Monday, April 19, 2010


"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight
and his reward is that he sees the dawn
before the rest of the world"
Oscar Wilde

Too smart and not nearly smart enough!

Without question we are a far too smart and not nearly smart enough for our own good - as we flail about helplessly as Mother Earth gently reminds us of our place in the grander scheme of things.

Read this from The Observer newspaper ...


Humbled by a volcano, we can only sit in wonder!

The eruption in Iceland and the ash cloud that has brought our airlines to a standstill give us a true picture of our standing in nature

For those whose plans have been disrupted and whose holidays have been aborted – or expensively prolonged – by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, the seismic spectacle is nothing to celebrate. There will be some travellers whose inability to get airborne is the source of real misery. They deserve the utmost compassion.
For most of us, however, the plume of ash and smoke rising from the beneath the Earth's crust, 30,000-feet tall, is cause only for awe, mixed perhaps with linguistic discomfort in trying to grapple with the volcano's name: Eyjafjallajökull. We are doubly humbled by Iceland's natural wonders and its orthography.

By colonising the space above our heads and above much of our continent, the eruption provides a reminder of our status in relation to our planet and over which we have arrogantly seized stewardship. We imagine ourselves its master and yet with one modest belch it hems us into our little island, sweeping instantly from the skies the aeroplane, which we consider to be an example of the irrepressible genius of our species.
When Eyjafjallajökull last erupted in 1822, man-made flight was a distant dream. We think so much has happened since then, so many lifetimes have been spent, and yet, in tectonic terms, the interval is nothing, a minuscule fraction of a blink to the volcano.

It would be crippling to retain that kind of perspective on a daily basis – anyone who set their watch by geological time would never get out of bed – but a glance at ourselves in proportion to the universe is salutary on occasion. It is worth imagining, for example, how exercised we would all be if the equivalent disruption had been caused by some human agency. If the threat of terror attack, industrial action or government ineptitude meant no planes could fly, a dense cloud of rebuke and indignation would fill the ether. But we cannot blame the volcano, only observe how liberating it is sometimes to be powerless before nature.

The Observer Editorials
Sun 18 Apr 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Maybe this blog ends up being a collection of great quotes!

Here is another one:

"Choice is the only tool we have that enables us to go from who we are today to who we want to be tomorrow"

Sheena Iyengar, The Art of Choosing

Friday, January 22, 2010

A quote sent to me recently that I thought I'd share:

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage
Anais Nin

Saturday, November 14, 2009

A thought worth pondering:

Nothing has meaning but the meaning we give to it!

This implies that if we have un-resourceful thoughts around a particular situation, it is because we have given meaning to it that does not serve us. To move forward and to find a more positive resolution we must 'simply' give the situation a new and more powerful meaning that will serve us better.



Music this morning - Going up the Country, Canned Heat, from the Woodstock soundtrack - echoes of a simpler time!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Carpe Diem

Just been on Skype chatting to my friend D who lives in Cornwall - an old friend someone I miss quite a lot. Mental note - something there about male friends!! Anyway he was talking about how a recent Vision Quest he attended brought up a number of issues for him - made him see quite clearly that his MO is not to look very positively at things so that he will never be too disappointed. Made me start to think about how I have been in a bit of a hole recently - preferring to see the doom and gloom rather than the opportunities around me. Makes me more determined to get off my butt and start ... doing things again. Be the person who really does say YES! I have started a "backpack" list of attitudes and values and so on - things that are necessary or preferable to take on life's journey. Positive attitude, belief in one's self, friends, good music ... there will be more.

I have also decided to start this journal - to try and write something every day. Content to include -
  • Why do I get up in the morning?
  • Achievements for the day - and reasons why (or why not!)
  • Reflections on the day
So what about today then ... a 2 hour ride, exploring a little more of the city. Arranged an interview with a casting agency for extras work, moved the shelf project forward a peg or two, arranged to meet Vicky from The Coaching Institute and reconnected with D. All n all a good day!

Today's quote: Carpe diem - seize the day!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Meyers Briggs 2009

INFP
(Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, Perception)
You are idealistic, loyal to your values and to people who are important to you. You want an external life that is congruent with your values. You are curious, quick to see possibilities, and can be a catalyst for implementing ideas. You seek to understand people and to help them fulfill their potential. You are adaptable, flexible, and accepting unless a value is threatened. Famous people with your same INFP personality include: Mary the Blessed Virgin, Hellen Keller, William Shakespeare, John F. Kennedy Jr., Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Julia Roberts.