Tides of Life

I realized that I had to separate my sobriety from everything else that was going on in my life.
No matter what happened or didn't happen, I couldn't drink.
In fact, none of these things I was going through had anything to do with my sobriety; the tides of life flow endlessly for better or worse, both good and bad, and I cannot allow my sobriety become dependent on these ups and downs of living.

A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.

There Are Really Two Journeys

Every man's desire is according to his evolution; that which he is ready for, is the desirable thing for him. -- Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

There are really two journeys. There is the journey from the goal to the life in the world, and there is the journey from the life in the world to the goal. And both journeys are natural. As it is natural to go forth from the eternal goal, so it is natural to go from the changing life to the life which is unchangeable.

Which is the most desirable thing in life, to seek for the goal or to dwell in this changing life? The answer is that every person's desire is according to his evolution. That for which he is ready is desirable for him. Milk is a desirable food for the infant, other foods for the grown-up person. Every stage in life has its own appropriate and desirable things. The desire to attain to a goal must be there before reaching it; when he does not feel the desire, it is not necessary for a man to seek it.

Two of the principal sources of pleasure in the physical world are good food and bodily comfort, yet one single beautiful thought or one charming mental image may provide more pleasure and joy than all the beauty there is in the whole physical world. So we can see that when we raise the intelligence from the physical plane, and then even higher, we will come to a state of realization where we see that life is not really limited at all; that it too is unlimited. It is when our experience is confined to the lower phases of existence that we find that our life is limited. Herein lies the whole tragedy of life.

by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

Cycle of Life

Remember Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

so love the people who treat you right,

Forget about the ones who don't,

And believe that everything happens for a reason.

If you get a chance, take it.  

If it changes your life, let it. 

Nobody said life would be easy,

They just promised it would be worth it.

One To Learn From . . .

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.

She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend.

He was always there for her.

She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her.

When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind.

The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her.

She hadn't expected that.

The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.

Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life is a gift.

Today before you say an unkind word --
Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food --
Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife --
Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life --
Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive --
Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job --
Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and 

those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down --
Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

 

 

Here Are My Ideals

Most of us look at our ideals, say how far we are from them, and get depressed.

But it is heroic simply to say, "Here are my ideals," state them before the world, and then spend your life trying to live up to them.

Keshavan Nair, New Dimensions Radio interview

And Remember

Life is like a roll of toilet paper.

The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

Train Of Life

Some folks ride the train of life

Looking out the rear,

Watching miles of life roll by,

And marking every year.

 

They sit in sad remembrance,

Of wasted days gone by,

And curse their life for what it was,

And hang their head and cry.

 

But I don't concern myself with that,

I took a different vent,

I look forward to what life holds,

And not what has been spent.

 

So strap me to the engine,

As securely as I can be,

I want to be out on the front,

To see what I can see.

 

I want to feel the winds of change,

Blowing in my face,

I want to see what life unfolds,

As I move from place to place.

 

I want to see what's coming up,  

Not looking at the past,

Life's too short for yesterdays,

It moves along too fast.

 

So if the ride gets bumpy,

While you are looking back,

Go up front, and you may find,

Your life has jumped the track.

 

It's all right to remember,

That's part of history,

But up front's where it's happening,

There's so much mystery.

 

The enjoyment of living,

Is not where we have been,

It's looking ever forward,

To another year and ten.

 

It's searching all the byways,

Never should you refrain,

For if you want to live your life,

You gotta drive the train!

 

~author unknown~

 

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