Two Quote Tuesday

I LOVE QUOTES! 

I was shopping at a big low-cost retail store last week and kept gravitating to the frame section. I love frames (but that's a topic for another day).

I noticed, not for the first time, that many of the designs sported the phrase: Live, Laugh, Love or variations of that. Whenever I see those words clumped together (and I see them all the time on frames, t-shirts, mugs, even tattoos) my mind goes to one of my favorite high school teachers, Dr. Taylor. He taught chemistry and math. Every week he'd put up a big quote and make us copy it down. On Friday, he'd ask us what that quote meant to our lives. 

This weekly routine sparked a love of quotes. I have collections of them saved on my computer, in notebooks, and taped up in my office. What I like about quotes is, if you truly focus on them, they force your reflect on your life journey. Some make me smile, some make me think, some make me roll my eyes and laugh. Usually they force me to reflect on my life's journey and see if I'm headed in the direction that's best for me.

The one quote that Dr. Taylor had us write down that I will never, ever forget is by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"to laugh often and love much;

to win the respect of intelligent persons

and the affection of children;

to earn the approbation of honest citizens

and endure the betrayal of false friends; 

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others;

to give of one's self'

to leave the world a better place, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

to have played and laughed with enthusiasm

and sung with exultation

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived 

--- this is to have succeeded."

There's a ton of good stuff to reflect on in that quote.

I tried to google (is google a verb now?) the author of the live, laugh, love saying and found many possible poems, but this one dates back the farthest. Written by Bessie Anderson Stanly in 1904 is is entitled "Success." It reads in its entirety:

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

So now I know the full poem behind the Live, Laugh, Love snippets I see all over town (and so do you).

 Question: Do you have certain quotes that resonate in your life? Please share them in the comment section.

Cold Turkey

It was difficult and I had to have Katie give me words of encouragement to do it.... I am quitting all my Facebook gamming accounts - cold turkey! I removed all the games and turned off all the announcements others send my FB page.

I will forever wonder how my pigs, tractors, cheeseburgers, and frontier cabin are holding up. The games are cute and entertaining. I wish I was the owner of Zynga. That guy is rolling in dough and creating zillions of cute-game addicted time wasters in the process. In return for my sacrifice I will get a fabulous reward - TIME to do REAL things in REAL LIFE!  (or at least time to play on the computer in more productive ways like expanding my knowledge of Photoshop).
Go Me!!!!

I suck at blogging...

What can I say? Even sucks is too gentle a term for my lack of ability to string together a few thoughts, add a picture, make up a title and sit back and wait for praise and admiration in the form of comments.

I lead a pretty exciting life....okay I really don't but just in case someone new is reading this I'd like them to believe I do, I should be able to throw together a blog post every now and then...mostly nows...I don't do so well with thens. So instead, I read all of your my hip friends' blogs (waves to Shauna and Brittany). I blame it on Facebook and it's instant gratification....once again Facebook has caused me some misery along with an unhealthy addiction to virtual farming...but I won't dwell on that...I might want to blog about that someday...or never mention it again...whatever.

So...here is my lame attempt at a blog post....relish and enjoy it...it may be another year until I post.