The end of the beginning

The last day of January is upon us.  Instead of the usual "that went so fast" or "where has the time gone" type comments, I wanted to concentrate on the month.  I've been enjoying finding two or more quotes that help expand the ideas behind these posts.  The first is just a fun one to help daydream and the second is a bit more introspective.  Although it was meant for the start of January, I think it is powerful to read and think about now.

“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June” - Jean-Paul Sartre

“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past." - Henry Ward Beecher

So how has your January been?  Have you taken a walk in June or have you faced the front?

 

That tune in your head

There are times when music can get stuck in your head or can arouse a swell of emotions.  It can set the mood or alter it.  Music in one form or another is all around us.  Whether it be the sound of cars going by or the air vent in your office, a tune is being created.  And since I had a great soundtrack on the way to work today, the quotes below revolve around melody.

“Not every end is the goal. The end of a melody is not its goal; and yet: if a melody has not reached its end, it has not reached its goal. A parable.” - Friedrich Nietzsche, The Wanderer and His Shadow (1880)

“Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up.” - Hans Christian Andersen

Is your melody helping towards your goal?  Do your lyrics match the music?

To your health

Some friends, co-workers and I have been fighting various illnesses this winter.  At the office, different cold strains seem to get passed around.  Sniffles, stomach bugs, headaches, sinus pressure, the usual winter ailments.  I know some people who will go to great lengths to stay healthy, and others that would rather enjoy life.  It made me wonder what some people in the past have noted about health.

"He had had much experience of physicians, and said "the only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not." - Mark Twain, Following the Equator (1897)

“Anguish of mind has driven thousands to suicide; anguish of body, none. This proves that the health of the mind is of far more consequence to our happiness than the health of the body, although both are deserving of much more attention than either of them receive.” - Charles Caleb Colton

How much of illness do you think is just in your head?

See-food diet

While eating at a restaurant today, a woman nearby was holding a conversation with the man accompanying her, with her mouth full.  She was turning, looking around while talking so most of the restaurant could see what she was eating.  And therefore sparking today's quote about manners.  I found two that I think make good points.

“A man's manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What lack of manners have you done lately?

Catch-22?

Just a light, philosophical quote today.  Didn't want to make things too heavy going into the weekend.

"It is perfectly true, as the philosophers say, that life must be understood backwards. But they forget the other proposition, that it must be lived forwards." - Søren Kierkegaard, Journals and Papers, (1843)

Do you understand more of your past as you go forward?

Always have a backup

I had an event happen to me this morning that I planned to write about with a quote to go along with it.  I couldn't find the right term to characterize what happened.  I thought I did, but the quotes weren't coming up to match.  So I'm falling back on one of my favorite "authors."  He's really a cartoonist.  If you don't recognize his name, go ahead and do some research.  His work can be taken at what ever depth level you want to take it at.

"We're not really taught how to recreate constructively. We need to do more than find diversions; we need to restore and expand ourselves. Our idea of relaxing is all too often to plop down in front of the television set and let its pandering idiocy liquefy our brains. Shutting off the thought process is not rejuvenating; the mind is like a car battery— it recharges by running." - Bill Watterson, Kenyon College Commencement Address (1990)

How do you relax?

All a man has

Sparked from yesterday's quotes, I wanted to do a day on laughter.  Sometimes it does seem to be all a person has and I've seen it turn people's days around.  While hearing people laugh at you can be hurtful, a joyful laugh by yourself can create wonders.  If anything, I hope you get a smile from these, if not a laugh.

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” - E. E. Cummings

“Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.” - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” - Mark Twain

“Laughter is an interior convulsion, producing a distortion of the features and accompanied by inarticulate noises. It is infectious and, though intermittent, incurable.” - Ambrose Bierce

 When is a time you laughed so hard that your stomach hurt?