when we lead by example

Heaven & Hell, well sort of . . .

I believe I was living in Germany when someone told me this little saying. It's a generalization and it's meant to be fun and light-hearted so please don't send me any m-mail(mean-mail). It still makes me laugh because generalisation or not, there are elements that ring true and for those who have experienced any of these cultural stereotypes you perhaps understand what I mean.

HEAVEN:

Heaven is where the chefs are French,
the lovers are Italian,
the mechanics are German,
the police are British
and all is organised by the Swiss.

HELL:

Hell is where the chefs are British,
the lovers are Swiss,
the mechanics are French,
the police are German
and all is organised by the Italians.

words that resonate

"Hope, at the end of the day connects us all no matter how different we are"

Marketa Irglova

I have found myself gravitating towards quotes and words of wisdom, if you will. Words that encourage, lift up the soul and gently remind me that life is full and great and the good outweighs the ugly but only when we really believe in it, focus on it and keep it front and center. I admit, it takes effort on my part (sometimes more than I prefer) to do this. I'm not a negative person by nature, not even close, but I admit I have to work at keeping the*stinkin' thinkin'* out of my life.

It's not always easy and sometimes it's not as simple to say it's all about choice. I believe it’s more about awareness and inviting the positive into your life. Never assuming it will simply show up. It needs an invitation from each of us.

A few months ago, I recorded the Oscars. I know I did it out of a need for comfort. Allow me to digress here. You see, I use to be a big movie buff, although not anymore, and while I don't follow Hollywood gossip or buy into the whole celebrity craze I do have some very fond memories of gathering with friends and family (and food of course) to watch the big event. A dear friend of mine use to host an annual party at her house for a few years and it was *oh-so-much* fun and I miss those times.

Even though I had the privilege to watch it and fast forward through the commercials it still took me about three sittings to finish it all. I think I enjoyed it in small doses. It is after all, a three hour event and maybe, just maybe, I wanted to make it last longer because I didn’t want the comfort to end.

When the Oscar for best song was awarded I found myself rewinding several times so I could hear exactly what the recipient said. Even better was the fact that she was initially cued off stage via the orchestra but after the commercial they allowed her to come back and deliver her speech. I grabbed my pen and paper because I had to write it down. Her words moved me and I was excited to hear them spoken. I did rewind. And rewind. Again and again to make sure I heard it correctly. I didn’t mind hearing what she said over and over.

I’m just reveling in the fact that a simple acceptance speech delivered such beautiful words. They moved me and so I’m passing them on. There is a lot to be said of hope.

FYI: Turns out I didn’t need that pen and paper after all. They post the winner’s acceptance speeches on their official site. You can read Marketa’s here. I recommend it and it’s not long winded.

soul dust

washes from the soul the dust
of every day life.

picasso

I bought a Stamping & Papercraft magazine the other day and was pleasantly surprised to find some quotes that really resonated with me and encouraged me. This was one of those quotes. I find it to be so true. Whether you are the creator of said *art* or just admiring art, in any form, it really does the soul well. I believe we are surrounded by art but sometimes the clutter of life blocks our view. Here's to cleaning up the clutter, wiping away the dust and allowing our souls to breath.

{photo: made by Spell with flikr}