Author Topic: Anything  (Read 492458 times)

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #495 on: August 20, 2005, 08:49:53 AM »
Hiya Butterfly:

Glad you borrowed the little fishes anyhow 'cause they are as you say:  delightful to view.

My thoughts and prayers are still with you through this rough time.  Your posts are wise too, so I hope you will assign them their proper worth (waaaaaaay more than 2 cents) and keep contributing, when you feel like it.  I like your voice.

 :D
Sela

Butterfly

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Re: Anything
« Reply #496 on: August 20, 2005, 02:11:43 PM »
As much as I would like to continue to contribute to this board, I best need to focus on my studies as my national board exam is quickly approaching.  It's been such a blessing for me to have found this board and be a small part of it.  You all are really extraordinary people here and an inspiration to me.

Sela, I've been especially blessed by you.  Your words of affirmation and kindness to me mean more to me than you will ever know!  Especially when I'm in the valley.  I believe you have the gift of encouragement.  You use it so well.  :)

I would like to leave with the following poem.  It speaks so well of how I feel about people on this board.  Here it is:

"SOME PEOPLE"

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some people move our souls to dance.
They awaken us to understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.
They stay in our lives for a while,
Leave footprints in our hearts,
And we are never, ever the same.

**Flavia Weedn
[/color]

Brigid

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Re: Anything
« Reply #497 on: August 20, 2005, 07:05:15 PM »
Very lovely, Butterfly.

Brigid

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #498 on: August 21, 2005, 11:53:35 PM »
Oh Butterfly!

Thankyou so much for your kind and generous words to me.  I'm glad mine have helped you some too.  What a lovely inspiring poem !!!  Thankyou for posting it!!

Copy...paste....copy....paste....

 :D  Sela

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #499 on: August 23, 2005, 10:17:04 AM »
Hey Portia!

Hope you read this!

Somewhere, you posted that you were glad that I am back and hoped I had a good holiday but do you think I can find where that is????? :? :? :lol:

Thanks P for that warm welcome back.  yep.  The holiday was great and we really enjoyed ourselves.  Haven't done one of those for years so it was truly lovely.

Back to the grind now though but with maybe a tad more gusto than before. :D

Hope you are well and things are going good for you.

 :D Sela

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #500 on: August 24, 2005, 11:15:03 AM »
Two things made me smile this morning already:

One.....a joke I heard on the radio:

"You may be a redneck if you and your dad take the same bus to school every day."

and

Sipping my coffee and watching my 9 month old puppy chase butterflies....doing back flips and falling in all directions...with a lolling tongue and what looked like a smile....regardless of her futile effort and failure to catch even one!

Hope you will all enjoy your day!

 :D Sela

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #501 on: August 25, 2005, 10:06:21 AM »
Pet lovers will appreciate this one I bet:

Heaven

 A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the
 scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

 He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead
 for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

 After a while, they came to a high white stone wall along one side of
 the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was
broken  by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

 When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch
 that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate
looked  like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got
closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

 When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

 "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

 "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

 "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought
 right  up."

 The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing
 toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveller asked.

 "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

 The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and
 continued  the way he had been going with his dog.

 After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to
 a  dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never
 been closed. There was no fence.

 As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree
 and  reading a book.

 "Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

 "Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

 "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

 "There should be a bowl by the pump."

 They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned
 hand  pump with a bowl beside it.

 The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself,  then
 he  gave some to the dog.

 When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was
 standing by the tree.

 "What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

 "This is Heaven," he answered.

 "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said
 that was Heaven, too."

 "Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.
 That's  hell."

 "Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

 "No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave
 their  best friends behind."



 :D Sela

Butterfly

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Re: Anything
« Reply #502 on: August 26, 2005, 11:18:01 PM »
Rules for the School of Life

1. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life.  Each day you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think your assignments are stupid and irrelevant but each one has a purpose that is special for you.

2. An assignment will be repeated until you have learned that lesson. Do  you find yourself experiencing the same (unpleasant) event again and again? One of your current learning projects is to discover whatever you need to do so it either stops happening or no longer affects you .

3. New assignments and projects may appear before you are ready, but you will only learn from them when you are ready - If you are not, you will do whatever you need to do to avoid learning - That may be how it has to be for the present.  Don’t worry, when you are truly ready they will be presented again.

4. Your assignments will be presented to you in various forms - There are no coincidences. Whatever is going on around you is happening today because it’s part of your lesson for today.

5. Any task that presents you with a difficult question will offer teachers to help you. The best teachers guide you towards a number of choices rather than one ‘right’ answer. They will help you decide for yourself which answers will work best for you in the long run.

6. There are no mistakes, only lessons. - Growing is a process of experimenting,   of trial and error. You can discover as much from a ‘failed’ experiment as you can from the experiment that ultimately ‘works’.

7. Learning lessons does not end. - There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons.  Once you have  learned one lesson you move on to the next one.  If you are still alive, there are still new lessons to be learned.

8. Learning and growing means moving from “here” to “there”. - But  once  your last “there” has become your new “here”, you will be given another “there” that will again be better than “here”.

9. Others are mirrors of you. - If you  love, desire, hate or reject something about another person it reflects something you love, desire, hate or reject about yourself.  Learning to see this clearly is one of the greatest lessons of all.

10. The answers to Life’s problems are already inside you.  All you need to do is look, listen and trust.  You have all the tools and resources you need.  What you do with them is up to you. What you make of your life is up to you and how you do it is your choice.

11. You will forget all this, until you realise that learning these rules is also one  of your lessons.


Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #503 on: August 27, 2005, 11:02:29 AM »
Thanks for those rules Butterfly! 

I read a similar list of rules (think I even posted them in this thread somewhere??) but they weren't as detailed as yours, if I recall correctly.

I like this list.  It's worth thinking about and contains much wisdom, imo.

I'm away for awhile now.  Keeping you and others here in my prayers.

 :D Sela

Butterfly

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Re: Anything
« Reply #504 on: August 28, 2005, 12:12:24 AM »
We all know wisdom when we read it or hear it.  But what do you think wisdom really is?  It seems like a word that is as profound and broad in meaning as the word love.  However, can the word wisdom be explained in a concrete definition?

Just curious of what ya'll thought on the word.

Butterfly

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #505 on: September 07, 2005, 10:41:22 AM »
Hiya Butterfly:

Pretty interesting that I was included in a list of people offering wisdom, in another thread.  Being told that made me want to argue...."oh no, no.  I'm not wise.  Jeepers, I'm a dope.  Haven't you figgered that out yet?"  but I didn't write that (had to fight great powerful urges not to :D...seriously).

So.....there are two topics here now (for me to think about).

1.  What is wisdom....which you brought up, Butterfly.

and

2.  Why do I have such a hard time digesting compliments?

1.  My definition of wisdom has always been fairly simple.  Wisdom, imo, is knowledge and experience. 

When I look it up:

"The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.

Common sense; good judgment.

The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge."

To me, common sense is a totally different thing but I guess it would be hard to be wise without having common sense.  Never thought of that before. :shock:

I think we all have knowledge and experience and therefore wisdom.  Even children have wisdom, just less of it.  Elderly people, imo, are definately wise.

As to the ability to judge what is true?  Right?  Lasting?  Having insight?

Maybe I'm not so wise, afterall?? :?  I've made some fairly poor judgements, believed lies, done the wrong thing, chose to have relationships that didn't last and have missed the true nature of plenty of stuff.  Sometimes, I've been wise too, about some things. :?

I agree with you Butterfly.  Wisdom does seem like a word that is profound and broad with meaning.  Thankyou for saying that and instigating my brain cells (they need the odd jump start eh? :D).

Truly, I'd like to hear more about what other people think about wisdom too.

2.  As to why I have such a tough time accepting compliments???  I know it's because I was always put down as a child and throughout a good part of my adulthood.  Maybe most of my life.  I was stubborn and refused to believe many of the putdowns (at least consciously, I argued in my head and said stuff like:  "That's not true!" or "That's a lie" and "I refuse to accept/believe that!").  Maybe to deflect the pain of other people's words?  Maybe because the criticisms just seemed so insane?  :shock:  Maybe because children are wise too sometimes?? :shock: :shock: :D

And I hardly remember getting a compliment.  The times I do remember, were at school, from teachers and I clearly remember how embarassed I felt, how I blushed, how I wished the person wouldn't say that. :? :? :?

Maybe because it was opposite of what I was getting from those who were supposed to love me?  Maybe because believing the teacher would require me to trust the teacher above those who were supposed to love me? (and if I can't trust those who are supposed to love me, how can I trust a teacher???)   Maybe that was just too scarey?? :shock: :shock: :shock:

I don't know.  Honestly, I guess I must have taken the constant criticism to heart, some place deep inside and therefore...compliments were/are rejected too because I just don't believe what people say about me?  I've been so busy defending myself against the criticisms that the compliments are too shocking... :shock:...don't feel real....I have no defense against that...no way to really reject nice words, words I "should" find good and comforting.

How insane is that?    Maybe it's typical of abused kids?  Or maybe I'm just not as wise as people sometimes say I am because if I were, you'd think I'd be able to figger out a sincere compliment and take it to heart, enjoy it, really feel it and embrace it?  I do appreciate it but it doesn't sink in.  I'm better at batting away personal comments period.  Like a good kick boxer.  I induce my own voicelessnes by wanting to say:  "Don't say anything about me to me and I won't have to speak!"
(but somewhere deep inside saying:  "More!  More!  Keep 'em comin'!  I need the words!  I need the love behind the words!  Those who were supposed to love me.....didn't!")

 :? :shock: Sela
« Last Edit: September 07, 2005, 12:03:05 PM by Sela »

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #506 on: September 09, 2005, 03:09:17 PM »
Speaking of wise cracks:


                                                     Brunette Joke

                              Welll..............a brunette was driving along a
                              country road, one beautiful, sunny day, when up
                              ahead, she spotted a farmer, crossing the road
                              with his herd of sheep.  Upon arriving at the
                              sheep and the farmer, the brunette was forced to
                              stop her car and wait.  She got out of the car and
                              walked up to the farmer to chat, as there were
                              many sheep to get across the country road.  In
                              trying to make conversation, the brunette said to
                              the farmer:

                              "That's one heck of a herd of sheep you got there,
                              sir."
                              "Oh, yes", said the farmer.
                              Brunette:  "Hey! Here's a bet.  If I can guess how
                              many sheep you have sir, can I have one of them?"

                              Farmer, hesitating:  "Uh...well....I guess so, but
                              I warn you, there's a lot of sheep here.  It's
                              hard to guess exactly."

                              "That's ok" said the brunette.

                              She then bagan consentrating seriously and
                              scanning the herd, all along counting to herself
                              and calculating carefully.   Finally, she looked
                              at the farmer and said:  "There's 641 sheep there
                              sir!"

                              Farmer:  "Oh my goodness!  You're absolutely
                              correct!.....I can't believe it!....That's
                              amazing!  Well, ok then, go ahead and get your
                              sheep.  You won the bet."

                              Off went the brunette happily to get her sheep
                              from his herd.  She returned very quickly, with an
                              animal under her arm, and with a wave to the
                              farmer, was preparing to get back into her car,
                              when the farmer hollered:

                              "Wait a minute there.  Listen, I have a bet for
                              you."  The brunette stopped short and stared
                              blankly at the farmer, as he continued:

                              "Tell ya what.   If I can guess your real hair
                              colour, can I have my dog back?"

Plucky

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Re: Anything
« Reply #507 on: September 09, 2005, 03:46:36 PM »
About accepting compliments.
It's hard for a lot of people.  I once taught a self esteem class for underprivileged children.  One of the items was learning how to accept compliments.
The proper response to a  ciompliment is, "thank you".
Not "this old thing?" or "Not really" or any variation.
So we would go around and give each other compliments and the recipient had to say "thank you". That is all.  It was great!  We came up with great compliments for each other and you cannot imagine how hard it was to remember to just say thank you and not deny the coompliment.
I try to implement this in my own life.  And it is still hard.  But try it!  It is pretty simple. 
We could have a thread for it.
a pollyanna
Plucky

Sela

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Re: Anything
« Reply #508 on: September 09, 2005, 06:43:37 PM »
Hi Plucky:

Thanks for the info re proper response.  As far as I am aware, usually, I have no problem responding to compliments.  I do usually say thankyou.  Maybe I respond imporperly by often saying:  that is very kind of you, or too kind, or I really appreciate it?   Maybe that's ok.  It seems ok to me.  Sometimes I have said, oh no, no, I don't deserve that one and have gone on to explain exactly why.  That would fit in the improper response bin, according to what you were teaching those kids.  I won't take credit I don't deserve any more than I will take blame that isn't mine.  For me, that's proper.

But it's internalizing compliments that I have a big problem with.   Do you know what I mean?    I know it wouldn't be good to suck up every kind word and become real big on myself, inflated or full of myself, N-like to be sure.

But even once in awhile, when I know I've done a good job and someone says:  "Hey.  You did a good job", I wish I could feel like I did a good job.  Instead, I start wondering???  Questioning?  Myself...my actions....did I really do a good job?  What could I have done better?  Is that person sincere saying that?  Or just trying to soften me up for some purpose?  Maybe I didn't do such a good job and I don't even see it?

All these silly thoughts, which I know are silly, enter my head.  I argue with them and am usually able to quiet them but it just bugs me that I have to bother and that I don't just accept at least the good things people say once in awhile.  I always have to second guess and double check and make sure and look for proof etc.

Maybe it's just a habit from being criticised so much....any personal statement feels like a criticism, even nice comments??  I don't know.   I feel stupid, in that case, for not being able to tell the difference.

Sela

Butterfly

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Re: Anything
« Reply #509 on: September 09, 2005, 10:32:56 PM »
...or maybe it's from unconsciously thinking that the nice thing you did that someone had complimented you on, is something that you feel doesn't totally matter, therefore, it is difficult to fully accept ppl's compliment of it.

I don't know, it is just a thought.