Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne~


monarch butterfly

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round, or listened to rain slapping the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight, or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly, when you ask "How are you?", do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed, with the next hundred chores running through your head?
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow, and in your haste, not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die,' cause you never had time to call and say "hi".
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift...thrown away.
Life is not a race, so take it slower, hear the music before the song is over.

~ Author unknown to me~
monarch butterfly

Slow Down

Slow down; God is still in heaven.
You are not responsible for doing it all... yourself... right now.
Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there.
Each moment has a richness that take a lifetime to savor.
Set your own pace.
When someone is pushing you, it’s ok to tell them they’re pushing.
Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow, your neighbors mow.
Taste your food. God gave it to delight as well as nourish.
Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.
Quit planning how you’re going to use what you know, learn or possess. God’s gifts just are; be grateful and their purpose will be clear.
When you walk with someone, don’t think about what you’ll say next. Thoughts will spring up naturally if you let them.
Talk and play with children. It will bring out the unhurried little person inside you.
Create a place in your home... at your work.... in your heart... where you can go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.
Allow yourself time to be lazy and unproductive. Rest isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.
Listen to the wind blow. it carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow and now...
Now counts. Rest on your laurels. They bring comfort whatever their size, age or condition.
Talk slower.
Talk less.
Don’t talk.
Communication isn’t measured by words.
Give yourself permission to be late sometimes.
Life is for living, not scheduling.
Listen to the song of a bird... the complete song. Music and nature are gifts, but only if you are willing to receive them.
Take time to think. Action is good and necessary, but it’s fruitful only if we muse, ponder and mull.
Make time for play...the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.
Watch and listen to the night sky. It speaks.
Listen to the words you speak...especially in prayer.
Learn to stand back and let other take their turn as leaders. There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.
Divide big jobs into little jobs. If God took six days to create the universe, can you do any better?
When you find yourself rushing and anxious, stop! Ask yourself why you are rushing and anxious.
The reasons may improve your self- understanding.
Take time to read... the Bible, poetry, great books. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.
Direct your life with purposeful choices, not with speed and efficiency. The best musician is one who plays with expression and meaning, not the one who finishes first.
Take a day off alone; make a retreat. You can learn from monks and hermits without becoming one.
Pet a furry friend. You will give and get the gift of now.
Work with your hands. It frees the mind.
Take time to wonder. without wonder, life is merely existence.
Sit in the dark. It will treat you to see and hear, taste and smell.
Once in awhile, turn down the lights, the throttle, the invitations.
Less really can be more.
Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do... but often it is the best.
Take a walk... but don’t go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.
When things are in chaos and you are in a frenzy, ask yourself: “What is right about now?” Chances are, you already know what is wrong.
Count your blessings, one at a time and slowly.


~ Author unknown to me~

monarch butterfly

First I was dying to finish high school and start college.
And then I was dying to finish college and start working.
And then I was dying to marry and have children.
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough for school so I could go back to work.
And then I was dying to retire.
And now, I am dying... and suddenly I realized I forgot to live.

~Author unknown to me~


monarch butterfly

Seize the Moment

I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: "Seize the moment."

Just possibly, she may be the wisest woman on this planet. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched Jeopardy! on television? I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gasp and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, it looks like rain. And my personal favorite: - "It's Monday". She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because North Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect: We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on" and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit." When anyone calls my "seize the moment" friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my hips with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to ......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

~author unknown to me~


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