Glimpse of a Glimmer

The 3 symptoms of killing our dreams

2011-12-06T13:45:09Z

The 3 symptoms of killing our dreams

by Paulo Coelho on February 20, 2011

The first symptom of the process of our killing our dreams is the lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the Good Fight.

The second symptom of the death of our dreams lies in our certainties. Because we don’t want to see life as a grand adventure, we begin to think of ourselves as wise and fair and correct in asking so little of life. We look beyond the walls of our day-to-day existence, and we hear the sound of lances breaking, we smell the dust and the sweat, and we see the great defeats and the fire in the eyes of the warriors. But we never see the delight, the immense delight in the hearts of those who are engaged in the battle. For them, neither victory nor defeat is important; what’s important is only that they are fighting the Good Fight.

And, finally, the third symptom of the passing of our dreams is peace. Life becomes a Sunday afternoon; we ask for nothing grand, and we cease to demand anything more than we are willing to give. In that state, we think of ourselves as being mature; we put aside the fantasies of our youth, and we seek personal and professional achievement. We are surprised when people our age say that they still want this or that out of life. But really, deep in our hearts, we know that what has happened is that we have renounced the battle for our dreams – we have refused to fight the Good Fight.

When we renounce our dreams and find peace, we go through a short period of tranquility. But the dead dreams begin to rot within us and to infect our entire being.
We become cruel to those around us, and then we begin to direct this cruelty against ourselves. That’s when illnesses and psychoses arise. What we sought to avoid in combat – disappointment and defeat – come upon us because of our cowardice.

And one day, the dead, spoiled dreams make it difficult to breathe, and we actually seek death. It’s death that frees us from our certainties, from our work, and from that terrible peace of our Sunday afternoons

We seem to be living in interesting times !

2011-10-18T05:36:05Z

From the Arab spring to anti wall street political unrest and the cry of 'Wake Up' seems to be flaming it's way around the planet !

In the begining I didn't think any of it was connected .. but maybe there is actually some kind of thread linking them all together .. a thread of humanity !

In the begining it looked like just another bunch of protests coming from a bunch of disenchanted losers .. now however even the most oblivious of us can recognize the protestors as a large cross-section of society ! They are students and teachers - housewives - plumbers - butchers bakers and candlestick makers - and they are young - middle-aged and elderly.
They are drop outs and Ph.D.s.
They are from all religions and no religion at all
and they have a really wide spectrum of political views.

But there seems to be a central core of beliefs.... people are fed up with corporate greed !

People seem to be breaking out of their comfort zone in an effort to try and figure out what's going on .. and remarkably ( to me at least) they seem to be owning up to their own part of what went wrong !!

However - to quote a certain Adlai Stevenson ~ "What counts now is not just what we are against, but what we are for. Who leads us is less important than what leads us "

hmmmm yes - we seem to be living in 'interesting times' ... a blessing or a curse ??
I think the answer will be up to us !

some interesting reading here > > > http://www.thenation.com/

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The Four Agreements

2011-10-17T09:01:25Z

Hi everyone http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww293/MsPiggy4/Icons/Chinapanda.jpg
long time no see eh !
Just a wee note to say that all is beautiful in my little corner of paradise ...
partly due to the sunshine and partly due to a beautiful women who once taught me the importance of being 'impeccable' !( yep - the same beautiful woman who advised me to listen to my heart !! )

I was a bit ( quite a bit actually ) thick headed in those far off days when this site was a hot bed of ... t'was a hot bed . LOL !

Being thick headed meant that I 'heard' it - but I didn't get it !

Just like to say 'I get it' ... and thankyou dear friend - thankyou for helping me to become free ... like in the photo !
Walk in beauty everyone
love ya http://grinner.org/misc/myspace/I-love-you.gif
Scotty

agreement 1

Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

agreement 2

Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

agreement 3

Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

agreement 4

Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

http://www.miguelruiz.com/

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Paulo Coelho's Blog

2011-03-30T08:41:17Z

Paulo Coelho has a blog in which he shares some of his writings with everyone

here's one of them ..

There was once a wave in the ocean, rolling along, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the swiftness of the breeze.
It smiled at everything around it as it made its way toward the shore.

But then, it suddenly noticed that the waves in front of it, one by one, were striking against the cliff face, being savagely broken to pieces.

‘Oh God!’ it cried. ‘My end will be just like theirs. Soon I, too, will crash and disappear!’

Just then another wave passing by saw the first wave’s panic and asked:
‘Why are you so anxious? Look how beautiful the weather is, see the sun, feel the breeze…’

The first wave replied:
‘Don’t you see? See how violently those waves before us strike against the cliff, look at the terrible way they disappear. We’ll soon become nothing just like them.’

‘Oh, but you don’t understand,’ the second wave said. ‘You’re not a wave. You’re a part of the ocean.’

I just found myself a new hero !

2011-03-16T10:04:54Z

The World is Blue
How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One
(paperbacak: National Geographic, September 21, 2010)
(hardcover: National Geographic, 2009)

A Silent Spring for our era, this eloquent, urgent, fascinating book reveals how just 50 years of swift and dangerous oceanic change threatens the very existence of life on Earth. Legendary marine scientist Sylvia Earle portrays a planet teetering on the brink of irreversible environmental crisis.

In recent decades we’ve learned more about the ocean than in all previous human history combined. But, even as our knowledge has exploded, so too has our power to upset the delicate balance of this complex organism. Modern overexploitation has driven many species to the verge of extinction, from tiny but indispensable biota to magnificent creatures like tuna, swordfish, and great whales. Since the mid-20th century about half our coral reefs have died or suffered sharp decline; hundreds of oxygen-deprived "dead zones" blight our coastal waters; and toxic pollutants afflict every level of the food chain.

Fortunately, there is reason for hope, but what we do --or fail to do -- in the next ten years may well resonate for the next ten thousand. The ultimate goal, Earle argues passionately and persuasively, is to find responsible, renewable strategies that safeguard the natural systems that sustain us. The first step is to understand and act upon the wise message of this accessible, insightful, and compelling book. ... http://literati.net/Earle/sylvia-earle-books.htm

Christmas in Paris

2010-12-11T11:33:39Z

We'll be driving up to Paris tomorrow morning to spend Christmas with Joelles family ... http://www.wishmerrychristmas.com/animated_gifs/christmas_animated_gifs_02.gif

T'will be lovely to watch an 'I still believe in Santa' eight year old opening her pressies on Christmas day ... actually she'll be staying the night of Christmas eve with us in the center of Paris as we'll be taking her to see the lights and the decorations .... and we happen to have a 'real chimney' for Santa to slide down during the night - and so seeing her face on Christmas morning is going to be wonderful !!

We'll really be making the most of it as this is probably the last time that Joelles granddaughter will think that Santa is real and that magic is the normal way of the world !

Christmas in Paris ... http://tinyurl.com/233h44a

Winter came to France early this year and it's been snowing heavily ... poor Frenchies aren't used to driving in bad weather conditions and so things become problematic quite quickly LOL ! http://www.leparisien.fr/images/2010/12/08/1183369_neige-yvelines.jpg
Most of the roads are open and 'drivable' for tomorrow so we should be able to get to our destination ... keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be able to return to the south to celebrate new year with our friends !

Anyway ... hope you all have a lovely holiday and that 2011 is full of love and beauty ! http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/gfo/lowres/gfon224l.jpg

Listen With Your Heart

2010-11-05T14:32:36Z

A few years ago a very beautiful woman gave me some wonderful advice
she said " Listen With Your Heart " ...

It's the most rewarding advice I've ever been given !

The beautiful woman is also a tree lover - I'm posting this video here
for her
with gratitude ;-)

People come into your life for a reason

2010-11-05T14:26:10Z

The Awakening

2010-10-08T05:01:41Z

... The Crow House http://thecrowhouse.com/home.html

Nature in yellow

2010-10-06T15:13:47Z

Yellow flowers (Sárga virágok)
Yellow is the colour of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Use yellow to evoke pleasant, cheerful feelings. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous colour. Light yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.
Yellow is the colour of Manípura chakra. Manipura (Sanskrit: मणिपूर, Maṇipūra), called "city of jewels", is the third primary chakra according to Hindu tradition. Manipura is associated with dynamism, energy, and will-power (Itcha shakti.) It is associated with the power of fire, and digestion. Manipura is said to radiate and distribute prana to the rest of the body. In this sense, it is roughly similar to the Chinese idea of the dantian in qigong. Also called the solar plexus, manipura is "the center of etheric-psychic intuition: a vague or non-specific, sensual sense of knowing; a vague sense of size, shape, and intent of being."