Life, Etc.

Life's a lot

There's a lot going on lately. Among my small circle of friends, I see a lot of suffering. In the last year or two, I've had friends lose a parent, a spouse, a child, a sister or brother that were their best friend and deepest confidant. I've commiserated with friends that lost a pet they loved as much as a member of their immediate family. I've had friends diagnosed with cancer, or struggling to recover from debilitating surgeries or illnesses. I've got friends that are trying to keep a stiff upper lip as they suffer from loneliness or financial issues. I have friends who are going through addiction or marriage issues.

Conversely, we've had some reasons to celebrate. A few weddings, birth of a child, promotions, graduations from med school and college. Some are starting new careers or have gotten their first driver's license. Two or three friends that are buying or selling their homes and moving to new areas. Some are freshmen in college. I've got two friends that are starting their own businesses and are looking forward to the opportunities that will bring them.

None of these people are celebrities or famous outside of our own love and respect for one another as friends or family members. None of them would be recognized or chased by paparazzi. My friends are very normal people going through the ups and downs of life the best way they know how. As far as I know, none of them have a cape in their closets or don a red "S" on their chests.

I read. A LOT. I subscribe to a bevy of motivational, uplifting stories and quotes that keep me grounded and make me appreciate life. I try to be an inspiration to those that I encounter whenever I can. There's a funny quote by William Arthur Ward that reads in part:

"Every person has the power to make others happy. Some do it simply by entering a room

others by leaving the room."

In honor of my friends, here's some motivation or wisdom I've compiled for you today. I hope you get as much out of these quotes as I do:

• “Try not to become a person of success but rather try to become a person of value.” Albert Einstein

• “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” John D. Rockefeller

• “If you are willing to do more than you are paid to do, eventually you will be paid to do more than you do.” Anonymous

• “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

• “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

• “What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” Robert Schuller

• “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

• “Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.” Shari R. Barr

• "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change" and "We stopped looking for monsters under our bed when we realized that they were inside us" Charles Darwin (Thanks, Michael!)

• “You aren’t defined by your struggles, but by how you rise from them.”

• “You are a work in progress; embrace the beauty of becoming.”

• “Every challenge is an opportunity for growth.”

• “Breathe in calm; exhale the chaos.” (love that one!)

• “Each new day is a blank canvas; paint it with small joys.”

• “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do, but from overcoming what you once thought you couldn’t.”

• “Believe in possibility, and watch your world expand.”

• “Your current situation isn’t your final destination.”

• “When the path seems unclear, let your passion be your compass.”

• “Life is an orchestra; embrace the dissonance for a richer symphony.”

• “If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.’

  If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.

  If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune.

  If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.”

  Chinese Proverb

• “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

  Frederick Keonig

This Hallmark moment has been brought to you by, well. me... Embrace your day! :) - And for the mothers among readers, Happy Mother's Day!