Stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.
~ Leo Tolstoy, writer
It may not always seem that way on the surface. But stop. Think and breathe. Isn’t it wonderful to feel alive? Sure, life isn’t a bed of roses. But ultimately, much boils down to how we choose to look at things. Take the old Is the glass half empty or half full question. Optimists will tend to see the glass as half full and are thankful for that, while pessimists will see it as half empty and feel bitter and demoralized. But there is a third point of view: the glass is actually completely full, half of it with water, and half of it with air. And still others say, “Who cares?” – all you have to do is to get a pitcher of water and fill the darn glass!
That’s exactly what today’s post is all about – bits and pieces of wisdom on how to fill our lives with good cheer, no matter the circumstances, for if we stop to think about it, it is indeed wonderful to feel alive, on this planet which, despite its astounding imperfections, is magnificent beyond words. From writers and musicians, comedians and philosophers, from artists and scientists, I like to share with you wisdom advice from some of the most brilliant people who ever lived, perhaps timely reminders that our proverbial glass is actually completely full, or can be if we choose to make it so.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
~ Marcus Aurelius, emperor/philosopher
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Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk
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I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention,
how to fall down into the grass,
how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed,
how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I’ve been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last,
and too soon?
~ Mary Oliver, poet
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If the only prayer you said in your whole life was “Thank You,” that would suffice.
~ Meister Eckhart, theologian/philosopher
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I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.
~ Arthur Rubinstein, classical pianist
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Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass … it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
~ Vivian Greene, writer
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Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.
~ Wendell Berry, poet
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Laughter is an instant vacation.
~ Milton Berle, comedian
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You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live it if you are looking for the meaning of life.
~ Albert Camus, writer
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The meaning of life is just to be alive; it’s so obvious and so simple.
~ Alan Watts
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I want to live like a river flows, carried the surprise of its own unfolding.
~ John O’Donohue, poet
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He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy
He who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise.
~ William Blake, poet
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You are your present,
your apple;
take it
from your tree,
pick it up
with your hand,
it shines
like a star,
touch it,
bite it and move on,
whistling on the road.
~ Pablo Neruda, poet
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Life is short and there will always be dirty dishes, so let’s dance.
~ James Howe, writer
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If you like tapping your feet, tap your feet. If you feel like clapping your hands, clap your hands. And if you feel like taking off your shoes, take it off your shoes. We are here to have a ball.
~ Art Blakey, jazz musician
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It doesn’t matter if I’m off the beat. It doesn’t matter if I’m snapping to the rhythm. It doesn’t matter if I look like a goon when I dance. It is my dance. It is my moment. It is mine. And dance I will.
~ Dan Pearce, writer.
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And I learned what is obvious to a child. That life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals. That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be bettered.
~ Nicholas Sparks, writer
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At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
~ Albert Schweitzer, humanitarian
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I hold this to be the highest task of a bond between two people: that each should stand guard over the solitude of the other.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke, poet
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Even this late it happens:
the coming of love,
the coming of light.
You wake, and the candles are lit
as if by themselves, stars gather,
dreams pour into your pillows,
sending up warm bouquets of air.
Even this late the bones of the body shine
and tomorrow’s dust flares into breath.
~ Mark Strand, poet