Accidental

I was recently reminded of one of my favourite authors Maggie O'Farrell.

Woman in a window reminded me of her with her wonderful words.

So here is a piece of writing I love from Maggie...

" Black hair, plastered upright into spikes with rain, the shoulders of his jacket dark with water. An empty, crumb-studded plate sits on his table. A rucksack, battered and ancient, is propped on the floor next to him. He doesn't look like the kind of person this town usually attracts. He stands out. His clothes aren't right. Too impractical. They're not tweed or Gore-tex or wool. They smack too much of the city. He looks like an urbanite, Stella decides, looks like he's landed here by accident."

Today's question:

Where have you landed by accident?
What gifts has your journey provided you with so far?


More on Maggie O'Farrell

About me:
I can honestly say that I have never landed anywhere by accident. I am too much of a planner.
I sometimes wish (romantically) that I had arrived somewhere quite by accident. The closest I can think of is when I first came to Australia on my own when I was barely 20. A young, naive, unsure girl with big plans and high hopes. I thought I would be fine but I cried when I got off the plane in a strange place with no support whatsoever!
I was all wrong for Australia until I made myself right for anywhere....

Patience

Today's quote:

"Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off." ~Author Unknown

Question:

Whether it is counting down or taking a big old deep breath....what can you do to calm yourself so you can avoid blasting off?

What does patience mean to you?

About me:

I used to have a very short temper. I mean very short. Over the past few years I have mellowed...a lot.
Things that used to frustrate me just don't seem to anymore.
I worked with a coach whilst I was studying to become one and I can honestly say she has assisted in the change of the old me to a new and improved version...the best person I can be.
I use meditation...a very short space to collect my thoughts and ask myself in a deep down place "what can I do in this moment to stay calm and avoid any negativity?" I then imagine my body as a beacon of pure light and I can avoid the blast off that would have stepped into it's place before....now it's your turn....

Beauty

Today's quote:

"If one really loves nature, one can find beauty everywhere." Vincent van Gogh


Question:

What will it take to open your eyes and find the beauty surrounding you?

A bit about me:

I really am a nature lover. I love nothing more than taking walks amongst tall trees and listening to all the sounds of nature- it fills me to the brim.
Lately I have not been seeing the beauty that surrounds me as I am going through a lot of change which is quite emotional.
I need to remind myself that what we look for is what we get. As I have been ignoring all the beautiful things, I have been feeling low. This quote reminds me that yes, we can have our down times but we need only look outside, even to our own backyards to find beauty again which ultimately uplifts (well at least for me)....

The hill

Today's quote:

"If life is a race to a hill then that's not living." Yvonne Anderson

Today's question:

Are you racing towards something only to be running past the beauty of your life?



My thoughts:

I always thought that you needed to be going towards a hill. Some people have big hills that they can go towards and some people have small hills. Some get in a helicopter and go straight there but me...I like to walk through the village, talk to the people, take a detour or two and get caught up in the beauty of life around me. The hill is a metaphor for a place you want to be...a career you wish to have....an end goal.
Some people need to get there super fast but I'm slowly learning that this just isn't me. I like to see the hill yes, but if i never get there then so be it. The hill isn't everything. You may get there and realise that it wasn't all you made it out to be.
Take time to enjoy the journey of this beautiful life....

Awakening

Today's quote:

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." Carl Jung (more here)

Today's question:

Do you have a vision?
Do you look into your heart?
What would it take for you to look inside and awaken?

At a followers request to learn more about me:

I have a vision but it's sometimes murky. I am learning that it's okay not to have a clear path. You can choose a hill and run towards it but I like to stop and smell the flowers along the way. I have an idea of where I am going and for me, that's enough right now.

I look into my heart more and more these days. Only when I do this can I find the truth. It feels safe inside me and I allow it to sing to me now and again. When it does I laugh out loud.

Looking inside and going down into the deepest parts of myself infuses me with all things abundant and true. As my muscles relax around my bones and my lungs breathe in fresh oxygen, I feel a connection with everything around me. From this space my compassion grows.

Until next time.....

Slightly more

Today I am giving you a passage which I read from a magazine I can't recall by a man whom I had never heard of.

I liked it though. He was commenting on the financial downturn and a new way of being.


" It's a series of forces coming together and we go down a new path. That path is slightly more virtuous, slightly more frugal, slightly more back to basics and slightly less excessive in a material consumption sense." David Chalke

My questions to you are:

What might your new path be?

Are you already on a path?

How can you be a little less excessive?


Couldn't find much on David Chalke other than he is one of Australia's leading social analysts.

Impression

Today's quote:

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
Dale Carnegie

Today's question:

Who are you trying to impress? What is that costing you?

To read more on Mr Carnegie please click here

Apologies

My apologies for not posting yesterday.

I have had a busy time of late, planning my move to New Zealand (see here for more)! My days have been jam packed with packing and sorting out bits and pieces for the move.

I actually think that for the next couple of months I will be posting a quote and question every 2 days instead of daily.

I hope you stay connected and I will be back tomorrow....

Stay Shiny x

Well done

Today's quotes:

"Well done is better than well said." ~Benjamin Franklin

Today's question:

What have you been saying you are going to do but haven't?
How could you do it?

To read more on BF click here

Guest House

Today I give you a poem which I now love;

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

~ Rumi ~

(The Essential Rumi, versions by Coleman Barks)

Question;

How can you greet your new arrivals daily?

What can they teach you?

For more on Rumi click here

It's so weird how the universe works. Another blog I am inspired by is Quite Mind Meditation (see my other blog for link) and after I finished this post yesterday and saved it for publishing today, I looked over at my fave blog updates and lo and behold....QMM had the same poem as a new post!
This poem speaks volumes to me and obviously others. I hope you enjoy it.....

Debbie Ford (not to be confused with Betty...)

Today's quote:

"Remember, all the answers you need are inside of you; you only have to become quiet enough to hear them." Debbie Ford

Today's question:

Are you willing to be quiet today to hear the answers?

Too much

My friend Karen gave me this quote yesterday and I thought I would use it.

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." Mother Teresa

What are you handling that is too much?

Gratitude and Joy

Today's quote:

"Gratitude helps you grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the life of those around you". Eileen Caddy (read more here)

Question:
What can you do today to bring joy into the lives of those around you?
What can you give gratitude for?

Examples:

Buy a colleague a coffee without being asked!
Smile at a stranger
Buy fresh flowers for someone you know will really appreciate them
Phone someone you haven't talked to in ages
Tell someone they make you happy (only if they do and you never tell them)
Write down a list of 4 things that you are grateful for before going to bed each night
Smile for no reason ;)