Wise Words

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.

Wise words from the wise lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.

photo by me

Inspiration: Life through my child's eyes

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -A.A. Milne

Now that I have a child of my own, I’ve had the chance to revisit many of my favorite childhood books in anticipation of sharing them with Tuck one day soon. At his current age, he’s more interested in throwing books and laughing about it, putting them in his mouth, or crawling right over them to get to the next best place. But I eagerly await the day when we can read a bedtime story together, enjoying our favorite characters and sharing a good laugh during the funny parts. In revisiting some of my favorite stories, I realized how the simple, yet meaningful words that were written for a child’s ear are just the words that we, as adults, NEED to hear. Let’s be real, life as an adult can be complicated – it’s hard, unfair, stressful and cumbersome at times. Sometimes I think we’re guilty of making our lives more complicated than they really need to be, but sometimes things really are that difficult, with circumstances beyond your control.  It’s during those times that I find so much solace in Tuck – in seeing the world through his 9 month old eyes, where happiness lurks at every corner and life’s simplicity radiates in his smile. Lately, I’ve needed that reminder. I’ve needed to hear the words that I’m going to read to him again and again in his life: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

image by E.H. Shephard via here

Inspiration: Expectations

“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
- Bruce Lee

I've been thinking quite a bit about expectations recently, both those we place on ourselves and those that others place on us. In my mind, expectation often seems to correlate to disappointment - life throws you for a loop and something didn't turn out the way you thought it would or the way someone else wanted it to turn out for you. Sometimes the right choice is taking the unconventional route, doing something instead of waiting for something, moving forward (even if it's in a completely unexpected direction) instead of standing still.  And when others tell you you're crazy, that you're taking a step in the wrong direction, you tell them you don't give a damn what they think because in the end, it's your life to live. Opportunity often presents itself in ways you least expect it. Trust your gut and believe in yourself - if you do, you won't be left wondering how you let those expectations become a missed opportunity.

image via here

Inspiration: Idleness

“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration — it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done. “Idle dreaming is often of the essence of what we do,” wrote Thomas Pynchon in his essay on sloth.” - Tim Kreider, "The 'Busy' Trap", New York Times

Idleness...its been on my mind a lot recently. Maybe because I just took three days off from work, finally slowed down a bit and took some time to think about my life. I haven't been able to do that for some time. I've been going, going, going for almost 2 years now. Honestly, three days wasn't enough; I could have used a week, or even two! But in those three days, I was able realize that the busier I am, the more apathy seems to take over so many aspects of my life and it's high time I start doing a little less and living a little bit more.

image credit: Marie Antoinette film still via mmorrow

Inspiration: Stillness in the Midst of Chaos

“I feel that art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos. A stillness which characterizes prayer, too, and the eye of the storm. I think that art has something to do with an arrest of attention in the midst of distraction.”  -  Saul Bellow

It seems life has been one big distracting mass of chaos recently. We have so much hinging on one decision, a decision that isn't even ours to make, that our nerves have been frayed to their very ends and focusing on anything but this decision has been nearly impossible. Our life feels as if its been on hold for over two years now and we're more than ready to pick it back up and start living again. The one bit of solace in all this frustration has been working in my studio. I haven't had as much energy to devote to it, but when I walk into that room, pick up the colored strands of thread and begin knotting them with my tired hands, this art that I create gives me a stillness and calmness that I haven't been able to find in anything else. The world somehow seems to slow down and the questions and worries that constantly invade my thoughts somehow seem to fade away.

image credit: "favourite place" by Hannah and Landon Metz

Inspiration: When It's Over

“When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was a bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened
or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”

-Mary Oliver, "When Death Comes"

I'm not much of a poetry person, but when I read this excerpt from the poem "When Death Comes", something stirred in me. The last line... it took my breath away...it made me think...and it inspired me to start living in a new way.

image credit: "Stories of Étretat" by Veronika Tumova via Bon Parisian

Inspiration: Creativity

"The essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail." - Edwin H. Land, Polaroid co-founder

This is what I keep telling myself over and over: just keep doing what you're doing and success will follow...eventually. 

image credit: Genevieve Simms via Gems

quote via Life

Inspiration: Come Alive

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. Then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who come alive." - Howard Thurman

Much like the Dutch tulip fields that come alive with grand color in Spring, I too feel like I've come alive these past few months. I was telling N the other night that I haven't felt this *happy* in a very long time. Starting my little MGoO Shop has brought me much joy and the wonderful feeling of contentment. It has allowed me to be creatively driven and challenged on a daily basis, something my life was lacking for far too long. So for now, I'm going to revel in this feeling of coming alive because you just never know when it might end.

image credit: here via here
quote found here

Inspiration: Duality of Life

"Experience life in all possible ways — good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more 
mature you become.” - Osho Rajneesh


When life gets crazy and heavy and seemingly hard, it's easy to find oneself consumed and overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what's wrong. One can easily forget that where there is darkness, there too is light. And the more one experiences, both good and bad, the more one grows. Just a little reminder to myself and anyone else who could use it. 


image credit: Abend Am Bodensee - Otto Dix, 1955 via Cave to Canvas