Showing posts with label Rocky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rocky. Show all posts

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Daily Mood Quote - July 31, 2011

 
Daily Mood Quotes
Day 89 – July 31, 2011

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.
~Winston Churchill

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
~Mohandas Gandhi

When I sat down today, the last thing I wanted to do was write a blog, which is why this is late. It's hot outside and my knee hurts (old bike accident from many years ago). I was going to write about the third “F” of our family trying to find the new normal (my husband hates the "new normal" phrase), but I really don't want too. Remember, this is a mood quote blog. The country is going to heck in a hand basket (possible default on bills for our country, economic problems, high unemployment, and a gallon of milk has gone up 50 percent in the last week, not to mention gas prices). I am finding it difficult to be Little Mary Sunshine today (no, my name is not Mary). It would be so easy to quit after having two of the most disappointing weeks a family can have. I just wanted to scream and yell at everybody who is doing it wrong and tell them “YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.” but that doesn't seem to help. Mostly, they just don't care. ARRRRGH!!!

One of the first things I do in the morning is check my e-mail, to see if there is anything I need to deal with immediately. This morning, I got an e-mail from my younger sister, who I believe reads this blog. She sent me an e-mail of encouragement this morning... it couldn't have been more perfectly timed, just when I was ready to quit. Here's what happened. Last week, she sent me an e-mail that was a test for “how old are your eyes.” The first test was find the B in several rows of R's, then find the 6 in several rows of 9s and so on. I found them all in this test, which is funny for a person with a vision disability. It took a few extra minutes and I enlarged the font size (maybe that's cheating, I don't know) but, hey there are “Vision issues here.” Anyway, I sent her back an e-mail reminding her, that she sent this e-mail to a visually impaired person. She sent me an e-mail that said, “I realize I sent this to someone who has a college degree and has an international blog...so where is the disability?...” She reminded me, I don't let anything get me down. Not for long anyway.

She was right and maybe this blog is about family after all. It seems no matter how much the world kicks your butt, family is there to pick you up. Even if you don't live in the same city, or state anymore. Sometimes “family” can be those few true friends we find in life. It's that little word of encouragement, at the right time, that helps people with their continuous efforts. Thanks Sis.

In the movie Rocky, Rocky (played by Sylvester Stallone) says to Adrian (Talia Shire), “I was nobody. But that don't matter either, you know? 'Cause I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.” Well, I'm not a boxer, but I can and will “go the distance” (thanks ghost voice from Field of Dreams). I won't stop three feet short of the gold (Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich). Let's see where it goes.

How will you apply continuous effort and indomitable will today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Daily Mood Quote - June 17, 2011

Daily Mood Quotes
Day 44 – June 17, 2011

“Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are.”
~Bernice Johnson Reagon

Sometimes, I wish the challenges of life would slow down, so that I can catch up. It's been 8 years and 7 months since I found out just how bad my eyesight was. Ever since, I have been working diligently to accommodate and prove, to some degree, that losing your vision has nothing to do with how intelligent a person is. The brain and the eyes are mutually exclusive. Enough said about that.

Life can throw many curves, whether you are ready or not. It doesn't care if you can hit the ball or even how far the ball can fly if you connect. All it seems to care about is the next challenge it will send. Each pitch that life throws at us is an opportunity to learn, grow and be better prepared for the next one. The point is to keep swinging and learning, because eventually you will connect.

In the movie Rocky, Adrian (played by Talia Shire) speaking to her brother Paulie (played by Burt Young) about Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) chances against Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) said, “Einstein flunked out of school, twice.” “Beethoven was deaf, Helen Keller was blind, I think Rocky's got a good chance!” Even the best of us have to face the curves and challenges of life. It is one thing to challenge yourself, but something quite different to rise above yourself to meet a challenge. Let's face it the biggest challenge each of us faces is within. It's the attitude you have when faced with a challenge, or life's curve balls. Back then I wanted to give up, because of my eyesight. But by chance, I met a blind attorney, who was at the top of his game. What an inspiration! Maybe it wasn't chance after all... While life may throw curves, it also usually provides a batting coach.

How will you overcome “challenges” today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading