When the going gets tough ...

Have you ever noticed how it sometimes feels like life seems to kick you when you're already down? One bad thing after another seems to strike again and again and again? And you feel so close to breaking point that you just can't imagine being able to cope with one more thing? And then one more thing happens, and you somehow DO cope - you get through it, even though you felt you couldn't take anymore... And what a feeling it is to one day be able to look back on these hard times, and be amazed that you managed to get through it...

For me the last few weeks have been some of the hardest, most challenging, most painful weeks of my life. One thing after another seems to be thundering down on me, and I have felt close to breaking point at times. I have been depleted of all my inner resources - completely physically and emotionally drained... I was just beginning to feel that I was turning a corner, then another blow struck.

Yesterday I discovered someone cloned my bank card and they've withdrawn all of my money, so this months rent hasn't been paid - and the bank said I might not get the money back. This really felt like the final straw - on top of all the other blows I've been dealing with, I just felt like I didn't have the strength or energy to cope with sorting this out, even though in the grander scheme of things, it's quite a minor thing compared to the other things I've been trying to cope with...

Yet at the same time, I knew deep down that I WOULD get through this. Even though I felt like collapsing and giving up, a little voice inside me was saying:

'I won't let this knock me down!!! I'm a survivor!'

I went to bed last night, not knowing how on earth I would be feeling in the morning...

But I woke up and wrote this in my journal:

So today a new day dawns, filling me with renewed strength & the determination to keep on going, despite the latest blow ....

I know I'll survive - I'm sure I'll look back one day, and be proud of myself for getting through all this... Life's challenges are what makes us stronger. Without these challenges we maybe wouldn't really appreciate the good times, and all the beauty there is in the world... I know deep down that things will get better and that good things surely lie ahead...

~~~

If you're going through a bad time too, have faith. Things will get better.

Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength

by 'unknown'

You have to trust in yourself

You must believe in yourself

You have to follow your heart

You overcome, improve, endure

Machine Head song lyrics

Be open to possibilities ...

See Problems as Challenges,

See Lows creating space for New Highs,

See Endings as New Beginnings,

And a World of Infinite Possibilities will open up for you.

John Whiteman

... sometimes it is so hard to turn what feels like a great big negative into something positive. Sometimes all we can do is accept that, for whatever reason, we are enveloped in a bleak, miserable darkness. But, however dark, lonely and isolating this place is, there is almost always the glimmer of faith and hope that things will get better. This glimmer of hope, however faint, is what helps us get through the bleakest times.

And, once we start to emerge from the dark, we can reflect on what we have learnt, and we can reflect on new possibilties that are now opening up to us, possibilities that evaded us when we were at the lowest point.

Being open to possibilities is to go with the flow, in a state of childlike curiosity, without having expectations of how things 'should' be ... It is to have an optimistic outlook, and to accept the rough with the smooth ... it is to live life fully, in a state of awareness and acceptance... It is to have a balanced, realistic approach to life ... it is to be prepared to take risks, to say 'yes' more often ... it is to turn 'impossible' into 'i'm possible' or 'it's possible' ... it is to be fully engaged in the moment, with yourself, your relationships, with life ... it is to accept change and setbacks and losses and bumps and scrapes and to learn from these experiences, rather than being bitter and resentful and withdrawing as a result of the pain ...

Being open to possibilities is to live life with an open heart and soul.

Being open to possibilities is easier said than done, but I'm determined to get there! Even though my heart and soul feel like they've been shredded into a million pieces right now, I know that the only way forward is it pick up the pieces, put them back together, and to open up my heart and soul ... To really embrace life and all it has to offer... All I have to do is believe that it's possible ... I KNOW it is possible ... I've had to pick up the pieces so many times before ... I can do it again ... I believe in myself, and I know I'll get through this...

If you're going through a bad time at the moment, never doubt yourself - you can and you will get through this...

We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

Mahatma Gandhi

You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.
Ralph Marston

Choose to see the light and the possiblity of real freedom, rather than the bars across the window...

Living on the Tree of Life

Leaves on a Tree of Life

As individuals, we are like single leaves on a great tree.

We live for one season only, but the tree lives on year after year and season after season.

We do not experience the entire life span of the tree, but we contribute to it.

We do not exist with the leaves from prior seasons, but we prosper from where they left off.

It is impossible for us to know how many leaves will come after us, but as long as the tree remains healthy, many more like us will follow ...

This figurative tree of life demonstrates how we exist in the context of forever.

Even after our season has passed, life will continue.

Humanity will produce more lives just like us for season upon season ...

Life endures, spreads, and ceaselessly continues.

Dr. Bill R. Path

Gustav Klimt - Tree of Life

The 'Tree of Life' metaphor has been used across different cultures and religions, as well as in other fields including art, science and philosophy. The common thread that weaves between the different cultures and theories is that the Tree of Life image connects us all through a message of unity.

The Tree of Life symbolises that all forms of life are interconnected. A clear message that is conveyed is that we as humans must respect and live in harmony with the planet and all forms of life inhabiting it.

For us to really thrive, as humans, we must all make a commitment to live consciously; with compassion, concern and a real commitment to respect and care for not only each other, but for the environment too.

In living life consciously and ethically, we live with a deep sense of meaning and purpose - this is good not only for our own welllbeing, but this life-choice also benefits the wellbeing of the wider community.

The journey of living consciously begins with a single moment of commitment, saying yes to the impulse within you that wants to grow, to expand, to embrace your largest possible self, to make your largest possible contribution to the world.

Gay Hendricks

The meaning of life is not to be discovered only after death in some hidden, mysterious realm; on the contrary, it can be found by eating the succulent fruit of the Tree of Life and by living in the here and now as fully and creatively as we can.
Paul Kurtz

Let me give you the definition of ethics: it is good to maintain life and to further life. It is bad to damage and destroy life. And this ethic, profound and universal, has the significance of a religion. It is religion.

Albert Schweitzer

Points to think about:

How 'green' is your lifestyle?
What steps are you taking to help the environment?
What more could you do?

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Learning and Growing...

After a While

After a while you learn

The subtle difference between

Holding a hand and chaining a soul

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning

And company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn

That kisses aren't contracts

And presents aren't promises

And you begin to accept your defeats

With your head up and your eyes ahead

With the grace of a woman

Not the grief of a child

And you learn

To build all your roads on today

Because tomorrow's ground is

Too uncertain for plans

And futures have a way

Of falling down in mid flight

After a while you learn

That even sunshine burns if you get too much

So you plant your own garden

And decorate your own soul

Instead of waiting

For someone to bring you flowers

And you learn

That you really can endure

That you are really strong

And you really do have worth

And you learn and you learn

With every good bye you learn

Veronica A. Shoffstall

Life has so much to teach us. Open your heart and learn all there is to learn about life, love, yourself, your friends, family, neighbours, community, country, the world ...

Despite all the pain and sorrow in life, and in the the world, there is so much beauty, so much joy, so much hope. So much to learn and understand, and accept. Even though we don't always understand, and even though there isn't always an answer, we can learn and grow through all experiences life has to offer - good and bad. Sometimes we choose to close our eyes and our heart and soul, and we shut ourselves away, refusing to take more risks, afraid of yet more pain... but in doing this, we miss out on fully experiencing the good times too...

Believe that you are strong. You have the courage to endure the darkest times, and to emerge with courage, faith and hope...

“In the darkest hour the soul is replenished and given strength to continue and endure.”

(unknown author)

Aspirations ...

Thought for today:

Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead...

~ Louisa May Alcott

I love this quote, and I love the fact that she is aware that she might not reach her aspirations, but it is enough to be able to see them and believe in them...

What are your aspirations?

Can you visualise them?

Do you believe in them?

What do you need to do to achieve them?

Open your arms to change ....

Instructions for Life

(Dali Lama)

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Follow the three ‘R’s.
Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honourable life.
Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation.
Don't bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Soothed by the Sea ...

The sea was bright turquoise and topped in the purest white, sparkling in the sun.

A chilly wind blew white blobs, like shaving foam, across the crests of the waves.

I stood gazing out across the ocean, as far as I could see.

After a while, I felt a sense of peace replacing the anguish.

I shoved my hands deep down into my pockets and grasped my pieces of crystal security blanket, turned and walked away, with a hint of a spring in my step; restored by nature once again...

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),

It's always our self we find in the sea.

e.e. cummings

Why do we love the sea?

It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.

Robert Henri