Helpful Thoughts or Quotes

[snoringdog]

Reading thru the Comments section of a NYTimes article/poll on "Books that Changed my Life" - this one struck me-

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/opin ... sContainer


"Frank Herbert's Dune had a large impact on me when I was young. Discovered it in the novel section of my local library and not the Sci-fi section. It's an over 500 pages opus and remains the longest book I've ever read. This passage became my motto: “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” heady stuff for the shy introverted soul I was."

[snoringdog]

Gotta add to this list....

Words help...

Poetry helps....

Anyone?

[TonyM_Guest]

I used to be a competitive runner and a quote I read in a magazine once about getting motivation to go on a training run is "I did feels better than I will". These days I use that when it comes to doing my self-care and sticking with my coping skills and strategies.

[brownblob]

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. - Robert Kennedy

Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that's a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect.
Rob Reiner

I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. -Mother Theresa


Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects. -Dalai Lama

[manuel_moe_g]

Awesome quotes, Brownblob!

[brownblob]

I may be showing my age but saw a couple of George Burns quotes that brought a smile to my face.

I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate. -George Burns

At my age, flowers scare me. -George Burns

[rivergirl]

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but I stumbled across this poem a few days ago and thought it was beautiful.

Bluebird by Charles Bukowski

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

[snoringdog]

Hello Rivrgirl,

It's been awhile, thanks for posting this. I recognized the name and realized that I'd just watched the movie "Barfly" (with Mickey Rourke and Fayne Dunaway) that was based on his life. Movie was OK, not great, but I want to look up more of his stuff...

SD

[TonyM_Guest]

From my therapist: "you don't have to meet urgency with urgency."

That is, if someone else is reactive and pumped up/anxious, we don't have to get as reactive as they are. It's okay to stay calm and handle situations in our own way. She said this to me because I was continuing to fall into the trap of getting reactive with the people in my family and some people at work when they would "freak out."

[snoringdog]

Yes! Try to tell myself that same thing often - "Respond, don't React'.

But it's hard! I think we're emotionally wired to resonate with another's feelings, ......relates to the herd instinct, right?