This is a collection of double quotes from the past few
years. In each, the first quote is by
a celebrity, poet, philosopher, historical figure, writer, or close
friend. The second quote is what the
first quote provoked in my thought process.
I hope you enjoy them. ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/17/2015 |
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In order to change the world,
you have to get your head together first. ~ Jimi Hendrix |
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I often hear the Gandhi quote
"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." This is a wonderful idea and an even more
noble pursuit, but I used to mistake this concept as being a purely external
act, e.g. change everyone and everything else around me. What I have come to
realize though is that while I can certainly influence the people and
circumstances around me, I will limit my ability to affect meaningful change
if I skip the step of changing that within me which is not ultimately
productive. If I do not transform the bulk of my fears to some form of
courage, if I do not tackle my insecurities and break them down, if I do not
take my anger and practice choosing peace instead, if I cannot sincerely and
humbly make amends for the harms I have brought about, the world around me
will not truly benefit from the change I wish to be. In realizing the change not only begins
with me, but that it originates *within* me, I find I am doing far less
damage in the world and have become better able to *become* the change I wish
to see. I believe this is what Gandhi
meant all along. ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/14/2015 |
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There are as many forms of love
as there are moments in time. ~ Jane Austen |
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When I awoke this morning, my
first thought was of the people I love, the different ways in which I love
them, and just how deeply that love runs. As a woman who was raised in a
family that rationed love and alternately offered and withheld it to exert control,
it was not in the cards for me to love well at all, let alone to love
generously. In the course of many minor miracles, crossing paths with people
who have helped teach me better ways to love, and a lot of self reflection
over the years, I have, thankfully, come to be able to love well. Love
doesn't always come easily and often fear creeps in, conspiring to interfere,
but by God, I love. I love my children, I love my girlfriend, I love her
children and family, I love my extended family, both of blood and of choice,
I love my friends and neighbors, I love my pets, and I love my life. I love.
How wonderful is that? ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/8/2015 |
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Usually, there is nothing more
pleasing that returning to a place where you have endured hardship. ~ Tahir
Shah, In Search of King Solomon's Mine |
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On some level, I believe my
Mother thinks of today's homecoming as the return of a prodigal daughter
after nearly 20 years. Conversely, I view it as a return to a house in which
I once lived, a place I hated far more than I loved, and a place in which I felt
entirely powerless. I also view it as the birthplace of my choice to survive,
the Genesis of my ability to persevere no matter the obstacles before me, the
place I learned so many valuable lessons recognized only in hindsight, and
most importantly the house in which I became aware that being a good mother
is, in many ways, a choice, one which demands I face my fears, flaws, and
foibles. For all that has made me who I am today, I am grateful. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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2/6/2015 |
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Strength of character isn’t
always about how much you can handle before you break. It’s also about how
much you can handle after you’ve broken. ~ Robert Tew |
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I may get knocked down by life,
and I may need a minute to recover, but I'm sure as Hell not going to stay
down for the count. ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/5/2015 |
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Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves
which die in the fall. Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all
alone. Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring.~
William Alexander |
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A garden is such an incredible
teacher. Having spent some much needed time in the garden last week, I am
reminded how core it is to my soul to feel the earth between my fingers. My
garden has proven an outlet for stress, grief, anger, and heartbreak. My garden
has become a place of solace,a wildlife habitat, a haven, and in many ways,
my heart's home. I see some grubby gardening days on the horizon. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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2/4/2015 |
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The scarcity of time is the
reason we have to concentrate on one thing at a time. ~Matt Perman |
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This morning over breakfast, my
sweet son, Christoper, shared his latest factoid: "Mama, did you know
the French spend an average of 2 hours and 15 minutes each day eating
meals?" He went on to estimate the amount of time we spend in our family,
a little more than an hour on average.
This got me to thinking about how we tend to rush through meals and
pretty much everything else in the course of a day ~ hurrying, scurrying, and
multitasking most of the time. Obviously, some of this is necessary, but more
and more I am developing an intolerance for rushing through life and the
inevitable multitasking that comes with it. In response, I have started to
try to do one thing at a time when possible and preserve white space on my
calendar or even schedule blocks of time for enjoyable endeavors; getting
dirty in my garden, writing, spending time with friends, and the like. In this, I hope to slow down a bit, stop
and smell the clematis, and most importantly, breathe. ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/2/2015 |
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Message: A couple of hundred
years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success.
Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, which you can do today.' This is the
man who discovered electricity. You think more people would listen to what he
had to say. I don't know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I'd
have to say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection,
sometimes the fear is just of making a decision, because what if you're
wrong? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo? The early bird catches
the worm. A stitch in time saves nine. He who hesitates is lost. We can't
pretend we haven't been told. We've all heard the proverbs, heard the
philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the
damn poets urging us to seize the day. Still sometimes we have to see for
ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own
lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we
can. ~ Meredith Grey |
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I've spent a lifetime waiting.
Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for the perfect conditions. Waiting for
a problem to be fixed. Waiting to be noticed. Waiting to be completed.
Waiting for a sign. Just waiting. I'm done waiting. Tomorrow is but a fear-based
stall tactic which may never come. My time is now and I intend to make it
count. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/30/2015 |
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Message: Being strong doesn't
mean you'll never get hurt. It means that even when you do get hurt, you'll
never let it defeat you. ~ Unknown |
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I am Mk; hear me roar. ~ Mk
Michaels (with a nod to Helen Reddy) |
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1/28/2015 |
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Message: I am not always good
and noble. I am the hero of this story, but I have my off moments. ~ P.G.
Wodehouse, Love Among the Chickens |
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This life of mine is anything
but perfect; I don't make healthy, home cooked dinners often enough, even
with Em off at school, I struggle to get through the endless mountains of
laundry most weeks, I lose my temper from time to time, and some days I want
to say screw it and be left in peace so I can lounge around in my pajamas all
day in spite of the fact I have a job, home, garden, and children I love. I
am, most certainly, the hero of my story and I believe it is my off moments
that keep me from the curse of perfection. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/27/2015 |
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Message: Choose a job you love,
and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~ Confucius |
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Today, I celebrate nine years
with my company. Little did I know when I started working there that I would
grow into a job that I love as much as I do. The people I work alongside are
incredible, intelligent, dedicated, diligent, and the epitome of everything
you could possibly hope for in a team. Lucky, lucky me! ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/14/2015 |
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Message: We have to pray with
our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. ~ Oswald Chambers |
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Please include my Mom in your
thoughts and prayers as she undergoes heart surgery this afternoon and in the
recovery period after. Thankfully, she is is very good hands and surrounded
by knowledgeable and kind doctors and nurses; I can hardly express the
gratitude I have for the gentle care they are providing. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/8/2014 |
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The price of anything is the
amount of life you exchange for it. ~ Henry David Thoreau |
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I continue to become more and
more mindful of how I choose to spend my time for it is my most valuable and
irreplaceable resource. I endeavor to live with few regrets about how and
with whom I choose to spend mine. Consider, prioritize, reconsider, and reprioritize!
~ Mk Michaels |
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12/11/2014 |
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I like to call in sick to work
at places where I’ve never held a job. Then when the manager tells me I don’t
work there, I tell them I’d like to. But not today, as I’m
sick. ~ Jarod Kintz, This Book is Not for Sale |
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Two days ago, I got knocked on
my ample ass by a Mack-truck virus in the span of about 15 minutes. Since
then, I've been laying low, resting, hydrating, and thinking. In this, I have
come to a couple conclusions: (1) I make a lousy patient and (2) I don't have
a lot of room in my day to day life for laying low, resting, and thinking. It
takes a virus complete with a fever, aches, and hacking to force me sit
still. The busy mom in me finds this to be no surprise. There is another part
of me that knows I need time, stillness, and quiet to create room to keep
learning and growing. Good food for thought. Thank you, virus. ~ Mk Michaels |
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12/3/2014 |
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I have become my own version of
an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another
door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark
the present. ~ Rabindranath Tagore |
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Life throws us all curve balls.
Some are easily navigated and some are so big we may seem to stop breathing
for a bit if only to withstand the shock.
In project planning, there is the concept of a planning horizon, the
amount of time that it’s feasible and viable to forecast into the into the
future when preparing a plan. In general, the length of the planning horizon
is dictated by the degree of uncertainty in the external environment: the
higher the uncertainty, shorter the planning horizon.
Given how devastating some life events can be and how much uncertainty can
accompany them, it is important to remember that most days we just can't do
it all. Some days even, the best we can do is to simply remember to breathe in
and out. As minor as this action may seem, it is a life-affirming choice to
persevere. We may not know the full pathway to get from from devastation to
joy, but by figuring out the next step, no matter how small it may seem, we
are choosing to survive. From there, thriving is only a few more
horizons away. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/27/2014 |
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Piglet noticed that even though
he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of
Gratitude. ~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1) |
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This past year has been both the
most happy and most sad of my entire life. There have been devastating
losses, lingering grief, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles alongside a
multitude of incredible blessings. A thread of gratitude connects it all, for
what is the light without the dark and the dark without the light? It is
life's trials followed by the lessons they bring with them that form our core
strength. We learn who we can lean on and who is not worthy of our time and
trust. We learn how to ask for and accept help. In contrast to the dark is
the light; new friends, new experiences, new opportunities, new discoveries
about ourselves. In experiencing these moments of exultation intermingled
with despair, we realize life's fullness. As we maintain a sense of gratitude
as we experience both the good and bad, our rather small hearts are expanded
beyond anything we could possibly have imagined. ~ Mk MIchaels |
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11/25/2014 |
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Mothers are all slightly insane.
~ J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye |
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Oh, the lengths I have gone and
will go to for my children. I am willing to fight for and with my children to
ensure they become the best human beings they can be. I love my children
enough that I am willing to accept that sometimes, in the course of operating
in their best interest, they may not like me. I have shut out people from our
world that do not serve our collective good. I am fierce and true in my love
and although my kids may not always understand the madness to my method, they
know I have their back. Always. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/23/2014 |
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Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be
able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.
~ Mary Kay Ash |
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I don't know I can't achieve the
goal of publishing a book. Hell, a little more than a year ago, I didn't know
I couldn't get my writing published, but it took the encouragement of my
longest, life-friend, Amy, to give it a go. A year later, I've had three
pieces published. A small start, but a start all the same. Now, another
encouraging friend has come along with a concept that has resonated deeply
for me. Thank you, Anthony, for being a bit of fresh wind beneath my
bumblebee wings! ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/19/2014 |
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I think the most important thing in life is
self-love, because if you don't have self-love, and respect for everything
about your own body, your own soul, your own capsule, then how can you have
an authentic relationship with anyone else? ~ Shailene Woodley |
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If you don't truly love
yourself, dont expect too much from your relationships with others. Without a
doubt, you'll be looking to them for all the wrong things...and likely you'll
get them. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/18/2014 |
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It is not easy, she thinks, to make your way
in the world while insisting on a new path. ~ Guy Gavriel Kay, River of Stars |
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This 'being a mindful adult'
sh*t isn't for lightweights. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/17/2014 |
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The authentic self is soul made visible. ~
Sarah Ban Breathnach |
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To reveal the deepest core of
ourselves to another is, perhaps, one of life's greatest risks. It takes
time, trust, courage, the ability to talk ourself off of our own emotional
ledges, and a commitment to recover from unintentional missteps. To be seen,
truly seen, accepted, and loved for all we are, however, is an unequaled joy,
so I choose this. Again and again. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/15/2014 |
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Sometimes, you just have to stop putting
coins in a broken vending machine. ~ Dot Parkel |
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In time, I share less and less
and ultimately stop talking altogether. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/4/2015 |
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There are two basic motivating forces: fear
and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we
open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance.
We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our
imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our
ability to love others or our potential to create. ~ John Lennon |
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F*ck fear; as much as it may
paralyze me in finite moments, I choose love. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/2/2014 |
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Your time is limited, so don’t waste it
living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with
the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s
opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage
to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly
want to become. Everything else is secondary. ~ Steve Jobs |
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Carpe diem viam tuam! ~ Mk
Michaels |
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10/31/2014 |
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Oh my goodness! The shiny beauty of Wegmans!
~ Scout Michaels |
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Oh my goodness! This is going to
be quite the big college family weekend grocery tab! ~ Mk Michaels |
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10/30/2014 |
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Never go on trips with anyone you do not
love. ~ Ernest Hemingway |
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Upcoming ~ two trips in the next
two weeks with two people I love with all my heart; could I ask for a better
way to enjoy my favorite season? ~ Mk Michaels |
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10/18/2014 |
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Take time to be sure, but be sure not to
take too much time. ~ Unknown |
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In a world in which everything
seems to move at the speed of light, the best of opportunities are relative
fleeting moments in which we must muster our courage and choose a path
without any guarantees. I trust in my ability to figure things out as I go, so
the discomfort of taking action without knowing everything I'd like to know
is far preferable to running the risk of looking back with deep regret at the
results of my fearful indecision. I do reasonable due diligence, try to trust
my gut, and make a choice for there us nothing worse than living in endless
indecision and ambiguity. ~ Mk Michaels |
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10/17/2014 |
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It is clear to me that people often want
incompatible things. They want danger and excitement on the one hand, and
safety and security on the other, and often simultaneously. Contradictory
desires mean that life can never be wholly satisfying or without frustration.
~ Theodore Dalrymple |
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Hmmmm.... ~ Mk Michaels |
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10/13/2014 |
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The truth is that our finest moments are
most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or
unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort,
that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different
ways or truer answers. ~ M. Scott Peck |
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Fear is capable of keeping me
from being open to and trusting life's highest and greatest truths. In fact,
I have been capable of letting my own fear cause me to act quite badly and,
in this, caused harm to others. The key to avoiding this pattern, it seems,
is to stay vigilant, do the work to keep my past sins and traumas at bay,
stay rooted in reality so I can see life's beauty with clarity and, in this,
move forward with great hope toward my future. ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/24/2014 |
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With adulthood comes responsibility. ~ Mary
Lydon Simonsen |
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Some days, once in a blue moon,
I'm just not feeling this whole 'being an adult' thing. Thankfully, it always
passes by morning. ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/7/2014 |
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I’ve discovered that you can’t change
people. They can change themselves. ~ Jim Rohn |
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I subscribe to two different
life-affirming, daily meditation type emails. Typically and historically,
these have arrived in the early morning hours and I have used them to set the
tone for my day. A meditation of sorts. From time to time, however, and for
good reason, one or both have arrived later in the day. Both have become such
a part of my daily routine that when this happened, I allowed it to throw me
and my whole day off. I had contemplated writing each author to object,
complain, or otherwise react badly. Thankfully, I did none of these things.
Instead, what I came to realize is that although I cannot control the time
these daily meditations arrive, I can change my response to them. Today, I am
thankful for both knowing they arrive exactly on time for what I need each
day when I need it. In this, I underscore that I am the only person in whom I
can affect change, the purpose of these daily messages is served, and I am
open to accepting lessons throughout my days. ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/6/2014 |
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Whatever you are going through, you are
going through it to get through it! ~ Oprah Winfrey |
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Bam! ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/4/2014 |
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You never really understand a person until
you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his
skin and walk around in it. ~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird |
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Don't judge; you have no idea
what others are dealing with. The exterior may appear fine by daylight but
the worst demons are fought in the dark, quiet of night. ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/3/2014 |
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Leave the world a better place than when you
got here. If you've done that, you've lived a good life. ~ Dad Mastin |
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Find a small kindness and do it
anonymously. Help an elderly neighbor pick up the pine cones from his lawn
that worry him. Build community and connection by talking with and listening
to those around you at home, work, and out in the world. Volunteer regularly
in whatever way you are able. Face your fears and impediments to help make
yourself the best you possible. By actively seeking ways both small and large
to improve yourself and the world around you, you will leave a better world
in your wake. ~ Mk Michaels |
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8/19/2014 |
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To be successful you must accept all
challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones you like. ~
Mike Gafka |
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Many challenges are easy to
identify; a project that requires ingenuity and stamina, a difficult physical
goal, an educational milestone, and so on. In these, the challenge is to keep
showing up and giving it your best until the challenge is overcome. Other
times though, a challenge arrives in the form of a heartbreak or in watching
the glory of a well loved garden, years in the making come to fruition. In
these, the challenge is to let go, stand by, and continue breathing as you
watch what you love so dearly transform into its next evolution. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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8/15/2014 |
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Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but
by worry, frustration and resentment. ~ Dale Carnegie |
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Thanks, Dale, but I'm pretty
certain my fatigue is caused by working four weeks, worth in two. Coffee,
strooooong, coffee. ~ Mk Michaels |
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8/12/2014 |
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There's the fatigue that you have to forget
about, because the red curtain still has to rise. ~ Mireille Mathieu |
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Up and at'em. It's show time! ~
Mk Michaels |
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8/11/2014 |
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Some day you will be old enough to start
reading fairy tales again. ~ C.S. Lewis |
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May we all be so fortunate to
rediscover joy and the childish innocence (some may label mine goofiness)
buried under our misguided understanding of maturity. ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/30/2014 |
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I'll speak in a monstrous little voice. ~
Shakespeare |
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As a lifelong and consumate
people pleaser, speaking my truth has always been difficult. Over the years,
I have come to realize that being silent and deferring to the happiness of
others not only made me deeply resentful underneath my smiling facade, but
was also bringing about a spiritual death of sorts in my own heart. In
prioritizing other's comfort over my own and becoming consumed by resentment
and anger bubbling just under the surface, I became less and less able to
share what I consider to be the best of me, a kind and giving spirit.
Today, I speak my truth even when it is difficult. I speak my truth even if
I know it will displease another. I speak my truth diplomatically,
graciously, and with some element of consideration for others, but I no
longer withhold what is important to me. Today, I speak my truth in my
monstrous little voice and, as a result, my relationships are significantly
more healthy....as a bonus that constant knot in my stomach also seems to
have disappeared. ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/29/2014 |
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Happiness often sneaks in through a door you
didn't know you left open. ~ John Barrymore |
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For the millionth time, don't
slam the door! ~ Mk Michaels |
7/25/2014 |
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Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Open
your heart and follow where it leads you...and remember, shoot for the
moon... ~ Cecelia Ahern |
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Falling in love again after
heartbreak may be more frightening than facing a den of lions (bear with me,
I recently watched Gladiator again). Then again, the odds are better with
love and you are far less likely to be clawed to death. Tell fear to take a
hike, and, when the right one comes to you, choose love. ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/24/2014 |
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Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
"Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted
to be sure of you. ~ a.a. milne |
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Hi. ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/6/2014 |
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When life is sweet, say thank you and
celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow. ~ Anonymous |
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Thank heavens that ended so this
could begin! ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/5/2014 |
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Once you choose hope, anything¹s possible. ~
Christopher Reeve |
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Although the path from here to
there may not be clear, I believe it exists. Instead of allowing myself to
get mired down in the details of 'how?' I try to focus my energy on doing the
next right thing. In this, a small step is taken. In time these minute
progressions move me forward and, in time, I am there before I know it. I
just have to remind myself from time to time, I don't have to figure it all
out today. ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/1/2014 |
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Being a homemaker isn't about what you call
yourself, it's about what you do. A homemaker is anyone who makes a house
into a home. ~ Betty Crocker (Corporation) |
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Over the years, I have made my
home in many places in many ways, but I have always made a home for myself
and for those I love. ~ Mk Michaels |
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6/19/2014 |
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Love makes you see a place differently, just
as you hold differently an object that belongs to someone you love. If you
know one landscape well, you will look at all other landscapes differently.
And if you learn to love one place, sometimes you can also learn to love
another. ~ Anne Michaels |
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Having seen the Cape through
another's eyes and heard stories that go back generations, there is no doubt
I am leaving a piece of my heart nestled between the silvered cedar shingles
and sounds of the ocean that embrace Cape Cod. ~ Mk Michaels |
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6/9/2014 |
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So what do you plan to do with your wild and
precious life? ~ Mary Oliver |
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Live fully. Seek out new
experiences, push the bounds of your own comfort, and make mistakes. Love
your family fiercely, be kind, and help strangers. Read everyday, talk about
important and not so important things, write even if you have convinced
yourself you can't. Practice good self care, move your body, and take naps.
Mostly, though, show up each and every day. ~ Mk Michaels |
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6/8/2014 |
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Someone I loved once gave me a box full of
darkness. It took me years to understand that this too was a gift. ~ Mary
Oliver |
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After the initial shock, it
takes some time for the layers of numbness to peel back and expose the pink,
raw flesh underneath. The thing is, the process of grief is not quick and
just when you think you should be 'done', you're really just beginning. Do not
run from it or anesthetize too much, rather lean into it, welcome the
feelings, stay present. In this, the healing can truly occur. ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/28/2014 |
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The biggest adventure you can ever take is
to live the life of your dreams. ~ Oprah Winfrey |
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What Oprah said. Carpe diem,
y'all! ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/27/2014 |
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Life is too ironic to understand fully. It
takes sadness to know happiness, noise to distinguish silence and a broken
heart to find true love. ~ Unknown |
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There is a certain beauty in a
good juxtaposition and I'm a total sucker for one. To have come to a place of
gratitude for the lessons learned in the course of sadness, heartbreak, and,
in time, loss is ironic and yet I would not be who I am today without these
experiences. I like me, ergo I embrace the whole of me including my past. ~
Mk Michaels |
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5/20/2014 |
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No book is really worth reading
at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading
at the age of fifty and beyond. ~ C.S. Lewis |
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I often have said I would not
have come through my childhood so well without the various books into which I
often escaped. In the early years; A.A. Milne, Dr. Suess, Beatrix Potter, and
Maurice Sendak, to name a few. In the later years; Roald Dahl, Madeline
L’Engle, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and E.L. Konigsburg. Today, as a 50 day first,
I will revisit one of my favorite childhood authors (E.L. Konigsburg) by way
of a book I have not read before titled “Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William
McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth.” ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/19/2014 |
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Growing into your future with health and
grace and beauty doesn’t have to take all your time. It rather requires a
dedication to caring for yourself as if you were rare and precious, which you
are, and regarding all life around you as equally so, which it is. ~ Victoria
Moran |
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In 51 days, I will turn 50 years
old. I am truly excited about this. I suppose much of this is the unstoppable
optimism with which I approach life, but also that I have never liked me more
than I do today. Tomorrow, to memorialize the final days of my forties (which
were tumultuous but filled with growth), I will start a countdown to my
birthday in which I will do something new each and every day. I will share
some of these experiences with my Facebook family and friends. Here's to
taking risks (no, not skydiving...) and the adventures to come! ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/11/2014 |
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Making the decision to have a child - it is
momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around
outside your body. ~ Elizabeth Stone |
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Making the decision to have
children was the most momentous of my life. It was to decide forever to have
my heart go walking around outside my body. Being a mother isn't always easy,
but there is no doubt it is my greatest calling in life. Wishing a Happy
Mother's Day to some of the most amazing mothers I know; I have learned from
each and every one of you. ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/10/2014 |
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To describe my mother would be to write
about a hurricane in its perfect power. ~ Maya Angelou |
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Mother's Day has always been one
of mixed feelings for me; for the difficult relationship with my mother, for
becoming, loving, and finding my stride in being a mother myself, and finally
for my children still hurting over the loss of their other mother late last
year. Through it all, the common thread is love; complicated, fierce, and as
deep as a mother's love is. Love, the great equalizer. ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/8/2014 |
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Share everything. Don't take things that
aren't yours. Put things back where you found them. ~ Robert Fulghum |
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I'm cool with not taking things
that aren't mine and putting things back, but this sharing thing...not so
much. ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/7/2014 |
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Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul
and sings the tune without the words
and never stops at all. ~ Emily Dickinson |
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Hope, my constant companion. ~
Mk Michaels |
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5/5/2014 |
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At times our own light goes out and is
rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with
deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert
Schweitzer |
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This morning, I awoke with such
a spirit of contentment and gratitude. Hello Monday; it is good to see you. ~
Mk Michaels |
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4/20/2014 |
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Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with
real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep. ~ Clive Barker |
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With every difficulty, trauma,
or tragedy, there is always something positive and good that follows if we
are open to it and look for these blessings. For me, this is a large part of
finding redemption. ~ Mk Michaels |
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4/19/2014 |
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[...] each of us is born with a box of
matches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves. ~ Laura Esquivel |
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To live life to the fullest, we
need connection with others to help turn the light on. ~ Mk Michaels |
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4/17/2014 |
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You know youre on the right track when
you're uninterested in looking back. ~ Orebela Gbenga |
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In my lifetime, I have spent so
much time and energy looking back at people and things which were not meant
for me. Over the years, it has become clear that looking back is not only
unproductive, but creates an environment in which I miss out on the best of
my now and have little vision for my future. In focusing on the joy of today
with an eye toward the horizon, it becomes virtually effortless to live in
the present. In this, my infrequent glances backward are filled with
gratitude for the lessons of yesterday. ~ Mk Michaels |
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4/15/2014 |
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I have seen the best of you, and the worst
of you, and I choose both. ~ Sarah Kay |
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I'd rather have authentic and
real over perfection and fake any given day. The former does not frighten me
and can hold my attention, but the latter quickly becomes tedious. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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4/14/2015 |
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Failure is so important. We speak about
success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that
often leads to greater success. I’ve met people who don’t want to try for
fear of failing. ~ J.K. Rowling |
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Fail. Fail frequently. Do not
fear failure, rather learn from it. Then go and make new and interesting
mistakes. In the end, you will have accomplished more than you can imagine.
It took Edison 1, 000 tries to succeed in creating a light bulb. His perspective?
"I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000
steps." Well said. ~ Mk Michaels |
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3/31/2014 |
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What makes us special makes us strong!
Let your freak flag wave, let your freak flag fly.
Never take it down, never take it
down,
Raise it way up high, yeah! ~ Shrek
The Musical, lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire |
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Christopher and Scout, I have
decided that 'Freak Flag' is our family's official theme song; it's just so
perfect! ~ Mk Michaels |
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3/29/2014 |
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A pedestal is also a kind of prison. ~
paraphrased from Gloria Steinem |
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There are two ways to dehumanize
someone: by dismissing them, and by idolizing them. ~ David Wong |
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I prefer those closest to me not
be on pedestals; it strains my neck to have to look up that high. That said,
I don't hesitate to give credit where it is due. If this is difficult to
accept credit, it is best to breathe and know the moment will pass. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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3/27/2014 |
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Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but
by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can
introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even
become friends. ~ Maya Angelou |
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Get outside the comfort of your
own space. Be open to the people life puts in your path. Share your own
experience with others when it can be helpful but also listen for the
commonality of our shared humanity. Do not fear the differences you
encounter, for life is made richer by them. You'll be amazed at what you
learn and the profound friendships you'll form. ~ Mk Michaels |
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3/26/2014 |
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They're called boobs, Ed. ~ Erin Brockovich |
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Just used my boobs to get out of
a speeding ticket. ~ Mk Michaels |
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3/25/2014 |
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Childbirth is more admirable than conquest,
more amazing than self-defense, and as courageous as either one. ~ Gloria
Steinem |
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Having children will bring you
to your knees and lift you to the skies, often in the same moment. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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3/10/2014 |
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Nothing you love is lost. Not really.
Things, people - they always go away, sooner or later. You can't hold them,
any more that you can hold moonlight. But if they've touched you, if they're
inside of you, then they're still yours. The only things you ever really have
are the ones you hold inside your heart. ~ Unknown |
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When something or someone leaves
our lives, dig deep and trust that all is as it should be. This belief will
see us through the worst of times, even when the loss seems unfathomable.
Know the skies will clear and the sun will shine again time. Without exception,
it will, for this is an absolute truth in life. ~ Mk Michaels |
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3/6/2014 |
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I found that every single successful person
I've ever spoken to had a turning point and the turning point was where they
made a clear, specific, unequivocal decision that they were not going to live
like this anymore. Some people make that decision at 15 and some people make
it at 50 and most never make it at all. ~ Brian Tracy |
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Better to have made make the
decision to live fully at 50, than not at all. Carpe diem, y'all! ~ Mk
Michaels |
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3/5/2014 |
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The best piece of advice someone has ever
given me was 'do it scared.' And no matter if you're scared, just go ahead
and do it anyway because you might as well do it scared, so it will get done
and you will feel so much better if you step out of your comfort zone. ~
Sherri Shepherd |
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The most fearful periods of my
life have been followed, virtually without exception, by the best and
brightest. Pushing past the fear and being open to what may come next has
always paid off in spades for me. I remind myself often: Screw fear; just go
for it! ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/20/2014 |
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Your work is going to fill a large part of
your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe
is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If
you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of
the heart, you’ll know when you find it. ~ Steve Jobs |
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Even in the 'worst' of jobs,
there is always an aspect, a task, a direction which you can make your own
and come to love. It is often these, approached with a good attitude and
diligence' that lead to the next opportunity and the next and the next. By approaching
each role with the idea that we want to 'work ourselves out of that job', we
are (a) doing great work, (b) showing our best self in our work, and (b)
prepared to take on the next opportunity it comes along. I can attest this
approach has proven incredibly effective in that I have never had a job I
didn't come to love in some form or fashion. Having come into my current line
of work 'by accident' twenty+ years ago, I can report I absolutely love my
work. Something like "If a man is called to be a street sweeper..."
In this, our job ceases to be work and becomes our passion. ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/14/2014 |
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I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning
how to sail my ship. ~ Louisa May Alcott |
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Happy Valentine's Day to me,
from me! ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/27/2014 |
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Whatever the present moment contains, accept
is as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your
friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole
life. ~ Eckhart Tolle |
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Life is going to out and out
suck sometimes. Don't fight it. Instead, seek out the next right and
reasonable step / action and, in time, the clouds will clear and you'll be
standing in the bright, warm glow of the sun once again. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/23/2014 |
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She took a leap, and built her wings on the
way down. ~ Anonymous |
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Sometimes in life we don't see
the path which leads to achievement of our goals. It is during these times
that we have two choices; to do nothing or to take small steps towards the
end game not knowing what action comes next. In project management they call
this horizon planning. In life we call it faith. Take the leap and trust that
the path will be made clear in time. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/10.2014 |
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Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care
about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you really
have control over is yourself. ~ Deborah Reber |
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Let go and lighten your load so
you may fly. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/8/2014 |
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My interest is in the future
because I am going to spend the rest of my life there. ~ Charles Kettering |
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What we do today plants the
seeds to be reaped in our future. Whatever you do, don't look back...or your
rows will be crooked. Look forward, always forward. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/8/2014 |
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... each of us is born with a
box of matches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves ~ Laura
Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate |
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A roaring fire piled high ~
yeah, that's the ticket! ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/3/2014 |
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Nothing will ever be attempted if all
possible objections must be first overcome. ~ Samuel Johnson |
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Prepare yourself, then take the
leap. This works out well more often than not. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/2/2014 |
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Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your
one wild and precious life? ~ Mary Oliver |
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Let me think about it and get
back to you; I'm too busy living fully to answer just now. ~ Mk Michaels |
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12/19/2014 |
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If I had to select one quality,
one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated
with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence.
Determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times
and get up off the floor saying, 'Here comes number seventy-one!' ~ Richard
M. DeVos |
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Failure simply isn't an option.
Get moving, stay positive, be tenacious, do your utmost best, and watch the
miracles be revealed! ~ Mk Michaels |
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12/16/2013 |
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Life loves to be taken by the lapel and
told: 'I'm with you kid. Let's go.' ~ Maya Angelou |
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Carpe diem! ~ Mk Michaels (and
Horace) |
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12/9/2013 |
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When you feel in your gut what you are and
then dynamically pursue it - don't back down and don't give up - then you're
going to mystify a lot of folks.~ Bob Dylan |
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Unapologetically, authentically
being me...and loving it in spite of any flack I might get about that
approach. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/28/2013 |
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Gratitude can transform common days into
thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities
into blessings. ~ William Arthur Ward |
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Let us be thankful not just
today, but every day, for blessings are abundantly bestowed on us even in the
darkest of times. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/24/2013 |
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Well, I looked my demons in the eyes, laid
bare my chest, said ‘Do your best, destroy me. You see, I’ve been to hell and
back so many times, I must admit you kind of bore me.' ~ Ray Lamontagne |
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Our demons are our greatest
teachers. Instead of running, listen to them, face them, take the time and
actions to slay them. In this, demon-slayers lead happier, richer, and more
free lives than the turtles who hide in their shells. Take the leap and see
your demons as an opportunity to grow past them. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/23/2013 |
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Let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make
not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your
souls. ~ Kahlil Gibran |
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Love me as you would hold a
handful of sand. Held tightly, gripped, and crushed, I will trickle between
your fingers and, in time, disappear. Cupped gently, tenderly, allowed light
and space, I can remain forever. ~ Mk Michaels |
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11/10/2013 |
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It's a good idea always to do something
relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life. ~ Paulo Coelho |
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Similarly, it is important to
recognize those times when an important decision should be deferred. If life
feels chaotic, if you have experienced a major life change, or you are simply
tired, take a pause. Any action coming from of that place of noise will be a
reaction not a decision. Instead, breathe slowly and deeply, get outside,
take a look around you both physically and spiritually, and find your center.
Then, in that quiet and stillness make a choice.In this, you will be living
from a place of intention. ~ Mk Michaels |
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10/21/2013 |
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Fear is excitement with out the breath. ~
Fritz Perls |
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So BREATHE already! ~ Mk
Michaels |
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10/20/2013 |
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Once we realize that imperfect understanding
is the human condition there is no shame in being wrong, only in failing to
correct our mistakes. ~ George Soros |
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We are imperfect. Mistakes will
happen. If we can look at our mistakes as an opportunity to learn, we can
grow exponentially. When we err, if we can be kind to ourselves, courageously
examine the underlying cause(s), correct the wrong done if possible, sincerely
apologize if not, we cannmove forward knowing we are equipped not only to
weather but also grow from future mistakes. In this, we will not only become
our greatest, most authentic self, but also serve as an example to others
that mistake can become a positive. Carpe errorem! ~ Mk Michaels |
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10/18/2013 |
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I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning
how to sail my ship. ~ Louisa May Alcott |
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Some days are two steps forward
and one back. Others are the reverse. The secret is to not give up. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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9/29/2013 |
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The only way that you are going to succeed
in your mission here on earth is to stop reacting to the majority and focus
on your purpose. ~ Guru Singh |
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Allow yourself the space and
silence to find your authentic voice. Face and defeat the fears that conspire
to silence it. Carefully select those with whom you share your time, your
life, your victories. Winnow out those who would take pleasure in your failure
because they are not courageous enough to take their own flight. Then,
whether your authentic voice be a whisper, a prayer, or the roar of a
warrior, SPEAK! Life will be better for you having contributed to the
Universal conversation. ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/28/2013 |
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What’s difficult in life is to stay centered
when somebody does or says something that tempts us to close our hearts
because their heart was closed. That is hard. But that is also how we grow.
We go through those circumstances in order to evolve into people who can hold
to our loving center no matter what the world throws us. ~ Marianne
Williamson |
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Some of us have experienced
heartbreak which seemed an utter devastation, a time which made us want to
stop; eating, breathing, living.
As much as these times feel like the end, and they are an end, they are
also a beginning. These times, when every cell in our body and fiber of our
being aches with profound loss, these times make us want to give up, are also
an opportunity. It is during these times, we can experience the greatest
growth. By being in a place we feel we have nothing left to lose, we are
often forced to face the fears which hold us back head on....and in this,
they lose their power.
During these times, let the grief flow through you, let the fear that
you'll never love again enter without resistance, and acknowledge the loss.
Grieve but also trust that if you remain open to the whole of life's
experiences you will grow stronger, more compassionate, and more aware that
good always follows bad for change is the only constant in life. The best is
yet to come. ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/26/2013 |
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I - Want - Peace, I is ego, Want is desire;
Remove ego and desire and you have peace. ~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba |
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You can't always get what you
want, but most often you get what you need....usually with an even better
outcome than you'd imagined in the first place. So just accept whatever comes
and get on with your day. ~ Mk Michaels (with a bit of inspiration from the
Rolling Stones) |
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9/13/2013 |
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Throw your dreams into space like a kite,
and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new
love, a new country. ~ AnaĂ¯s Nin |
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Our future can exceed our
wildest dreams and desires; at every step we merely need to look for the
'next right thing to do' and let go of the outcome. The latter being the
tricky part. ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/12/2013 |
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The LAST phase of metamorphosis when a
caterpillar is making its transition to a butterfly is the darkest phase. The
color of the cocoon turns DARKEST right when it is time for the butterfly to
emerge. God never tells a caterpillar how long this season of darkness is
going to last only that this season is a necessary one. Many caterpillars
give up the struggle and die during this dark phase, never knowing the true
BEAUTY and FREEDOM that comes with being a butterfly. If you are going
through a dark period DON'T GIVE UP!!! Please be patient and still and know
that God has already SCHEDULED your BREAKTHROUGH. The blood is about to start
pumping and flowing into your wings and you will soon be strong enough to
climb out of this darkness and into the LIGHT. Don't DIE a caterpillar...Your
birthright is to become a BUTTERFLY!!! ~ Lakara Foster M.Ed |
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It's coming. Wait for it,
because you'll need those wings to fly! ~ Mk Michaels |
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9/9/2013 |
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To everything (Turn, turn, turn)There is a
season (Turn, turn, turn)And a time to every purpose, under Heaven ~ The
Byrds (words adapted from the book of Ecclesiastes) |
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Well....it's moulting season
again...feathers everywhere and very few eggs. This, too, shall pass. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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8/20/2013 |
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There is an infinite difference between a
little wrong and just right, between fairly good and the best, between
mediocrity and superiority. ~ Orison Swett Marden |
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Don't waste my time. Bring the
best you can in the moment or bring nothing at all. ~ Mk Michaels |
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8/16/2013 |
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Every negative event contains within it the
seed of an equal or greater benefit. ~ Napoleon Hill |
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There's always a point...even
with the bad stuff of life. Without exception, I am thankful for every
hardship I have ever experienced. ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/27/2013 |
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You do not need to know precisely what is
happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize
the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to
embrace them with courage, faith and hope. ~ Thomas Merton |
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I believe anything is possible;
I need only to remain open and do the next right thing. In this, all will be
as it should be. ~ Mk Michaels |
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7/14/2013 |
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Laws are spider webs through which the big
flies pass and the little ones get caught. ~ Honoré de Balzac |
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I continue trying to make sense
of the bi-polarity in our legal system, separating and being thankful for the
good of it and seeking out what to do about the bad in it. ~ Mk Michaels |
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6/19/2013 |
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Beginnings are usually scary and endings are
usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts. You have to remember this when
you find yourself at the beginning. ~ Sandra Bullock as Birdee in Hope Floats |
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Yeah. That. Pay attention. ~ Mk
Michaels |
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6/2/2013 |
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“When you wake up in the morning,
Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to
yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do
you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting
today?" said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same
thing," he said.” ~ a. a. milne |
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Hydration...it's what's for
breakfast. ~ Mk Michaels |
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5/27/2013 |
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Gardens... should be like lovely,
well-shaped girls: all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations,
seductive surprises and then still more curves. ~ H.E. Bates, A Love of
Flowers |
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I like gardening....I mean,
really really, like-like gardening. ~ Mk Michaels |
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4/26/2013 |
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True happiness comes from the joy of deeds
well done, the zest of creating things new. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery |
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Happiness is a new load of mulch
in the back forty. ~ Mk Michaels |
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4/23/2013 |
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Life is a series of natural and spontaneous
changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.
Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~ Lao Tzu |
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You know that feeling you get in
the morning that says 'everything is going to work out exactly as it should'.
Yeah that. ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/31/2013 |
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The wait is long, my dream of you does not
end. ~ Nuala O'Faolain, My Dream of You |
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C'mon coffee pot, brew baby
brrrrreeeewwww!! ~ Mk Michaels |
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1/29/2013 |
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I love spring anywhere, but if I could
choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~ Ruth Stout |
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1/29/2013 |
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What Ruth Stout said... 48 days
and counting. ~ Mk Michaels |
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4/4/2011 |
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Some men dream of worthy accomplishments,
while others stay awake and do them. ~ Unknown |
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In other words, carpe diem
ya'll! ~ Mk Michaels |
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2/27/2011 |
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All through the long winter, I dream of my
garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft
earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar. ~ Helen Hayes |
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Building upon the love, lessons,
and labors of years past, this year's garden is going to be the best it has
ever been. ~ Mk Michaels |