Showing posts with label different folks-different strokes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label different folks-different strokes. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

MUST LOVE BOOKS




Got this from Mr. Quote Man today..... to quote:

Readers may be divided into four classes:

1. Sponges, who absorb all that they read and return it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtied.
2. Sand-glasses, who retain nothing and are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time.
3. Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read. (Dregs - residue, remains, sludge)
4. Mogul diamonds, equally rare and valuable, who profit by what they read, and enable others to profit by it also.

--Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Unquote.

I remember mom saying this about people.....  'Different strokes for different folks'. An expression meaning that everyone has their own way of doing things or approaching life.

It's the same way with books...  reading books. Anyone of us can be one or the other on that list..... or maybe even all of the above at different times in our lives. But as human nature is always wanting something beneficial or meritorious or advantageous to the self, I would say a good number of us are #4 on that list.

Here at home for lack of sufficient storage space, the books I have acquired through the years are all stored inside a huge storage plastic bin. I go back to it every now and then to be reminded once more of good book experiences. Yes, you guessed it right... I don't throw away good books. I don't borrow books either because if I happen to like it very much, I would keep it. Just fortunate that the ones kept (about two of them and three years long now) weren't even missed by its owners. :-D But I think that's absurd --- books are like family... you'll miss them if you don't see them.

There's this book I keep returning to and miss a lot when I fail my regular reading date with it. 'Good Morning.... God' by Pamela Steinke, bought in 1995. Only 8x5inches in size, about less than a hundred pages, and It's heavily lined with a green pencil marker. Sometimes it gets a ride in my tote bag on Starbucks dates with daughter. Yes, I read it while sipping my green tea frappe. :-)

Remember that movie "Must Love Dogs"? Let's tweak that a bit to ---"Must Love Books".


Sunday, April 13, 2014

EVEN IN DIVERSITY BEAUTY CAN RESIDE


A good friend of many years was ranting on the phone apparently pissed off by another friend’s behavior.  She sounded hurt and angry.  But to know what to say to her I had to get to the bottom of it first, I had to ask why. Well, if she called me then she would be willing to tell that much, right? And so I asked.

The gist of the problem was that the other friend didn’t respond positively to my friend’s dilemma as the latter expected her to. To cut a long story short, the matter wasn’t thoroughly resolved as I had found out later as emotions were still running high on the emotional chart but at least she left our chat with a few things which perhaps and I hope would help shed some enlightenment.

That can be quite a problem to many of us. We each deal with the world and with life through our own eyes, understanding, and perception. We heap on a lot of expectations on a lot of things. That’s the human way as we’re often told. We see the world and people as we are and not through somebody else’s eyes. Now that means there are millions of 'as we are' out there colliding in this same world we all share. But diversity in our world is an interesting and wonderful thing as it lends color to our existence. Imagine without it how boring life can be.

Yet that can also create a problem or two when it runs against individuals who are typically diverse in character and personality to each other and unexpectedly find themselves in a situation one day. Like my friend had just experienced.

All around us every day we see a continuing exchange or interplay of everything that is human interaction..... such as diverse situations, personalities, experiences, events, dealings, connections, relations, associations and even so much more. We get so involved in it. It can be quite overwhelming sometimes and can drain the senses down to low... very low. Thus our coping engine will and would sputter or gasp maybe even breakdown. But as human flaw would dictate it we would lash out in the only way we know how.... our emotions. I know because I do. And experience shows that in most cases it’s an easy formula to fail.

And so I have learned that life is not always about me. Nope, it’s not about you either. It’s about us - everybody...  trying to live this life the best way we can individually and collectively by truly learning to understand each other....you have your own mind, beliefs, preferences, and conditioning as I have mine, too. All is valid. Peace as we embrace our differences. Even in diversity beauty can reside, by God's design.

Here's something I saw online..... to quote


"If you feel hurt, angry or upset at the actions of others,
realize that every individual is acting 
according to his own mind,
with its prejudices, beliefs and conditioning. Each person
would have acted that way even if it were someone else
instead of you.  Thus, do not take their actions personally."

Unquote.

Have a pleasant and blessed weekend, everyone. God bless you all.




Thursday, December 15, 2011

TALENTS DIFFER - ALL IS WELL AND WISELY PUT

I was watching children playing out on the street close to the house one day. Overheard were older boys taunting a smaller kid who looked so helpless and defeated. Something they felt he wasn't capable of doing and which apparently they thought they did better if not best.

I feel so bad for the little kid, in fact for anyone who is at the end of such mean taunting or ridicule.

Frankly, that also happens in our adult world.... in different versions but with the same end result of making the object feel so unworthy - inadequate - dejected - and miserable.

But you know what, it is true that maybe the little kid wasn't capable of whatever it was the older boys could do better. Yet I am also sure that the small fella won't be so small with what he would know best too. He has it in him (God put it there) and one day he will find out what... if he hasn't already.

Let's be kind to one another. Because who you think is inferior to you might be quite superior in things you know nothing about. There's more to gain with kindness. Knowledge or talent is the monopoly of none. God wisely made sure of that.

Quoting here wonderful lines along that same thought ........

"If I'm not as large as you,
You are not as small as I,
And not half as spry,
Talents differ, all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."

Lifted from Emerson's poem -- Fable
(a quarrel between the mountain and a squirrel)


Unquote.

Big thanks to a good friend who sent the poem to me today.
Blessings to everyone. All the best for you this holiday season.