After reading a KaleandKant post last summer on the toxic chemicals that sustain manicured lawns, my husband, David, joked: “Why don’t you launch a blog that’s called: If you like it, it’s bad for you.com“? We are, of course, bombarded in the media with the sick, the bad, and the evil. But since our run on this planet is pretty short, it’s sad not to process the worrisome as quickly as possible and move on to the good, the life affirming, and the fun.
Since we adults sometimes need help with that, one idea I really like is Dr. Andrew Weil’s concept of a periodic “news fast.” When was the last time you turned on CNN or opened the NYT and heard about an act of kindness, a positive health trend, or something good going on in Russia, the Middle East, or even Washington DC?
The worst news outfits are those that devote 24/7 coverage to things like a little girl falling down a well and the ensuing, painstaking rescue effort. It’s horrible, terrible, and I pray that the child is rescued quickly. But do we really need Nancy Grace’s play-by-play for twenty hours? What good could this sick voyeurism do?
Today, let’s pause to reflect on what’s inspirational and wonderful. Here are some of my favorite quotes. David, and everyone, please enjoy and have a nice day!
“Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they’ll turn out.” Randall Munroe
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” Soren Kierkegaard
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago. The second best time is today.” Unknown
“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” Oscar Wilde
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” Albert Einstein
“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.” E. B. White
“Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best.” Bernard Meltzer
“Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.” Henri Nouwen
I was in Evergreen, CO last weekend for a wedding that took place at the edge of Evergreen Lake in a valley surrounded by verdant mountains. The day was 85 and sunny. The bride wore a lavender gown of her own design, and the groom, a microbrewer, served a special brew—”Biere de mariage”— with notes of citrus, that we used to toast the happy couple. It was all so creative, beautiful, fresh.
