Source: honeyandvenom.tumblr.com via Claire on Pinterest
On being simple.
Before now, I've been described as simple, and not in a pleasant way. In a 'less than' way.
Like that's a bad thing.
Like loving rainbows and kittens and walks in the rain is bad. Like a life of good books and dear friends and happiness and Christmas countdowns is a bad. Like days spent happy, fulfilled and content are not as aspirational as striving, pushing and having one's elbows out at all times.
Now don't get me wrong, I have my own hopes and dreams. But the whole rat race, the coming out on top, the driving ambition....I don't really understand it.
Maybe I am simple. Maybe I'm not smart enough to be that way.
But I'm definitely happy.
I just like to smiling. Smiling's my favourite.*
And keeping things simple, focusing in on what fulfils and energises me, helps me to smile. In fact, it's something I'm aiming for more and more as I get older. The joy and comfort of simplicity makes me a better, happier person. So simple I shall be.
* of course, I get mad and sad like everybody else (especially when I'm hungry and tired!). And of course there are bad moments and horrible things that happen, and I, like everyone else, try my best to muddle through like everyone, but for the most part? I'm a pretty happy girl.
Pinterest: Words
I am a sucker for a good quote. My wall at school has tonnes of them, and when I was younger I used to keep notebooks of clever sayings around for counsel, comfort and inspiration. Nowadays, thank the Lord for the internet, because I can pin any quote I like to the board I have for quotes over on Pinterest!
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This is one of my very favourite Lewis quotes. I love the gentle, scholarly way he discusses faith and belief and love. Such an interesting man, such an incredible mind.
I'm a big Emerson fan too. His poem 'Definition of a Successful Life' is one of my favorite pieces ever.
Worth remembering, in this season of reports and new houses and exams!
I remember having a good old chat with my friend Richard about this a year or so ago. We agreed on this. I'm a big fan of showing up, of being there, and failing that (because geography messes with us all), making time to call, write or email. It's so nice when people make time for you, or when you do the same for them!
It seems so simple and obvious when it's put like that!
I would like PJs with this on. A quote to cherish, for sure!
Encouraging
As much as is may be cool to mock Oprah in some quarters, I often think she has some really interesting things to say (I'm a fan :)). My friend Naomi and I enjoyed her show and even both have the 20th anniversary DVD (thanks again, Nai!). I've been thinking about this quote a lot recently, as my class and I have been chatting about friendship and teamwork and being helpful and supportive of others. I shared this quote with the boys last Friday and was really impressed with their take on it.
I think it's so important to have people in your life who lift you up and encourage you, and really feel lucky to have lots of friends who do. It takes effort (as does everything good!) to help and support and give people a chance, but it's so good for you! I love the feeling I get from deploying a heartfelt compliment, celebrating with a friend or giving attention to the little things my friends do which make my world a sunnier place. I also love when someone takes the time to extend a kindness my way. Words are definitely one of my love languages!
It often feels like being kind also sits at odds with a lot of what the media does (and encourages us to do) - they always seem to be tearing someone down, bashing them, willing them to fail. It makes me sad to see that sometimes. as much as I may not care for someone, it can really get me down when the press go at them. Of course, when someone's actually done wrong (lying, hurting people etc.) I understand and think the press does have a duty to state facts and draw judgement....but to me the papers often seem full of just nastiness about peoples' lives (This person's put on weight! This actress has a nanny! This man bought something cheap, not designer!). This may be why I avoid papers much of the time. They seem to want us to think that by tearing someone else down we build ourselves up, but heaven knows that never works. To quote Mean Girls:
"Calling someone fat won't make you any skinner. Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any smarter. Ruining someone's life won't make yours any better. The only thing that you can do in life is solve the problem that's in front of you."
I'm going to continue to try to lift up others with my words and deeds. To encourage. To celebrate. To gossip less and listen more. I'm going to make sure my friends and family and pupils know how awesome and special they are. Because I think this stuff matters.
Because it's good to remember...
Counting blessings, as always. Wishing you all health and happiness, as ever. Have a great weekend!
Words are my friends
Sometimes a nice quote is just what you need! Thank heavens for Pinterest.
From: joann.com
From: crushculdesac.tumblr.com
From: designyoutrust.com
Hope you're all having a fab weekend.
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From: joann.com
From: crushculdesac.tumblr.com
From: designyoutrust.comHope you're all having a fab weekend.
A favourite
I love this poem. Always have. There's something about the enthusiasm, the hopefulness, the desire to do good of Ralph Waldo Emerson that has always chimed well with me. I have copies of this poem at home and in my classroom. There's always time and space for some wise words.
Have a lovely week, all!
Have a lovely week, all!
Mark Twain tells it like it is...
From thumbpress.com
Ever grateful today as ever for the great people who fill my life with joy and spur me on to ever greater things.
Best. Friends. Ever.
Awesome family.
Darling boyfriend.
I'm a lucky girl.
Best. Friends. Ever.
Awesome family.
Darling boyfriend.
I'm a lucky girl.
Feeling blessed.
Have a wonderful day, all!
Advice for life
From: modernhepburn.tumblr.com
I saw this quote on Pinterest over the weekend (yep, still totally addicted!) and I thought it was a great one to share with the boys in class tomorrow and through the week. Eight and nine year olds are wicked good fun, but guiding them in how to be good friends and good people (in the small way I do) is a challenging and interesting aspect of my job. I love watching how much a class can grow and change in our ten months together!
In addition to the Whitman quote, I came up with some ideas of my own, and I may just get my class to do the same... The best of my efforts was probably "be confident, not arrogant," and I'm excited to see what my class of badgers cook up!
Have a great week, my lovelies. Stay curious!
In addition to the Whitman quote, I came up with some ideas of my own, and I may just get my class to do the same... The best of my efforts was probably "be confident, not arrogant," and I'm excited to see what my class of badgers cook up!
Have a great week, my lovelies. Stay curious!
Waking up
"It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent - lose your invaluable curiousity and you let yourself die. It's as simple as that."
Tove Jansson, Fair Play
Somewhere inside of me, I feel as though I'm waking up. Some of the dark shadows that feel like they've been dogging my steps have stepped back and I feel like I'm looking at the world again from my actual point of view, not one blurred by tiredness or sadness or feeling blue. It's pretty groovy.
There seems to be more colour in the world, more laughter, more hope, more danger, more joy.
More more.
I am feeling inquisitive and busy and interested and brave.
I am feeling silly and bouncy and excited.
I am feeling challenged and heard.
I am feeling loved.
This is a good thing.
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Tove Jansson, Fair Play
Somewhere inside of me, I feel as though I'm waking up. Some of the dark shadows that feel like they've been dogging my steps have stepped back and I feel like I'm looking at the world again from my actual point of view, not one blurred by tiredness or sadness or feeling blue. It's pretty groovy.
There seems to be more colour in the world, more laughter, more hope, more danger, more joy.
More more.
I am feeling inquisitive and busy and interested and brave.
I am feeling silly and bouncy and excited.
I am feeling challenged and heard.
I am feeling loved.
This is a good thing.
How are you feeling today, lovelies?
Quotes of the day
The most wonderful time of the year...
"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
~Norman Vincent Peale
"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
~Norman Vincent Peale
"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. "
~Charles Dickens
~Charles Dickens
"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."
~Laura Ingalls Wilder
~ Christina Rossetti
~Laura Ingalls Wilder
Love came down at Christ
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Stars and angels gave the sign.
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Stars and angels gave the sign.
~ Christina Rossetti
"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly."
~Andy Rooney
~Andy Rooney
Quotes of the day
"Gratitude [...] goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy."
-Henri J. M. Nouwen
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
- Oprah Winfrey
"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
-William Arthur Ward
"Be grateful for the joy of life. Be glad for the privilege of work. Be thankful for the opportunity to give and serve. Good work is the great character-builder, the sweetener of life, the maker of destiny. Let the spirit of your work be right, and whether your task be great or small you will then have the satisfaction of knowing it is worth while."
- Grenville Kleiser
On work
Such an inspiring man, and a truly sad loss.
I love this quote from Steve Jobs. It may well be my favourite. It ties in quite neatly with all that I believe in, work-wise. I very much believe that work is one part of your life, rather than your whole life, but like Jobs I firmly believe that you should choose something that inspires and moves you.
Here's my little work mantra:
Choose well.
Choose wisely.
Be open.
Give it all you have.
Don't be afraid of the hard work, the extra mile, the never-thought-of-before idea.
Learn.
Reflect.
Dream.
Be tenacious.
Listen.
Be willing to change.
Be generous.
Put yourself out there. Be brave.
Try something new.
Trust yourself.
Learn from others.
Praise.
Be responsible.
Laugh.
Invest.
Fear not the 7 a.m. start or the ten-thirty finish.
Appreciate.
Make mistakes.
Find solutions, not problems.
Stand up for yourself.
Advocate.
Communicate.
Love.
How about you?
Here's my little work mantra:
Choose well.
Choose wisely.
Be open.
Give it all you have.
Don't be afraid of the hard work, the extra mile, the never-thought-of-before idea.
Learn.
Reflect.
Dream.
Be tenacious.
Listen.
Be willing to change.
Be generous.
Put yourself out there. Be brave.
Try something new.
Trust yourself.
Learn from others.
Praise.
Be responsible.
Laugh.
Invest.
Fear not the 7 a.m. start or the ten-thirty finish.
Appreciate.
Make mistakes.
Find solutions, not problems.
Stand up for yourself.
Advocate.
Communicate.
Love.
How about you?
Quotes of the day
Ah, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
~Albert Camus
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
~Albert Camus
"It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life."
~P.D. James
~P.D. James
"There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!"
~Percy Bysshe Shelley
~Percy Bysshe Shelley
"A wind has blown the rain away and blown the sky away and all the leaves away, and the trees stand. I think, I too, have known autumn too long."
~e.e. cummings
~e.e. cummings
I feel like donning wellington boots and puddle jumping down the street, en route to a pumpkin spice latte....
Quote(s) of the day
It's back to school season! Here are some of my favourite quotes on the subject...
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"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."
~Sydney J. Harris
~Sydney J. Harris
"The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book."
~Author Unknown
~Author Unknown
"Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one."
~Malcolm S. Forbes
~Malcolm S. Forbes
"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire."
~William Butler Yeats
~William Butler Yeats
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