sum of last month's life challenges, which were not only fairly hefty and draining, but which will continue with some lasting effects.

I got to work and had no desire to be there. Or to do anything, really. So I found a time to take a break and got out of the office. I got in my car and went to a convenience store for a drink and snacks, took a drive, parked the car, read a bit, and took a quick snooze. It was a needed escape, a little breather.

When I got back to the office a while later, I was doing much better. A little time out was all I needed. Every once in a while a little breather helps me to catch up and regain balance.

So here I am again, back on my blog, ready to jump into the pool of positive thinking. Although life at times seems to make me take a step backward, I am convinced that a focus on positive thinking and being grateful will help me take two steps forward. :-)