quote du jour ~Hafiz

Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.
~Hafiz

falling stars ~rainer maria rilke

Do you remember still the falling stars
that like swift horses through the heavens raced
and suddenly leaped across the hurdles
of our wishes–do you recall? And we
did make so many! For there were countless numbers
of stars: each time we looked above we were
astounded by the swiftness of their daring play,
while in our hearts we felt safe and secure
watching these brilliant bodies disintegrate,
knowing somehow we had survived their fall.
~Rainer Maria Rilke

quote du jour ~mechthild of magdeburg

A fish cannot drown in water. A bird does not fall in air. Each creature God made must live its own true nature.
~Mechthild of Magdeburg

the truth about morning ~mark nepo

The truth about morning is that it is the small light of the beginning breaking through, again and again. It is a wisdom so large and clear, one which carries us through our lives so quietly and completely that we seldom see it.

Day after day, we are covered with the dust and grit of what we go through. It tends to weigh us down, and then we think and scheme and problem solve. Then we worry if it will all really work, and if it is the right thing to do. It all makes us dark and cluttered.

But despite our stubbornness of concern, we tire and must turn what has happened over to the hammock of night. This is a good thing. For no matter how unfinished we seem, the letting go into sleep is nothing short of a quiet miracle.

this guy’s been reading my mail…

Okay. It’s happened again.

I’ve stumbled onto a book whose appearance in my life is perfectly timed, and the author is saying things I really need to hear. Lots of things.

road weary

The strongest have their moments of fatigue.
~Friedrich Nietzsche

A few weeks ago, I drove up to the foothills of Virginia to visit with a couple of good friends who are pretty intuitive. As we were talking about this and that, one of them suddenly looked at me and said, “Where’s the exhaustion coming from?”

Busted.

on and off the path ~mark nepo

It’s the light above the path
that points to the path that
makes it a path.

The way the sun off the moon
lights the oar with the peace
we were looking for while we
sleep it off adrift in the boat.

quote du jour ~Dahl

Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
~Roald Dahl

quote du jour ~Coehlo

But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.
~Paulo Coelho

even in the dark ~mark nepo

To be broken is no reason
to see all things as broken.

Seldom seen, growing along the ocean floor, the white-plume anemone is a watery blossom. It is white lace opening under tons of black, opening as if bathed in the sun, while so far from the sun.

This is the trick to staying well, isn’t it: to feel the sun even in the dark.

25 words ~gratitude

Gratitude is seeing and acknowledging the blessings that populate your life, every day, every moment. What blessings are right in front of you, right this minute?

quote du jour ~Schweitzer

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
~Albert Schweitzer