Quotes and Notes #354, October 24
Time to think, “What do I really want?” photo by Bill Land
“If men could regard the events of their own lives with more open minds, they would frequently discover that they did not really desire the things they failed to obtain.”—Andre Maurois—
We search and search to find things to fill up our spaces. We are not really looking for things but for satisfaction, status, instant gratification or other forms of what we perceive happiness to be. As time goes by, the results of these searches begin to matter less and less.
My wife has a rule that I love. She says, “If something comes in, something must go out.” Now, when I look at a bauble that promises passing pleasure, I must ask myself, “What will I get rid of?”
Perhaps I should do this with the multitude of fears that I am often offered. Maybe it should be something like, “I could be afraid that I would die at home in a fire—but first I must stop being afraid that a horde of angry Mongols will cut my head off before I get home.” I enjoy my lonely reflections—I never know quite where they will go.
Share a smile with the clerk in the bauble store today
Remember that You are the only You in the world.
Everything is going to be all right.
John P. Schulz—“Sweetie Drives on Chemo Days.”
John P. Schulz: Find The Living Room 