Quotations Weblog

This is one of those quotes that sound so good when you first read it. “Yes, Mr. Sandburg is right,” we say to ourselves, nodding seriously, “I should be careful how I spend my time.” It’s only when I’ve sat here looking at this “profound” quote for the last five minutes does it start to fall apart in my mind. I want to dig up Carl out of his grave and argue with him.

It’s true that I don’t want ESPN, CNN or MTV to decide how I’ll spend my coin of life, but I’m a lot more willing to let my friends spend it for me. Last week, Mike and I were in Las Vegas for a convention. We usually go to Las Vegas with Stacey and Dan, my sister and her husband, so this trip was strange to me. It’s so easy to let them decide what they want to see in the loud and bright town. When I have to choose for myself, I usually end up writing in my journal in the hotel room.

I am perfectly willing to let my dearest of friends choose how to spend my coin of life. Most of the fun for me is sharing experiences with them, both the good and the bad. I’m sure Carl Sandburg felt the same way, even though he didn’t make the exception in his famous quotation.

I have a hard time with this quotation. Sacred Idleness sounds like a really nice thing to me. I fantasize about being able to just lie on a beach and relax. I even fantasize about being able to meditate in solemn sincerity. I just have a hard time being able to do any of those things. I just finding “doing nothing” uneasy.

It’s not like I haven’t tried. I’ve tried to lie on the beach, by the pool, or even in the backyard doing nothing. It always turns into a reading or writing project. I’ve tried to take meditation seriously. It has always turned into an efficient way to create a To-Do list. I just have never learned how to “just sits.”

Instead, I find relaxation in other ways. Crochet is really relaxing to me. Even though my fingers are quickly moving and I am creating an object that didn’t exist before, I find it incredibly relaxing. There is something about the repetitive movement of my fingers that eases my worries.

I also find writing relaxing. Writing is my full-time job, so it might seem like a dichotomy to find relaxation in my profession, but there it is. I’m incredibly lucky that way. When words are flowing out of my fingers, I feel more at ease than I have ever felt on a beach.

I also find reading relaxing. Finding a good book is difficult for me, but once I’ve found one, I will set all chores aside in order to enjoy my book. Losing myself in another world is the best way I know to rest. Plus, it’s rare when I read a book and I don’t find more quotations for the Motivational Quotes of the Day.

Most of the things I find relaxing could be considered work. Sacred Idleness sounds like a really good idea, but I’ve never gotten the hang of it. Maybe in my next life.

This is a time of New Year’s Resolutions. We make small promises to ourselves, but it’s January 3^rd. Have you already considered giving up on your resolution?

Whenever I am tempted to do what I told myself I wasn’t going to do, the best thing for me is to sit down with a piece of paper and just start writing. I write about whatever is going on in my mind, even if it seems to have nothing to do with going against my resolution. I just write and write until I feel like I’ve come to an understanding.

For me, this is the “reason of the resolution.” Dieting, not smoking, exercising more, and staying sober are all resolutions that are easy to throw away if we don’t know the reasons why we want to follow them.

It’s not about dieting or exercising more, it’s about the way it feels to pull on those size four jeans. It’s about the way they look at you when you are fit and strong. It’s about being able to climb a flight of stairs without getting out of breath. It’s about having enough energy to keep up with whatever comes your way.

It’s not about smoking, it’s about smelling good. It’s about being able to smell and taste food again. It’s about being able to breathe easily. It’s about staying away from a socially undesirable habit. It’s about never having to see that look of disgust on your lover’s face ever again.

It’s not about staying sober. It’s about how it feels to be in control at all times. It’s about never having to apologize for doing something that you don’t even remember. It’s about having the extra money in your pocket instead of giving it all to the liquor store. It’s the feeling of knowing that you can conquer anything.

If you are thinking about quitting on your New Year’s Resolution, give yourself an hour and a stack of paper and write out the reasons for your resolution. Tell yourself all the things that following your resolution will bring you and how they will make you feel. After you have a list like that in your hands, you might feel differently about quitting on yourself.

This time of year, there is a lot of talk about peace and hope. All of it seems so external. The baby Jesus was born and suddenly, mankind has reason to hope. Maybe it was like that two thousand years ago, but now, I’m really feeling like hope is an internal thing.

Hope is simply a choice to take action. Maybe that’s what happened to so many people so long ago. The Savior was born and they made the decision to act with hope. It wasn’t the birth of the baby so much as the decision to take action.

What do you feel hopeless about right now? Money? The Future? War? Genetically Altered Food? Whatever it is, take a moment right now to take action. Decide to do something about it. Spend less money this holiday. Plan for the future. Protest or support the war. Buy organic and heirloom. Whatever it is that has taken hope from you, resolve today to do one small thing about it.

Hope isn’t about big actions. It’s about the small choices we make every day to make the world a better place. You have the power within your able hands to restore hope. Do it today!

This time of year isn’t all stockings and mistletoe for everyone. The Christmas season can be like a magnifying glass focusing itself on your life. It can bring into focus all that is good with your life and make you more grateful for it or it can focus on what is currently making you miserable. You decide. If this is the time of year that brings all that is lacking in your life into a crystal clarity that is hard to escape, give yourself an hour for an exercise that just might change it’s focus.

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