KNOW WHAT WIMBLING is. For it is a fine point in human intercourse.
It is done to test the spirit, and by it one may unconcern probe the most hidden, and the deepest recesses of the heart.
Sometimes it is malicious, sharp, poisoned with the juice of envy, and dipped in the venom of passion, unnoticed darts aimed to bring down the sublime, and the estimable.
Many have fallen from the favor of high or low, wounded by some trifling word: who earlier never feared a whole conspiracy of popular hatred and personal spleen. At other times it works differently, through flattery aiding and abetting, the self-esteem.
But with the same skill with which a plot is projected, let cautio recognize it, and attentiveness expect it: for defence depends on recognition, and the shot foreseen always fails its mark.
Cura ut valeas
*
Curae leves loquuntur ingentes stupent
*
Mens sana in corpore sano
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.
"It is the time I have wasted for my rose-- "said the little prince so he would be sure to remember.
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
*Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince*
~*~
The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning. ~Ivy Baker Priest
~*~
You're searching...
For things that don't exist; I mean beginnings.
Ends and beginnings - there are no such things.
There are only middles.
~Robert Frost, Mountain Interval, "In the Home Stretch"
Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:
# I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
# I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.
# I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
# I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."
# I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
# I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
# I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them:
Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.
Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
She always insisted on us telling the truth the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds.
Then, life was really tough! Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.
None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.
Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.
I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms.
When you get what you want as your struggle for self
And the world makes you queen for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that woman has to say.
For it isn't your father or mother or husband
Who's judgment upon you must pass;
The person whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
She's the person to please, never mind all the rest,
For she's with you clear up to the end.
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the woman in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life,
And get pats on your back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the woman in the glass.
As you travel through life
there are always those times
when decisions just have to be made
when the choices are hard,
and solutions seem scarce
and the rain seems
to soak your parade!
There are some situations
where all you can do
is to simply let go
and move on
gather courage together
and choose a direction
that carries you toward a new dawn.
So pack up your troubles
and take a step forward-
the process of change can be tough
but think about all the excitement ahead
if you can be stalwart enough!
There could be adventures
you never imagined
just waiting around the next bend
and wishes and dreams
just about to come true
in ways you can't yet comprehend!
Perhaps you'll find friendships
that spring from new interests
as you challenge your status quo
and learn there are so many
options in life,
and so many ways you can grow.
Perhaps you'll go places
you never expected
and see things that you've never seen
or travel to fabulous,
faraway worlds
and wonderful spots in between!
Perhaps you'll find warmth
and affection and caring-
a "somebody special" who's there
to help you stay centered
and listen with interest
to stories and feelings you share.
Perhaps you'll find comfort
in knowing your friends are
supportive of all that you do
and believe that whatever
decisions you make,
they'll be the right choices for you!
So keep putting one foot
in front of the other
and taking your life
day by day.
- author unknown
Photo by me, Isabel Gallagher
Model: Miguel Machete a good friend and actor of Teatro Giz and also a marine biologist
Location of photo: Capelinhos Volcano (in background), Capelo, Faial. The village where I live.
It is rewarding to find someone whom you like, but it is essential to like yourself.
It is quickening to recognize someone as a good and decent human being, but it is indispensable to view yourself as acceptable.
It is a delight to discover people who are worthy of respect, admiration, and love, but it is vital to believe yourself deserving of these things.
For you cannot live in someone else. You cannot find yourself in someone else. You cannot be given a life by someone else. Of all the people you will know in a lifetime, you are the only one you will never leave nor lose.
To the question of your life, you are the only answer. To the problems of your life, you are the only solution.
What is maturity ? Maturity is the ability to control anger and settle differences without violence or destruction. Maturity is patience. It is the willingness to pass up immediate pleasure in favor of the long-term gain. Maturity is perseverance, the ability to sweat out a project or a situation in spite of heavy opposition and discouraging set-backs. Maturity is the capacity to face unpleasantness and frustration, discomfort and defeat, without complaint or collapse. Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to say, "I was wrong." And, when right, the mature person need not experience the satisfaction of saying, "I told you so."
Maturity is the ability to make a decision and stand by it. The immature spend their lives exploring endless possibilities; then they do nothing.
Maturity means dependability, keeping one's word, coming through in a crisis. The immature are masters of the alibi. They are the confused and the disorganized. Their lives are a maze of broken promises, former friends, unfinished business, and good intentions that somehow never materialize.
Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which we cannot change, the courage to change that which should be changed -- and the wisdom to know the difference.
Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless. Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all of the days of your life. Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love. The fastest way to lose love is too hold it too tightly. In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings
Do not dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope. To be without hope is to be without purpose. Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
Isabel Gallagher
