A Few Gems

You see things and say "Why?"
But I dream things that never were and say "Why Not?"
~ George Bernard Shaw


When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.

~ Barbara J. Winter


Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has.

~ Margaret Mead


Every morning I awaken torn between the desire to save the world and the inclination to savor it.

~ E.B. White


Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds
wake in the day to find that all was vanity,
but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,
for they may act their dream with open eyes and make it possible.

~ T. E. Lawrence


A thousand mile journey begins with one step. ~ Lau Tze


Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end. ~ Unknown


My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to commune with the spirit of the universe, to be intoxicated with the fumes, call it, of that divine nectar, to bear my head through atmospheres and over heights unknown to my feet, is perennial and constant.

~ Henry David Thoreau


Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


Perfect sincerity and transparency make a great part of beauty, as in dewdrops, lakes, and diamonds.

~ Henry David Thoreau


A Laugh is a Smile that Bursts

Mary H. Waldrip


What lies behind us and lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


Passion makes the world go round. Love just makes it a safer place ~ Ice T


To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

~ Dr. Seuss


I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, but imagination encircles the world.

~ Albert Einstein


The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty and Truth.

~ Albert Einstein


We dance round in a ring and suppose,
But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.

~ Robert Frost


When I look outward into infinity I look inward into the smallest particle of being and I see that they are one.

~ Indy


The Oasis of the Heart can never be reached by the Caravan of Thoughts ~ Unknown


Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.

~ Mark Twain


Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

~ Dr. Seuss

Returning to the Age of Innocence

June 1, 2006... a day I will never forget. It is the day I skipped Quantitative Methods class.

Now I skip classes all the time, but today was special... in fact it was simply Magical. You see it had been cloudy and gloomy all day, almost omnious you could say. 5:40 rolled around, and as if I didn't have enough reason to not want to go to class, it began raining outside! I grudgingly got into my car and headed for class. As I traveled down route 18 it started to rain harder, and I could just feel a storm coming our way!

I ended up arriving to class late as usual, and the doors were closed. As I grabbed the handle, I could hear a thunderous clap outside, and I paused... "Do I really want to do this?," I reminded myself "I do have a choice... I can go to class or I can go out and have fun in the rain." "Classes are practically everyday, but storms don't come often!" I began to reason to myself (little did I know they would indeed come often this season). I knew I had homework to hand in and that our professor would likely give us a quiz, but I really didn't want to sit in there for 3 hours passing up on this opportunity, so decided to take a chance. Grades aren't important to me, and besides, sometimes you just need to let go and live a little!

So I slung on my backpack and ran out the door straight to my car. At this point it started pouring, and I was drenched before I even got to my car! When I got back, I stripped down and threw on a pair of swim trunks and running sandals. I did a quick stretch and then immediately bolted out the door. First I ran behind the College Ave Gym to catch a clear view. It was amazing... the sky lit up a beautiful shade of royal purple every 5 seconds. As people drove by, I'm sure they wondered "What the hell is this kid doing out here!?" But I didn't care, I was caught up in the moment enjoying the sights and sounds of the storm. I decided to run over to Buccleuch Park. I wondered if there would be any other adventurous ones over there. When I got there, I found a older man running towards me. I waved, and he waved, and then he quickly hurried to his car. Seems like he was leaving for the best part! If I could describe how hard it was raining at this point, I would have to say it was likely somewhere past cats and dogs.

I started running laps around the park, and then halfway through, I decided I'd rather be running around in the field, like a kid dancing in the rain. I then thought back to when we were all children... when everyone we able to have all the fun in the world getting wet and dirty. Why couldn't it be that way anymore? Is it because we're afraid of getting our clothes dirty? Is it because we don't want to mess up our hair? Or was it that we had lost our care-free playful innocence that allowed us to have fun without worrying about consequences like getting dirty. In that moment, I felt sad, but then I realized it doesn't have to be this way. Right now I am here running in the rain having the time of my life! I quickly raised my arms high in the air, turned my head up towards the sky to feel the raindrops on my face, and then I yelled out of the top of my lungs. As the rain poured down on me, and my thoughts melted away, I could feel myself, for the first time, returning to the age of innocence... I was free again! With a new set of eyes, I looked around me, I smiled, and then darted across the field and ran.

I ran two more laps around the Park and then stopped in front of one of the Baseball fields. I went up on the benches and sprawled out across the top bleachers. As I laid there, I listened to the sound of the thunder and I focused on the feeling of the warm rain pouring on me. I felt a deep sense of peace in me. "This is it," I said to myself. "This is the beauty of life, right here, right now." It was never computers, TV, or drugs & alcohol that brought happiness in our lives, it was always the simple things that we often forget. In that spot, being surrounded by nature with all the amazing elements, my eyes were opened and I was reminded of the beauty of simplicity... and in those moments I wasn't thinking about e-mails, voicemail, homework assignments, or the next episode of Real World; all those we're a but an insignificant memory in the backdrop of the ever-present now, displayed by the beauty, elegance and grace of nature all around me. It was like a miracle was occuring right before me, and yet Mother Nature was just being herself. While that day may have been just a normal day for some, it will remain a special day that I will never forget. I actually ended up getting an A in my Quant class, and to this very day I continue to run in storms every chance I get. To those who ask why, I simply smile and say, "You'd have to try it sometime to know why"

To all those who seek adventure and seek something different, cheers!
Cheers to the simple things in life, cheers to nature, and cheers to never forgetting how to have fun like a Child. ~ Namaste

The Balance

The Balance

After he had journeyed,
And his feet were sore,
And he was tired,
He came upon an orange grove
And he rested.
And he lay in the cool,
And while he rested, he took unto himself an orange and tasted it,
And it was good.
And he felt the earth to his spine,
And he asked, and he saw the tree above him, and the stars,
And the veins in the leaf
And the light, and the balance,
And he saw magnificent perfection,
Whereon he thought of himself in balance,
And he knew he was.


Just open your eyes,
And realise, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart,
And that's a start.

And he thought of those he angered,
For he was not a violent man,
And he thought of those he hurt,
For he was not a cruel man
And he thought of those he frightened
For he was not an evil man,
And he understood.
He understood himself.
Upon this he saw that when he was of anger or knew hurt or felt fear,
It was because he was not understanding,
And he learned compassion.
And with his eye of compassion
He saw his enemies like unto himself,
And he learned love.
Then, he was answered.

Just open your eyes,
And realise, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart,
And that's a start.