“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. This book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce ~
Category: “Wisdom Gem” Quotes
My life is like a dandelion…
My life is like a dandelion.
Why do I compare my life to a dandelion? I am sure that there many other things out there than just dandelions? Yes! Definitely. A dandelion brings out feelings of freedom, emotional release and more. It is more like a “release” feature than to hold.
BBC.com describes the life cycle of dandelions (https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/clips/zhrb4wx),
“A look at the life cycle of a dandelion including wind-aided seed dispersal. Once fertilisation has taken place the plant will produce seeds. Plants such as dandelions often use wind to transport seeds. Each dandelion seed comes with its own individual parachute. This device works very well and only a slight wind will carry seeds high into the sky. As there are so many adult plants in one place there is no space for the next generation of plants to grow. The dandelion therefore needs the wind to carry the seeds far away. New plants are formed and the whole process starts again.”
Website, “Flower Meaning.com” describes dandelions and its symbolism beautifully.
http://www.flowermeaning.com/dandelion-flower-meaning/
“What Does the Dandelion Flower Mean?
The common and humble Dandelion has a surprising amount of different meanings. The Dandelion means:
- Healing from emotional pain and physical injury alike
- Intelligence, especially in an emotional and spiritual sense
- The warmth and power of the rising sun
- Surviving through all challenges and difficulties
- Long lasting happiness and youthful joy
- Getting your wish fulfilled
Since the Dandelion can thrive in difficult conditions, it is no wonder that people say the flower symbolizes the ability to rise above life’s challenges.”
And no wonder I prefer dandelions!
I have encountered and survived many difficulties in my life. I am at my present stage of my life here because of my hard work. There were no short cuts offered to me. All was with hard work sprinkled with determination and courage. After surviving so many ordeals in my life, on and off I feel lack of self-worth and self-confidence. I realise feelings of self-love and self-worth has to continue in any person as long as one lives. You cannot put a brake on those. Over the years, there were many occasions when my determination and courage was tested. I managed to get through those. The one thing I failed in the past is to take good care of myself! I took care of others, their needs and their future – but I did not do anything for myself specially and thoughtfully. At the same time, I know that it is no use blaming others. The truth is that I should not blame anyone for the negative feelings or emotions I have created in my life.
A quote by Nicole Bailey-Williams puts it beautifully,
“I was a dandelion puff…Some saw the beauty in me and stooped quietly to admire my innocence. Others saw the potential of what I could do for them, so they uprooted me, seeking to shape me around their needs. They blew at my head, scattering my hair from the roots, changing me to suit them. Yet still others saw me as something that was unworthy and needed to be erased.”
I also found a beautiful YouTube video of the life cycle of a dandelion by Neil Bromhall. View it to enjoy the transformation.
In addition, there is more information on dandelions at Building Beautiful Souls website by Bernadette King
Video of Time lapse Dandelion flower to seed head by Neil Bromhall
Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi
I have ever touched on Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi topic before. This is a reinforcer on that from Mindful company…
Read and Reflect: Embrace the wounds and “scars”…
All of us at one stage of our life will be “broken” and tested to the extremes that it can give us wounds or “scars” that can be temporary or permanent.
Instead of “masking” those wounds or scars, why not try to embrace it with an open mind and a new thought?
The Japanese believe in repairing broken things with gold – embracing the flaws and acknowledging it in a beautiful way. They call this Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi. You could have seen many potteries being adorned with gold lines, in order to repair it or give new meaning to it. Why don’t we do the same too to our life?
Acknowledge all those hurts and broken times. Be prepared to face it, with “gold”. There will be lessons we could have learnt from it that will make us stronger and wiser.
In other words, embrace the wounds and “scars”, not hide it!
Courage : Weekly Single Word Inspiration
Courage!
Most of the times, we want to be safe and doing the usual, familiar things – that is being in our comfort zone. What about the time when we need to be in the “unknown” zone? What about the time when we need to try something that is different from what we have done in the past and what we are already familiar with? That is when fear, helplessness, and doubt creeps in. We tend to lose confidence in ourselves and in our ability. To overcome all of that, we need courage.
As Osho once said,
“The new is unfamiliar. It may be the friend, it may be the enemy, who knows? There is no way to know! The only way to know is to allow it; hence the apprehension, the fear.”
Each of our life will definitely present to us situations when we have to bring out the attribute of courage out. When we open ourselves up to new adventures, the end result might be success or failure. We will never know that until we try. But our focus should not be on results only. The fact that we have already stepped out of our comfort zone to do a work, is something to be appreciated.
If life presents to you an occasion when you had to step out of your comfort zone, always say “Yes!” Do not worry about the results yet. Just be in the present moment and live your life fully…
Who knows? The situation/occasion that calls you to be in might bring you new opportunities…
Have confidence in yourself that you are capable to handle anything that comes along your way. Have faith in yourself.
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that?
We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves.
We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing,
at whatever cost, must be attained.”
~ Marie Curie ~
Read & Reflect: Advice from a Tree
Advice from a Tree
By Ilan Shamir
Dear Friend,
Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of your true nature
Think long term
Go out on a limb
Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go like leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter
Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light
Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots
Enjoy the view!
Read & Reflect
“You may control a mad elephant;
You may shut the mouth of the bear and the tiger;
Ride the lion and play with the cobra;
By alchemy you may learn your livelihood;
You may wander through the universe incognito;
Make vassals of the gods; be ever youthful;
You may walk in water and live in fire;
But control of the mind is better and more difficult.”
~Paramahansa Yogananda~
Reflection:
On a daily basis, our mind tends to run “wild” with numerous thoughts which in turn influences our emotions. Not all thoughts will be positive. Some thoughts can be negative too. The more negative thoughts we have, the more negative emotions and feelings we carry with us. As such, it is necessary to constantly to “tame” the mind. We can tame the mind with various techniques – such as meditation, breaths, prayers and more.
By observing our own thoughts throughout the day, we are actually making conscious efforts to tune our thoughts to something more positive and beneficial (if it was negative). Failure to take care of one’s own mind (that is the thoughts) not only disturbs our emotions, but indirectly our life too….
Spend some daily moments to “stop” and observe your thoughts…..it might not be an easy task at first. If we do it consistently to “check” on our thoughts, it becomes a good habit gradually.
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Blog by Esther Neela M. 