How Do You See The World?

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Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.

~ Wayne Dyer

IN MANY WAYS, WE LIVE WITH what we dream and create. Our lives reflect the energy we’ve been putting into them. If we believe people are always out to get us, that is the scenario we unwittingly create and see. If we believe that people are good at heart, that is what we tend to nurture in others and see.

Does that mean if we’ve always believed the world to be hostile, there’s no love in it? Or if we’ve always been loving, there is no hostility in the world? No. But that’s likely what we’re inclined to ‘notice’ more in our daily lives.

One might think that it’s only those who are safe and loved that can see a loving world, but in my experience, it’s often those who are vulnerable and in danger who see the love in the world.

Anne Frank, whose family faced mortal danger, took the time to jot down these words: “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

How do you see the world?

My Name

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Why don’t you ask me

How long I’ve been waiting

Set down on the road

With the gunshots exploding

I’m waiting for you

In the gloom and the blazing

I’m waiting for you

I sing like a slave I know

I should know better

I’ve learned all my lessons

Right down to the letter

And still I go on like this

Year after year

Waiting for miracles

And shaking with fear 

Why don’t you answer

Why don’t you come save me

Show me how to use

All these things

That you gave me

Turn me inside out

So my bones can save me

Turn me inside out 

You’ve come this close

You can come even closer

The gunshots get louder

And the world spins faster

And things just get further

And further apart

The head from the hands

And the hands from the heart 

One thing that’s true

Is the way that I love him

The earth down below

And the sky up above him

And still I go on like this

Day after day

Still I go on like this 

Now I’ve said this

I already feel stronger

I can’t keep waiting for you

Any longer

I need you now

Not someday

When I’m ready

Come down on the road

Come down on the road 

My name, my name

Nothing is the same

I won’t go back

The way I came  

~ Lhasa De Sela

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

The Ring With The Blue Stone

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children, Dad, death, Diana Schwenk, family, foundation, gift, good character, grief, growing up, History, Hump Day Chronicles, lessons, life, Life's like that, love, memories, Mom, parenting, safe, Stuff my parents used to say and do, values

My parents in 1960 and the ring with the blue stone

When you want to build something, you start with a good foundation. When you want to understand something, you start with the fundamental pillars of the subject. In other words, you learn the history, the mechanics of it, the whys and whats and wheres.

In the same way,  when you feel lost, it helps to go back to where you began so you can remember where you came from, what you have learned about this business of living, what you truly long for in life, and how you can get it and how you can share your gifts with the world. Sometimes you grab onto a symbol of the past and carry it with you like a talisman that you can look at, or touch when you need to be grounded.

Since Dad passed away, I’ve been in kind of a fog. I got the basics covered, you know…  I wake up, brush my teeth, shower, dress, exercise, go to work, eat, go to bed and start it all over again the next day. 

But I’ve lost a bit of my oomph.

A bit of my zest for life.

Dad was always my rock.

He had this way of making me feel secure and letting me know that he was there for me, no matter what.

My Plan B, if Plan A should fail.

Although I rarely resorted to Plan B, I knew I could if I had to, I knew it was there if I needed it.  

This past New Year’s Eve, as I was deciding which piece of jewelry to wear for an event I was attending, I came across the ring with the blue stone. The ring that cost forty dollars in 1960 and took Dad several weeks of saving so he could buy it for Mom to celebrate their first anniversary.

Dad was so upset when Mom gave me that ring almost thirty years later. But I’m so glad she did, so I could find it on the last day of 2016 and slip it on my finger. And with the wearing of it, remember the values he taught me and the traits he exemplified; like a good work ethic, empathy, diplomacy, loyalty and strength of character.  

What a gift!

What a great foundation from which to find my way again!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

We’re Not So Different, You And I

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“We are all alike, on the inside.” – Mark Twain

I used to want to STAND OUT. To be UNIQUE. To be ONE OF A KIND. To find ways that DIFFERENTIATED ME from others, regardless of whether or not I was being true to myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I love and admire many qualities and attributes in others that I do not have. And I try to emulate the ones that resonate with me.

Yet the older I get, the more I realize that we have more in common than not.

We all need nourishment.

We all need to feel safe.

We all need to belong somewhere.

We all need to love and be loved.

We all need to care for others and be cared for by others.

We all need to have purpose; something that gives meaning to our lives.

And beyond the basics, there are many who share our values and passions and dreams for the future.

So the older I get, the more I realize the truth of the quote above and the more I want to connect with others on common ground; regardless of whether that makes me different or not.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

It All Comes Out In The Wash…

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You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. – Cormac McCarthy

Can you look back on a particular situation where you are sure divine intervention saved you a world of trouble ?

Because even when we plan for the future to ensure that we will be prepared for whatever may come, bad or unforeseen things can happen to foil our carefully laid plans.

Sometimes what seems like a bad thing at the time, ends up being the best thing that ever happened to us.

Many years ago, I missed catching a ride with someone  because I answered the phone and ended up chatting longer than I had intended.

Irritated with the situation and mumbling under my breath, I hailed a cab.

Upon arriving at my destination, I learned that my would-have-been driver had been in an accident.

I’ve experienced a handful of similar situations with varying degrees of seriousness.

Enough to make me more patient when things don’t always go my way.

A missed flight…

an unsuccessful job application…

…might just be the best thing that ever happened.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Has something seemingly bad ever worked out for the best for you?

The Gift I Want To Give

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You never get people’s fuller attention than when you’re listening to them ~ Robert Brault

Have you ever met someone and from the moment you are in their presence you feel cherished; like you’re the only other person in the world?

I met an older couple like this when I worked at the homeless organization.

Immediately I felt at home with them. We had a wonderful visit and I was sad to see them go.

After they left to go home, I noticed that the man had forgotten his wallet.

My first thought?

I would see them again!

I saw them many times after that but, it took me awhile to figure out why I felt so good around them.  It seemed to boil down to their ability to be fully present and listen.

What a gift!

Sadly, I am not naturally this type of person. While you’re talking, my mind is busy formulating a response to what you just said.

I WANT to be that type of person though and I am working on it. It’s a gift that I’d like to share with others.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Have you ever experienced that gift?

The Fruits of Our Labours

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“Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?” Frank Scully

Thanks Kelly!

It reminds me of my childhood adventures on the Meyer Farm in Franklin Centre and my love for Macintosh apples!

Back in the day when apples were more organic, nothing beat the taste of an apple fresh from the orchard. The ones on the ground were often bruised but were yummy in cakes and apple sauce. The Meyer’s also made cider, something I would grow to appreciate as I got older.

We ate the ones we could reach on the branches. They were so juicy and sweet.

Apples gathered by workers on ladders were the best of all; that coveted fruit out on the limb that brought with it an element of risk, yet promised the greatest reward.

In real life we make decisions every day about the things we’ll go out on the limb for. It depends on what we need. It depends on our passions and ambitions. And when we do go out on a limb, it’s because we’ve decided the risk is worth it.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

What do you go out on a limb for?

What’s Your Super Power?

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To me, it’s always a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, ‘Hey, can you give me a hand,’ you can say, ‘Sorry, got these sacks.’ ~Jack Handey

I’m like Superwoman, or am I?

I have a Super Power. It’s true!

Well, it’s more like a shield – a protective shield.

Or a wall, yeah that’s it – a wall.

No it’s more like a fortress – it can’t be penetrated.

Whatever it is, I am safe.

You can’t get close enough to hurt me. You can’t even get close enough to the first line of defense, never mind the actual place of that which I protect.

I’ve thought out every angle.

Every approach.

You don’t have a chance.

I am so protected inside this fortress that I cannot even get into a place of danger. I can’t even see what’s out there.

I wonder what’s out there. I wonder if I’m missing …something good.

I am like a fortress that can’t be penetrated

or can it?

God I hope so.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Ever been in a prison of your own making?

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

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We were on our way back from Uncle Karl’s and Tante Stella’s. It was late and we had a long drive ahead of us. As was the case with every late night drive, I was worried. Worried we wouldn’t find our way home. Worried that we were hopelessly lost.

I don’t know if it was because it was dark out, but I was afraid. And I kept asking you if you knew the way home, if we were lost, if we were still on course. You could have become annoyed with my constant questioning. You could have told me to shut-up already. But you didn’t. Every time I asked, you answered. Yes I know the way home. No we’re not lost. I promise.

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

Thank you for making me feel safe.

Thank you for reassuring me when I was afraid.

Thank you for always being there when I needed you.

Thank you for always believing in me and encouraging me.

Thank you for your quiet strength and loyalty.

Thank you for always making me feel like I’m significant and beautiful.

I love you Daddy.

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~ THE HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~