April 2016 – Inspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul

Hope

A Poem of Hope

By: Catherine Pulsifer

When life is getting you down,
And you need a little hope.
Look deep down inside yourself,
And you’ll find the way to cope.

When life is getting you down,
And you need a little love.
Go to the person whom you are the closest,
As the rest they are above.

When life is getting you down,
And all you need is a laugh.
Find the friend that makes you smile,
They may even be your staff.

When life is getting you down,
Don’t allow it so.
Change the way you think of life,
And life will be better, you know.

When life is getting you down,
Take time to pray
Don’t allow yourself to frown
God will help you see the blessings of the day.

Sometimes life gets you down. Things don’t work out the way you planned − be it a job, relationship or some other aspect of life. It is at these times that you have to dig deep within yourself and find the strength to have faith and hope that things will get better. Don’t let life’s many upsets change you and your outlook on life.

Imaginary Conversation

Linda Pastan

You tell me to live each day
as if it were my last. This is in the kitchen
where before coffee I complain
of the day ahead—that obstacle race
of minutes and hours,
grocery stores and doctors.

But why the last? I ask. Why not
live each day as if it were the first—
all raw astonishment, Eve rubbing
her eyes awake that first morning,
the sun coming up
like an ingénue in the east?

You grind the coffee
with the small roar of a mind
trying to clear itself. I set
the table, glance out the window
where dew has baptized every
living surface.

Maybe we have been going about this all wrong. I mean, I’m guilty of trying to adhere to the old adage of “Live life to the fullest and live each day as if it were your last.” But, why not choose to live each day as if it were your first day on this Earth? To be enchanted by the Sun lighting up the sky or the wonder of waking up to a winter’s first snow blanketing the ground and everything surrounding it. Maybe we should embrace each day and all of life’s miracles with raw astonishment. . .to approach each day as if you’ve never experienced it before.

Dare to Dream

Dreams

~ Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Dream. Imagine. Believe. In childhood, our minds are these creative little sponges that believe in infinite possibilities. But as we grow up and traverse adulthood, we bury that part of ourselves deep underneath the realities of the world – such as paying bills and navigating relationships. We forget how to dream, imagine and believe in a better tomorrow. But, what is life without daring to hope, dream and believe in the impossible? It is a barren existence. So, ask yourself, what are your hopes and dreams for tomorrow?

My Creed

Edgar Albert Guest

To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill
And cling to faith and honor still;
To do my best, and let that stand
The record of my brain and hand;
And then, should failure come to me,
Still work and hope for victory.

To have no secret place wherein
I stoop unseen to shame or sin;
To be the same when I’m alone
As when my every deed is known;
To live undaunted, unafraid
Of any step that I have made;
To be without pretense or sham
Exactly what men think I am.

To leave some simple mark behind
To keep my having lived in mind;
If enmity to aught I show,
To be an honest, generous foe,
To play my little part, nor whine
That greater honors are not mine.
This, I believe, is all I need
For my philosophy and creed.

You should always strive to lead a life of integrity. No matter what you are going through in life, always try to rise above the pettiness and negativity of others. Be honest, compassionate, humble and most importantly be your authentic, genuine self. Never forget, you dictate the standards you wish to lead your life by . . .

The Man Who Thinks He Can

~ Walter D. Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t;
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outcasted, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Where there is a will, there is a way. When you have faith in yourself, you will succeed in reaching your goals. It may not happen overnight and there may be a hundred no’s along the way. But when you believe that no mountain is insurmountable, you will succeed in making your dreams a reality no matter what curveballs life may throw your way.

Don’t Quit

Don’T Quit

~ Edgar Albert Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit –
rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about
when he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –
you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up
when he might have captured the victor’s cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
it’s when things seem worst, you must not quit.

When you feel like you are drowning and you have nothing left to give, you must hold on for just a little longer. Because the moment you throw in the towel is often the moment the tide will change directions, so you must find the strength to keep treading water even as the current threatens to overtake you. No matter how bad you want to quit. . .Never Give Up. Have faith that better days are coming.

It Couldn’t Be Done

It Couldn’T Be Done

Edgar Albert Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That ‘maybe it couldn’t,’ but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: ‘Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;’
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That ‘cannot be done,’ and you’ll do it.

There will always be people around whispering in your ear that you can’t do it, that you will fail. But, you shouldn’t listen to these negative voices. First of all, who has the right to tell you that you won’t succeed or that you aren’t good enough? The answer is no one. Second of all, you won’t know whether or not you can succeed at something UNLESS you first try. And then if you fail, so what, sometimes things just don’t work out and the most important thing is that you tried. You’ll never regret all the chances you took, but only the opportunities you let pass you by without ever even taking a swing. So get up, grab your bat and when a ball comes your way. . .take a swing!

Just One

~ Author Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!

Your life is truly a blank canvas. What you choose to create is up to you. You can choose to create a replica that blends in with the crowd. Or, you can choose to create a unique masterpiece that stands on its own. Never forget that one person, one life . . . one choice can change this world for the better.

Life Steps

~ Catherine Pulsifer

Our entire life is made up of choices,
What we decide,
the action we take,
the attitude we display
All represent the steps of life.

Sometimes we take two steps forward
And one-step back.
Some of us take baby steps
Some of us take giant steps

But the secret is not to let that
one step back turn into a failure.
Learn from backward steps

And keep on stepping forward in this dance
Called Life!

In life, you will inevitably take a step backwards. The key is not to let life’s setbacks completely derail you from being able to move forward again. Instead, use every setback as a learning and growing opportunity. And most importantly, always remember that life isn’t about the number of times you fall; rather, it is about the number of times you find the strength to stand back up.

Stay True to Yourself

If

~ Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

It is a rare gift to truly know oneself. It is an even rarer gift to not let this world and the people in it change you. I have come to realize that before you can find true happiness, you must first accept, embrace and love yourself. When you do this, you will find it easier to remain true to yourself as you navigate the waterways of life. When you know who you are, you develop this unwavering inner strength that aids you in standing firm in your beliefs when the world seeks to strip away your very soul. So, when the world, society, coworkers, family and friends try to change you, remember to always remain true to who you are and never compromise your moral compass.