How Boring Would It Be?

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200 words, acceptance, caring, closed-mindedness, compassion, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, differences, diversity, forgiveness, growing up, happy, health, joy, kindness, love, mercy, passion, tolerance, wisdom

“Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realise our need of one another”-Desmond Tutu

How boring would it be

if I was like you and you were like me?

If we all looked the same, thought the same, and liked all the same things?

Because, I love how you challenge me and what I believe, even when it makes me angry.

I love what I learn when I struggle with you, even when it makes me cry.

I love what you teach me, about myself and the world, when you share your thoughts and life experiences.

When I am weak, you are strong and when you are weak, I am strong.

We need each other.

If you really think about it, closed-mindedness and conformity are way more threatening than diversity.

How boring would it be if I was like you and you were like me?

How would we grow?

How would we even know what we’re missing?

How would we learn about forgiveness?

Acceptance?

Compassion?

Mercy?

Wisdom?

Courage?

Kindness?

Love?

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Why would we even want, or need, to spend one single moment with each other?

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A Vulcan Blessing from Leonard Nimoy

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200 words, calm, chaos, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, grace, grief, kindness, Leonard Nimoy, life, logical, Mr. Spock, passion, Star Trek, Vulcan greeting, wisdom

“I am and always will be your friend” – Spock (Leonard Nimoy)

When I was a little girl watching Star Trek, I had a secret crush on Mr. Spock.

While alien women were throwing themselves at Captain Kirk, I was drawn to his first officer.

When the rest of the crew seemed to run around fuelled by passion and chaos, Spock, the ever logical, the always calm, stepped in with his wisdom and grace.

Even in my 20s, it was my 11:30Pm ritual to watch Star Trek in bed before falling asleep.

Here, I read that: Nimoy’s fame as Spock was such that both of his autobiographies, I Am Not Spock (1975) and I Am Spock (1995), were written from the viewpoint of sharing his existence with the character. 

I am saddened by Leonard Nimoy’s passing but so grateful for the man he was, and the way he embedded himself into the character of Mr. Spock.

As seen in the video below posted by the NY Times, Leonard was also a wonderful story-teller. I invite you to learn the origin of the Vulcan greeting by clicking the link below.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

❤ R.I.P Leonard Nimoy  ❤

Do right, even when no one else knows it

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200 words, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, Do the right thing, foolish, integrity, life, love, wisdom, world issues

Always do right. This will gratify some people & astonish the rest ~ Mark Twain

And some may even call you stupid… (My addition to Twain’s quote)

There are times when I’ve had the opportunity to do what was right and didn’t take it.

These occurrences have occasionally haunted me.

I regret my actions in these circumstances and have learned from them.

There are also times when I’ve taken the high road and did the right thing. Sometimes I’ve even been called stupid and became the topic of ridicule. At other times, no one but myself and God even knew.

I never regret my actions in these circumstances.

Doing the right thing is rarely the easy thing.

Doing the right thing rarely results in a chorus of accolades from your peers.

In fact, doing the right thing may promote someone else and relegate you to the background.

And occasionally, doing the right thing may even make you look foolish.

The odd time, however, doing the right thing can result in others’ appreciation and inspire them to do good.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Do the right thing, even if you’re the only one who knows you’ve done it.

The Young and The Old

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200 words, building community, caring, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, dreams, empowering, gifts, growth, health, leadership, learning, life, mission, passion, Purpose, together, understanding, vision, wisdom, world issues, youth leadership

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Greek proverb

Each generation, at some point, bemoans the world they have inherited from the previous generation. With their whole lives ahead of them, they vow to leave a better world for the next generation.

Then life happens.

The drive to provide for, and protect, their immediate tribe becomes priority. They  block out the injustices in the rest of the world, not entirely, but where these issues intersect their own survival – they choose to protect themselves.

This is not necessarily a bad thing.

This is how we have survived for tens of thousands of years.

We’re not really wired to think about 10, 50 or 100 years from now.

But perhaps in our old age, with our lives mostly behind us, we are freed up to think about future generations.

Perhaps then we are willing to plant the tree whose shade we will never personally enjoy.

I wonder what we could learn and what plans we would conceive if we listened to the idealistic dreams of the young and tempered them with the life-time wisdom of the aged.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Uncomfortable Shoes

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Diana Schwenk, health, Hump Day Chronicles, lessons, life, prepared, tools, uncomfortable shoes, wisdom

I may as well have been wearing these shoes…

Yesterday I had a meeting about 22 blocks away from where I’m located. The meeting was in an area of town that is just crazy with traffic and not the easiest place to get parking – especially over the lunch hour!

So I decided to walk; which is great – I love walking – no problem.

I figured this way I could take care of several things at once. You know, go to my meeting, get my daily walk in and enjoy a beautiful spring day.

So I put on my business wear and searched for a comfortable pair of shoes. Here’s the dilemma, all my good walking footwear is casual, all my business shoes have heels and/or pointy toes. I did manage to dig up a pair with a very low heel and they sparkled gold in the spring sun – perfect!

For just a moment, I played with the idea of tucking my TOMS Classics into my bag but quickly decided against it. I should have listened to that voice!

Suffice it to say that by the time I got home (round trip almost 45 city blocks) my feet were hurting something awful. When I took off my shoes, I was afraid to look. So I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, counted to three and looked down to find blistered and bloodied toes. (I know, gross visual – sorry) 🙂

Needless to say, I’m now on a mission to find that elusive shoe that says business and comfort. Any suggestions?

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Lesson re-learned: Don’t ignore your inner voice!

Could Bad Hair Days Be My Own Fault?

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200 words, Against or With?, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, humour, learning, living in the moment, mentors, Purpose, true to yourself, wisdom

Some of the worst mistakes in my life were haircuts. ~ Jim Morrison

Bad Hair Day

Why did I ever think that cutting my own hair would be a good idea?

What about that period of time I dyed my hair bleached-blond? Or the time I forgot to rinse the dye out on time?

And what was up with that short, short hair in my late 30’s??

It’s hard to know what I was thinking, but one lesson that stands out is that when I’ve tried to do new things without seeking the help of professionals or tried to be someone who I’m not, the results weren’t pretty!

Why do I fight against the natural tendencies of my hair instead of working with them?

Could this be true in my everyday life as well?

Like when I’ve taken on new things without seeking counsel from someone who’s been there?

Or when I’ve tried to tow the company line when it scratched against my own values?

It’s funny how I’ve worked so hard against some things instead of working with them.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Do you find yourself working against your natural abilities?

Stop and Think

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choice, death, Diana Schwenk, drinking and driving, family, friends, Think, tragedy, wisdom, world issues

Don’t get me wrong. I like having a glass or two of my favourite cocktail. The occasional beer hits that spot on a hot summer’s day. A glass raised in a toast to a newly married couple or in honour of a loved one’s achievement helps us to celebrate the milestones in life. And in hard times, wine shared with a friend brings comfort and hope.

But please, when you are done and contemplating going home, stop and think about whether you should be driving or not.

Stop and think about our sons and daughters – we’ve worked hard to give them a good start in life. We’re proud of their accomplishments. We know that they will do great things and impact this world in remarkable ways.

Stop and think about our grandparents, our parents, our teachers, our coaches – all those wonderful people who have mentored us, taught us and helped us find our way in this world.

Stop and think about our friends. They are as close as family to us. They stand by us through thick and thin. They mean everything to us.

Stop and think about them. We love them so very much.

The cost of a bus ride or taxi seems trivial compared to the cost of losing a loved one.

~

I never met her. I understand that she was one of the happiest people ever. She was always smiling. She was always looking at the positives in any given situation.

A few days ago, Bailey drove her sister home after they enjoyed some time together.

I wasn’t there, but I imagine they hugged when Bailey dropped her off.

Maybe they talked about the next time they would get together.

Probably Bailey said I love you before her sister shut the car door.

I bet Bailey watched her sister open the house door and waved to her before she went in.

Maybe Bailey smiled when she thought of their day together – about how blessed she was to have a sister before she put the car into gear and drove off.

It is my understanding that Bailey was within a kilometer of her house when she was hit by a drunk driver.

Michaela 2nd from the left and Bailey, far right with friends on their graduation.

Please – Stop and think before you drive.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who loved Bailey.

Rest in peace Bailey

~ THE HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Take the lessons you’ve learned and move on

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200 words, bitter, Carrie Fisher, choose, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, forgive, health, joy, resentment, wisdom

Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die ~ Carrie Fisher

Does that even make sense?

You could spend a lifetime analyzing where things went wrong and who is to blame.

You could ponder the what ifs until the end of time.

Turn it all over in your mind a hundred times convinced that your life would have been better if he hadn’t betrayed you

if you had never met her, if she’d never been born

if they had never moved into your town.

Only you will suffer

inviting bitterness into your life.

~

Or you could shake off the dust

shake off your anger

shake off your hatred

and start a new day with a smile on your face, love in your heart

and a new and stronger determination to be what you want to find in this world.

You can choose to forgive

take the lessons you’ve learned and move on

stay true to who you are.

You will shine in vibrant beauty and draw goodness to you

inviting joy into your life.

It’s your choice.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Be filled with peace

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• Hope’s Partners – Forgiveness (hope4usnow.wordpress.com)

A few moments in the cold

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Calgary, cold, courage, Diana Schwenk, Homelessness, joy, poverty, tattered coat, winter, wisdom

“Wisdom often lurks beneath a tattered coat.” ~ Caecilius Statius

It was a bitterly cold winter day.

The kind of day where I just wanted to stay in bed.

But it was a work day so I got my coffee, showered and dressed in layers – lots of layers!

I reluctantly went outside to start my car.

It took a couple of tries.

I was shivering and chilled to the bone.

I cursed the morning and muttered something about hating winter.

A few moments later I headed to work.

Once parked, I got out and began to walk the one block to my office.

I planned to walk fast, so as to spend the least amount of time outdoors.

But my path was blocked by a homeless man coming toward me.

He was struggling to push his shopping cart through the snow.

“Move!” I silently screamed.

As if in response, the man threw his hands into the air, turned his face up to the sky and said, “Isn’t it glorious?”

“Isn’t what glorious?” I snapped with irritation.

“The sun,” he replied.

It’s all about attitude

Have you ever been freed of petty grumblings by an unlikely messenger?

Isn’t it glorious?