Daily Mood Quote - July 24, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 82 – July 24, 2011

Because if you have a strong foundation like we have, then you can build or rebuild anything on it. But if you've got a weak foundation you can't build anything.

~Jack Scalia

On July 17, Day 75 of the Daily Mood Quotes blog, Tim Robbins said, “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” Flexibility, the first “F” in a series of principles that we try to live by. We didn't start out by naming these principles and bending our lives around them, this has been a gradual evolution. We have come to these connections and associations over time, decades. Life's work in progress.

The second “F” is “Foundation.” The reason we put it second is because the first “F” is so critically important in today's ever changing, rapidly evolving world. However, flexibility without foundation can be like a leaf blowing in the wind. When the leaf is anchored to the foundation of the tree, it has purpose and potential. It's able to contribute to the overall health of the tree and is in turned nourished and protected by the tree. Its connectivity to the “bigger picture” helps it to fulfill its first best destiny. While on the tree, it can blow, bend, twist and nod in the strong winds and gentle breezes of life (flexibility). But, once it departs the tree (its foundation), the purpose is lost and the leaf, driven by the wind will eventually wither and die. Make no mistake the universe wastes nothing and its energy is absorbed and recycled. But, at the point it leaves its foundation, its net positive contribution ends. It is doomed to entropy.

The foundation I'm speaking of isn't based in any particular religion or belief structure, it is built into our very humanity. We needed to learn to get along, long before formal religions. Individual contributions are good and important, but without a foundation of civil behavior, we wouldn’t even be here. The foundations of family, consideration and working with others, plus the understanding that we are but a step in a longer process are key foundational elements for life. Just like the leaves, we are unique, individual and beautiful in our own manner. But when we connect, we are both nourishing to and nourished by a larger purpose. We can find our first best destiny.

In the movie, The Money Pit with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, Philip Bosco as head contractor Curly says to Walter (Tom) and Anna (Shelly); "No, this wasn't an easy one, but the foundation was good, I'll say that... And if that's okay, then everything else can be fixed."

The “storms of life” (thanks Randy Travis) can blow us this way and that, and they can even tear at our very fabric from time-to-time. But if we hold fast to our foundation, well like Curly said, “then everything else can be fixed.” My husband says “The sun always shines after a storm.” and if you hold fast to a good foundation you'll be around to see it.

Are you connected to a good foundation today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

The next “F” will be released Sunday, July 31, 2011

Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quote - May 26, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day 22 – May 26, 2011

 

Never, never, never give up

~Winston Churchill

Sometimes the process of living can be an unpredictable thing. While it is true, or at least generally accepted that those who fail to plan, plan to fail... No matter how well you plan, things beyond your control, the weather, people, medical issues can take your plans and scatter them like so many dandelion seeds in the wind and you have to start again. Very rarely are you in a better position after the Storms of Life (thank you Randy Travis) blow you away. For many of us over the past several months, that literally has been true. Many people will offer words of comfort and hopefully help. However, it is up to each of us individually to make that commitment inside ourselves to never, never, never quit. To forge ahead in spite of circumstance.

To be fair, that is easier said than done. Crushed plans, dreams, and hopes can make us believe there is a bleak future, but the future is unwritten and it remains full of possibilities for those who don't quit. Like Clint Eastwood in the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales said “...'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is.”

Remember that each day of our life is a gift. My husband has always said, “The sun shines after every storm” and I didn't believe him, so being the person I am, I tested that theory. Every time there was a big storm, I (being silly) tracked the sun, and oddly enough, every time it stormed, the sun did shine afterwards. It popped right out there as if to say, “I needed a nap and now I back, refreshed and ready to go.” Nighttime storms excluded of course. The morning did bring the sun, though sometimes there was fog. The important thing here is that I looked for the sun. I may have been up to my knees in mud puddles and muck, both literally and figuratively, but that is what you need to do. You need to resolve to look for the sun. Every life has storms at one time or another. In my family its my fading vision and my husband's painful neuropathy, that will eventually take away his ability to walk. So where's the sun in that? I believe that together we shall carry on, and “it's a good thing we love each other, because it looks like we are going to be spending a lot of time together.” Love brings with it the sun.

Where will your “sunshine after the storm” come from today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading