You should try it sometime. Get away and alone. Stop the world except for your breathing. Then, breathe in and say to yourself, Breathing in. Exhale and say to yourself, Breathing out. Practice it for 10 minutes. See how it makes you feel.
I happened to pick up Thich Nhat Hanh's book Peace is Every Step Monday night, and for the next two days I practiced conscious breathing in solitude or sometimes as I walked around campus. It helped me relieve stress, and it helped me feel more cheerful as I greeted people. I felt more renewed than I expected. It helped me continue to see the wonder and beauty of the world in which I live.
“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
13 March 2009
03 March 2009
Collection
A collection of quotes that I like:
Reading, like writing, is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to the book, then they'll only see their narrow range reflected in it.
Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.
-Ben Okri
-----------------------------------
Why love if losing hurts so much? I have no answers anymore; only the life I have lived. The pain now is part of the happiness then.
-Anthony Hopkins
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
-George Orwell
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
-Mother Theresa
A good friend will pick you up when you fall, but a best friend will laugh and trip you again. -Lorin, who else?
"Please use your liberty to promote ours." Aung San Suu Kyi
You know how some people say, I want to do such-and-such before I die? Well, I don't think we need to worry about doing certain things before we die. I think we could do anything we didn't get to do here, in heaven; plus it will probably be 100x better.
- dedicated to Maggie, the girl who longs to sky-dive!
"Patience is the art of hope." - Don Ritchey, my adopted grandfather
"If you love each other sometimes things don't have to be set out in a perfect line."
-Mom ♥
"God doesn't guarantee an easy life without struggle; I do not know what He has in mind for you but it is for good and He will always be with you."
-Dad ♥
LIFE AIN'T ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT'S A BEAUTIFUL RIDE.....
Reading, like writing, is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to the book, then they'll only see their narrow range reflected in it.
Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.
-Ben Okri
-----------------------------------
Why love if losing hurts so much? I have no answers anymore; only the life I have lived. The pain now is part of the happiness then.
-Anthony Hopkins
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
-George Orwell
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
-Mother Theresa
A good friend will pick you up when you fall, but a best friend will laugh and trip you again. -Lorin, who else?
"Please use your liberty to promote ours." Aung San Suu Kyi
You know how some people say, I want to do such-and-such before I die? Well, I don't think we need to worry about doing certain things before we die. I think we could do anything we didn't get to do here, in heaven; plus it will probably be 100x better.
- dedicated to Maggie, the girl who longs to sky-dive!
"Patience is the art of hope." - Don Ritchey, my adopted grandfather
"If you love each other sometimes things don't have to be set out in a perfect line."
-Mom ♥
"God doesn't guarantee an easy life without struggle; I do not know what He has in mind for you but it is for good and He will always be with you."
-Dad ♥
LIFE AIN'T ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT'S A BEAUTIFUL RIDE.....
02 March 2009
Don Lawson
I am really in love. I adore him. I love:
the way he is gentle with me
the way he gets along with my family
the way we share interest and concern for peace and justice
the way he is stingy with money (sigh...)
the way he keeps on laughing when he laughs for real
the way he values his own family
the way he will sacrifice a lot for other people
the way he cries
the way he lets me cry with him
the way he gives the most creative gifts ever
the way he almost always knows what I am thinking
the way he hugs me
the way he can think of new ways to do things
the way he lets me be silly even when it annoys him
the way he is willing to talk and explore issues in our relationship
the way we kiss
the way we explore our faiths together
the way he never fails to give me frogs for Valentine's, even if it's an ugly frog!
the way he will treat me to going out every once in a while
the way he encourages me to work hard
the way he trusts me
the way he can whip up a meal - and a really good one!
the way he devotes a lot of energy to thinking
the way he takes commitments seriously
the way he enjoys food
the way he is willing to work to examine and improve himself
the way he calls me Love
I love the way we love each other!
.
the way he is gentle with me
the way he gets along with my family
the way we share interest and concern for peace and justice
the way he is stingy with money (sigh...)
the way he keeps on laughing when he laughs for real
the way he values his own family
the way he will sacrifice a lot for other people
the way he cries
the way he lets me cry with him
the way he gives the most creative gifts ever
the way he almost always knows what I am thinking
the way he hugs me
the way he can think of new ways to do things
the way he lets me be silly even when it annoys him
the way he is willing to talk and explore issues in our relationship
the way we kiss
the way we explore our faiths together
the way he never fails to give me frogs for Valentine's, even if it's an ugly frog!
the way he will treat me to going out every once in a while
the way he encourages me to work hard
the way he trusts me
the way he can whip up a meal - and a really good one!
the way he devotes a lot of energy to thinking
the way he takes commitments seriously
the way he enjoys food
the way he is willing to work to examine and improve himself
the way he calls me Love
I love the way we love each other!
.
Rumi
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about -- Ideas, Language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense.
.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about -- Ideas, Language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense.
.
Intertwined
I embrace my soul. I embrace your soul. I embrace the souls of the world. The beautiful and infinite part of every person, of each animal, in every plant. I believe we are all connected, and I believe we are all beautiful. I believe that we are created this way and that nothing will ever remove it.
17 January 2009
A love story begun.
It was a dark and stormy night, the wind was howling and the lights were flickering. Okay, so maybe this wasn't the exact setting, but it certainly seemed like it. It was the day I came to Manchester, my family had just left me, and my internet was not working! Faintly, through the sounds of excited, giggling girls, I heard something close to a low rumble. No it wasn't thunder - it was . . . it was a male! And his voice was coming from just next door! Without even time to develop a coherent plan, I went over and asked him if he could help me with my computer. With a big smile and a bounce of brown, curly hair he was in my room inspecting my computer. In no time at all he had my computer up and connected to the internet. But that was not the only thing he got connected that day. You see, unbeknownst to him, he had connected our hearts and our future.
09 November 2008
Oh, Baby!
I am going to be Aunt Mary by next June.
Wow! For real? My brother is going to have a child? Ben is going to be a father? Crazy! I have to learn to see him in another role. Life seems to be dotted with role-changing. Ben used to just be my brother...this pesky older person who I competed with for attention from our parents. Then he became someone's boyfriend...and I ceased to be the most important girl in his life =]. Then Ben became an adult. He left the house, and lived at college. Then he got engaged to Amy, and he became a husband. He had more responsibilities, a wife, a job, a house, 2 cats, lol. And now...a child! When you have a child....well, it's a lot different from getting a dog, for instance. The thought I can't escape from is that this baby is going to be a permanent person. He/she isn't going to leave. They're born, and then they're there. They're THERE.
Well, anyways, I am excited, as you might imagine! Amy is going to be hugely pregnant when my graduation comes around. Yayy! I can't wait to hold the baby, spoil the baby, give the baby presents, coo at the baby, take pictures with the baby, play with the baby.... :-D
"Now the thing about having a baby - and I can't be the first person to have noticed this - is that thereafter you have it."
-Jean Kerr
Wow! For real? My brother is going to have a child? Ben is going to be a father? Crazy! I have to learn to see him in another role. Life seems to be dotted with role-changing. Ben used to just be my brother...this pesky older person who I competed with for attention from our parents. Then he became someone's boyfriend...and I ceased to be the most important girl in his life =]. Then Ben became an adult. He left the house, and lived at college. Then he got engaged to Amy, and he became a husband. He had more responsibilities, a wife, a job, a house, 2 cats, lol. And now...a child! When you have a child....well, it's a lot different from getting a dog, for instance. The thought I can't escape from is that this baby is going to be a permanent person. He/she isn't going to leave. They're born, and then they're there. They're THERE.
Well, anyways, I am excited, as you might imagine! Amy is going to be hugely pregnant when my graduation comes around. Yayy! I can't wait to hold the baby, spoil the baby, give the baby presents, coo at the baby, take pictures with the baby, play with the baby.... :-D
"Now the thing about having a baby - and I can't be the first person to have noticed this - is that thereafter you have it."
-Jean Kerr
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