I got on a good roll with these, but somehow it managed to come to a halt.
So here we go with three quotes of the past three days.


June 27
Tell me and I forget;
Show me and I remember; 
Involve me and I understand. 
Anonymous

I'm thinking this is pretty good for anyone in school, working on a new skill, teaching anyone anything, or overall hoping to learn something. And, mind you, it doesn't have to be left in someone else's hands for you to be involved in whatever you're hoping to understand - be proactive!

June 28
No dreamer is ever too small; 
no dream ever too big. 
Anonymous

And big dreams can lift up even the smallest people! :)

June 29
The soldier of light knows that in the silence of his heart is an order that is guiding him. 
Paulo Coelho

I apologize for the bad translation to anyone who might have the correct, most likely more eloquent actual english version of this quote. Regardless, to quote Roxette, Listen to you heart!

June 26
Quote of the Day

The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves. 
Helen Keller

June 25
Quote of the Day

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Fredrick Douglass

              I'm not sure what I want to relate this to. Relationships? Education? Working toward your dreams? ...staying in shape?
I'm pretty sure all of these more than apply, but I think more than anything, this thought applies to being happy with yourself, making better decisions, and giving yourself credit for moving in a good direction - even if at a slower pace than you'd prefer to.

June 24
Quote of the Day

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleonor Roosevelt

I believe in the beauty of a happy marriage.
One that lasts a lifetime, and grows out of the commitment and love of two individuals.
I believe in the beauty of building a home, sharing a home, and filling a home with laughter and growth.
I believe in the beauty of success. In whatever form it comes, in ways surprising or dreamed of, in ways arising from years of stress and hard work or being realized as a result of sudden changes or opportunities.
I believe in the beauty of friendship that accompanies you through life. I believe in sharing the beauty of your dreams with a friend, a partner, a parent, a child.
I believe in holding relationships sacred. More sacred than success, more sacred than your personal dreams.
I believe in a future built on sharing, compromise, community, commitment, and love. Yes, love. 
And that's one beautiful success story to look forward to.

June 23

Quote of the Day

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.

Anonymous

As we're walking down the street with a friend, a lady calls out "A little help for me to get a slice of pizza for me and my two boys?" And I think: "First of all....a slice of PIZZA? That's your choice? As the only thing you're gonna feed yourself and your two kids?? How about a banana, lady! Second...Uhhhhh." And as I'm going through these oh so gracious and positive things, my friend reaches into his pocket and pulls out a dollar for the woman. And I feel a little bad. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm one of those people who starts feeling bad for hours for that old gentleman who works at Walmart most likely for minimum wage and is so nice to everyone, while everyone keeps ignoring him or being rude. I'm one of those people who can't shake away the feeling of guilt and feeling sorry for a street vendor who on a busy street is the only one with no customers...almost going to buy food from him just because. Food that I can't eat. But man, beggars on the subways, on the streets of New York...I've turned cold. "Hi, I'm Johnny and you see me everyday, and here I am again so give me anything you've got! Any help? Anyone? Goddamit!" This guy....he's turned me heartless. Getting bombarded daily has turned my soul into stone.

Or maybe not quite, since I felt the guilt when I saw my friend reach out and give. What would I have done with that dollar? I would've saved it, gone to a store one day and bought a bag of chips. Or ice cream. Or starbucks coffee. And how is that any less of a "waste" even if that woman went and bought a slice of pizza with it? Or a can of beer. 

June 22
Quote of the Day

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson


This one's a classic that is so often voiced. So often expressed as something wise, something that'll help us succeed better in life, yet it's my experience that taking it to heart, really living it and incorporating it into the way we view ourselves is extremely difficult.
So think about this. Don't just think of it in terms of people you admire, people who inspire you in life, but relate it to yourself. I'm not better off always getting it right, always succeeding - necessarily even getting things done or manage to acquire things I want now - but rather making mistakes and overcoming disappointments or misunderstandings and...and this may be a little out there...even getting yourself into something that you know you'll fail at - to learn from it, grow, and maybe be able to do it after a time or two of getting it absolutely, horrendously wrong - may be the better option.

June 21
Quote of the Day


Getting old is the process 
of our memories' weight
gradually 
prevailing over that of 
our hopes. 
Par Florian Zeller




Now this is a little sad, I admit, but I also seeing so much beauty in this thought. We move on from a constant expectant state to calmness. Satisfied with the here, I'll both mourn and be warmed by the decades past.

Portraits by the beautiful and gloriously talented Ariana Gillrie.

https://www.facebook.com/ArianaGillrie

June 20
Quote of the Day

No crazy person is crazy, if one adapts to his way of thinking.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Del Amor y Otros Demonios


This is what I need to understand. embrace. incorporate into my self-judgmental way of thinking. I don't need to be weird, abnormal, crazy...just because I may not be understood by some or get agreement from all.

I love that I have a lover that openly pursues this adaptability, actively seeks to understand me before judging me or expressing his different view. While as a response I'm not as good with the same, he inspires me to try, and together we learn to compromise while making "us" not what its supposed to be but what best expresses who we are together and as individuals filling up the same lovespace.

It's been a while since I started up my little rooftop garden and shared some of my plans and starting point pictures on here....after much delay, I actually have something to show for all that water carrying and effort. Enjoy!

My garden's starting to bloom in the New York heat.

After me having lost all hope with only one lily sprouting from the soil....All five have come to life!

I guess I can't really say my tomato is flourishing, but maybe a few blooms are a good sign :)

June 19
Quote of the Day

I am learning to embrace the life I didn't plan on. 
Ivan Schrank


I can't say that I do. I'm really heading into the direction of my dreams and plans. But I'm not sure if this is the direction I need or should be heading to atm, and maybe - just maybe - I should consider embracing a life that I didn't plan on. That I still don't plan on..

June 18
Quote of the Day

In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities. 
Unknown


What does this mean to you?
I've been thinking about the borders we put on love, on how we're supposed to love, to show it, to receive it. And if giving and receiving love is the biggest dream of them all, what does it mean that nothing's impossible?

June 17
Quote of the Day

A question that sometimes drives me hazy:
Am I or are the others crazy?
Albert Einstein

In a world where the norm dictates sanity, this is a valid question to ask yourself when choosing paths of action, thought, or belief. Depending on the definition of crazy, of course, you may end up having to label yourself as crazy, but even then its worth noting that this may not be a completely negative thing. Call me crazy, but I believe its out of the minds of seeming nut cases that change comes, and its a 50/50 chance of this change being good.








June 16
Quote of the Day

At his best man is the noblest of animals; 
separated from law and justice he is the worst.
Aristotle

There's an additional factor which comes to play in determining when you consider yourself separated from law and justice. Are you free of them when you "can't" get caught, when there's no one around to witness your lawfulness, when you find a loophole or a way around a law? Are you free when your mind doesn't conceive the notion of "law" or "rules", when you're deemed insane? Or are you never separated from law and justice, because of conscience, proper upbringing, a certain kind of personality or obedience to God keeping you in line?

June 15
Quote of the Day













This above all -
to thine own self be true.
William Shakespeare

June 14
Quote of the Day

To live is the rarest thing in the world. 
Most people exist, that's all. 
Oscar Wilde


This idea is something I struggle with often. And I know that my writing on here makes it appear like I struggle with a lot of thoughts and ideas, but what can I do? As a thinking person - an OVERthinking person, perhaps - I look at most things in life from a thousand and one perspectives, analyzing them, comparing and contrasting, considering all options obvious and not.
To live. It's quotes like this that make life - living - something extraordinary, something blissful, always exciting, tumultuous, movie-like. And dutifully, we follow. Life becomes a roller coaster. Going from one day to the next simply "existing," moving from a peaceful moment to the next, becomes a wasted life or - as Wilde describes it - no life at all.
I find myself divided between these two things. Desperately yearning for the next best thing, the next turbulence, the next risk to be taken...sometimes at the cost of a peace of mind that a more balanced existence can grant me. Or peace of mind might be the wrong term, as it is exactly this duality that pulls the peace out of my reach.
Does living really demand that much effort? Does it really demand a constant flow of newness, heat, impulsivity? Or could living exist on a continuum? Not a continuum from less to more or worse to better, but on a continuum of differing styles, differing preferences and joys? And if so - which I suspect is the case - how do I find, solidify, and get content with my place on the continuum of life?

Any enlightening thoughts?

June 13th
Quote of the day.

Recycling one can saves enough energy to power a tv for 3 hours.
Wisdom from the walls of LHR.


Now, I'm no stickler to environmental ranting, recycling everything correctly to the latest guidelines, eating organic, and lowering my carbon footprint in all ways humanly possible, but considering something simple like this....How about I make sure that I at least recycle enough daily that I at least earn my tv (in my case, computer) time fair and square? Whether it's my own trash and belongings or those I see defiling the streets of New York, picking up a can or bottle or two and putting them in THE RIGHT container is really not beyond my abilities. Period.

June 12
Quote of the Day

A traveller sees what he sees. 
The tourist sees what he has come to see.
G.K. Chesterton


On this day last year I took off to the other side of the world. Literally as far as I could go from home, and ended up discovering friendships from way back when and making some new, falling in love with the lands of the hobbits, and enjoying the down under with the help of a bunch of uh-mazing locals. Well, locals and expats, but nonetheless people who took me beyond the go-to, top 10 places to visit according to whatever tourist guide I would've happened to read.
Forward to today, and I'm the expat/tourguide/roomservice/friend/fellow-explorer.
This spring my day-to-day life's been flooded by visitors from afar. And while I've been blessed with most peeps being open to suggestions, to walking around aimlessly and people-watching, there's definitely been some headaches caused by "WE MUST SEE THIS!" or "WE CAN'T MISS THAT!" But...all this came to a beautiful end with the latest visit of the most chill and open-minded kind. True traveller-style, I guess, if we're to use the above quote for some guidance.
Atm my brain's tired from too much doing and too little rest, but the last week+ has been a glorious ride of friends old and new, discussions deep and shallow, foods healthy and disgustingly bad for you, and nights...long, late, warm summer nights.
And while I'll miss the company of a new to New York friend, I've definitely welcomed a time of wakeup-gotowork-comehomeandeat-gotosleep for at least a day or two. Mm-mm.

Meanwhile, here's a few sights in my City from a traveller's perspective:

June 11th
Quote of the Day

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. 
Barack Obama


Change for the better or change for the worse. Change toward something or away from something. Change as a good thing or a bad. Regardless of whether you want change or would rather maintain the status quo, don't trust it in another man's hands. I guess. Or do - if it's someone like Barack Obama? :D
It's 3am and I'm thinking of changing my sleeping patterns. Eating patterns, too, preferably, and exercise, but on that I'm already on my way....
Now to sleep.

Quotes of June 8th, 9th, and 10th 
Apparently I've been busy again.


Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting. 
John Russell


This dilemma is something I've dealt with for a while. Not necessarily madness and sanity to the ultimate extremes, but in terms of choosing based on reason versus emotions. Thinking things through versus acting more impulsively. And while this quote calls for my agreement, I'm still very much on the fence about this topic.


You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. 
Unknown


Around issues of routine, comfort, simply getting used to how things are and how they should be - how I like or love them to be, the issue of how I would survive if it would all fall apart and be taken away from me.
We had a discussion with my best friend, and the issue of never having really been pushed to my limits, never really having had to fight for many of the amazing things I have in life came up. So how does this play into truly knowing how to appreciate what you have?


People never get the flowers while they can still smell them. 
Unknown


Appreciate them! And show it, too.

June 7
Quote of the Day

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein


<3
So we've been dealing with some difficulties lately. And while the above quote is filled with hope, it is sometimes near-impossible to see beyond the next big hill. But opportunity is good. Opportunity is a word filled with broad horizons and positive changes and reaching higher. Growing together. Seizing the moment. Learning from today's or yesterday's mistakes. Opportunity is the door to change, and change is good when you're dealing with difficulties.
So anyway, that's a lot of round-and-round-we-go:ness, but it sounds good, and I'm wanting to take a hold of that. Hold on to the opportunities that lie amidst all this confusion and frustration, and believe that whatever they are - even if unseen at this moment, outside of my grasp or awareness - they're ahead. Inevitably.

June 6
Quote of the Day

A good home must be made, not bought. 
Joyce Maynard

image from: http://www.heartratemonitorstoday.com/

June 5
Quote of the Day

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18


Something to keep in mind.

June 4
Quote of the Day

When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.
Eric Hoffer

June 3
Quote of the Day

Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting. 
Larry Page


At this moment there are a number of things at varying levels of both discomfort and excitement, which all fall under this "must always work hard on" category. I'm both excited and nervous to see where things lead, how issues work out, how I can grow, both as just me and as a part of us. 
Key words in the uncomfortably exciting realm this month:
Openness (in varying contexts)
Love
Effort
New responsibilities, both at home and work.
Hard work pays off, I'm told, so I'm looking forward to good things, success, and excitement.


Ps. To the Finnish-speaking folks...kinda cool that Openness, Love, Effort, and New responsibilities spells out "OLEN", huh? :D I'd say putting these four to the core of being me - or being you - can make a pretty big difference for the better.

June 2
Quote of the Day

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Romans 2:16


This may be the first Bible quote I have here. Regardless of what the source, this is some sound advice. Whatever you're thinking of when you consider someone "lower" than you or somehow less, get off your high horse and level the field. I'm all for taking pride in who you are, in what you do, in your own choices, but I'm pretty sure that's not the kind of pride we're talking about here. So humble thyself, as they say, and listen to that "lowly" person for once, try on her pair of shoes for a minute, consider his point of view, and you may learn something valuable.

I'm not sure what it is about this blurry image that I love,
but there's something that just does it for me. 

June 1
Quote of the Day

I just need enough to tide me over until I need more. 
Bill Hoest


Just enough to make paying attention to the moment possible, but not too much to distract me from it. Sounds about right.