Beautiful things come after the rain, you just gotta get through the storm

Friday, April 22, 2011

Top Ten Quotes For Life

I love absolutely love quotes! I like to think of myself as philosophical and easily inspired, and I find meaning in these ten. It was hard to pick them out, but they definitely describe life to the T.   ;-)

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#1  "Life is a flowing river full of opportunities. It's up to you whether you stand with a bucket or a spoon."

                                             

#2  "Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers."

                                             

#3  "What you dislike in another take care to correct in yourself."

                                             

#4  "There is more lost by indecision than wrong decision." 

                                           

#5  "Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it could be."

                                            

#6  "Though you may be under a dark tree, always look for the light shining through the branches."

                                          

#7  "Discipline is remembering what you want." 

                                           

#8  "I'm not telling you it is going to be easy- I'm telling you it's going to be worth it." 
           
                                          

#9  "Remember that every good friend was once a stranger."

                                          

#10  "You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel."

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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Life is Like Running

One of my all-time favorite things in the world is running. When I run, I literally feel free, like nothing in the world can hold me back. I've always thought that this feeling is what a bird feels when it flys, especially an eagle that soars with effortless tranquility. When I run, I feel like everything is okay, even when it may not always be. In this way, I guess it is theraputic, just like how writing is.  :-) 

When you run, life is simple because all you have is a single focus:  just keep moving forward. In this aspect, life is like running. In life, you have to just keep moving forward, no matter how bad you want to stop and quit. Like with running, you have to push yourself and have discipline to keep up the with the pace. There will always be times when you feel like you want to stop and walk, but what good does that do you? In the end, it does nothing for the runner but to make things easy for that single moment. You will become as good as you let yourself be. If you let yourself take the easy way out once things becomes challenging, then you will always fall short of your potential. You will never allow yourself to go beyond the point of where you quit, and therefore will not allow yourself to grow.

As a runner, I know all about this. I hated running when I first started because all I wanted to do was stop to catch my breath. I could not even run a quarter of a mile. I felt defeated and not at where I wanted to be. Then, hardwork paid off, and I find now that I actually enjoy feeling that challenge.....that wanting-to-quit-but-choosing-to-ignore-it-and-just-keep-going kind of feeling.

I think about all these things often, but today while I was running, somehow it felt like this rings especially true for me at this point in my life. I have to remember to keep moving forward, no matter how much I may not want to sometimes.

In the end, a lot can be learned from this simple quote:  "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."  ~Sir Roger Bannister


                                                          Peace. Love. Running

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Best Time of the Year

Without question, right now is the best time of year......it's getting warm, trees are blossoming, and school is almost over. The following pictures captures this. The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC is so beautiful and everyone should see it sometime because it's better than you can imagine. 
  ;-)



                                      Yoshino cherry trees


 





 

                                   Jefferson Memorial


 


                                                  This view is way better in person


 

                                      Looking over to the other side of the Tidal Basin


 


                Beautiful!



 

                                The sun trying to come out.......love the glittering water!



 

                                     Moments before the downpour of rain and hail



 


                                                  A lovely framed shot







                                            This might be my second favorite pic    ;)




                                                     Another good pic of Washington Monument







                                               Looking through the Jefferson Memorial






 


 
                                                                               There are over 3,000 of these trees!




                                                                                                    :-)









                                    The best for last......my favorite picture!