When I first got involved with Facebook; I used to post a status everyday. Sometimes several times a day. But then I became one of those people who only posted a status when I had something worthwhile or exciting to share; and sometimes I had to go looking for it. Over the past few months, I've gained some valuable perspective from quotes that I've discovered; while looking for something meaningful to post as my Facebook status, and I even managed to parlay some of the quotes into blogs; as many of you know. So yesterday, I again went in search of some inspiration. I didn't really have a specific topic in mind; when I came across "Reel Life Wisdom," The movie quote directory but it's proven to be an amusing and useful find.
The Reel Life Wisdom site has a multitude of categories to chose quotes from. They break it down first by SELF, LIFE, LOVE & RANDOM BITS OF WISDOM. THEN, they disseminate the quotes further, based on additional themes. For instance, under SELF, you may find quotes about Identity vs. Image, Perspective, Purpose, Hope and character; just to name a few. For LIFE: Choice vs. Destiny, Freedom, Decision making, Achievement and Change. Under the heading of LOVE you could find quotes about Men, Women, Feelings, Friends, and Sex, amongst others. And RANDOM BITS OF WISDOM includes such subjects as Adversity, Reality and Truth, Respect, Responsibility, and Regret. You'll have to check this site out for yourself; because the topics that I've listed are truly, only the tip of the iceberg. They even offer teacher/parent tools so that movie quotes may be used to generate meaningful conversations with kids about self-management.
When I chose to write about "Reel Life Wisdom," I decided that I'd pick a topic and share some of the quotes that made an impact on me. So, in the interest of, (say it with me,) "The GREATER Good;" it should come as no surprise, that I've selected movie quotes about MEANINGFUL LIVING...
“If you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”
"Dead Poets Society" 1989
“Life is too short to be wondering, ‘What if?’”
"Paper Heart" 2009
“Take part. Contribute. Be interested in everything and everybody.”
"Now Voyager" 1942
“The effort must be total for the results to be meaningful.”
"Wit" 2001
“If you’re not excited by it, why do you do it?”
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" 2009
“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be."
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" 2008
"I don’t want to survive, I want to live!"
"WALL-E" 2008
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING
I know myelf extremely well. I recognize my strengths; and I'm uniquely, well aware of my weaknesses; which is why I can admit, that I am The Queen of GRIPES. It's not that I like to complain; it's just that, although I'm a patient person; I am also very easily annoyed. To give you some insight into my frequent griping; I'll share this tidbit. I think that I am prone to gripe because in any instance that I feel as if myself or my loved ones are being cheated out of something; my defenses flare up. I believe this stems from feeling cheated out of having my parents; and all that would entail. I know, HEAVY for a Wednesday night blog; but you know me, I'm the Queen of FAIRNESS, even at my own expense; and I'm just trying to give you an honest assessment.
Now, with this being said; I can tell you that I DON'T enjoy griping. I wish that I never griped. I would love for things to be able to flow off my back, and I wish that things didn't bother me as easily or as often as they do; but old habits die hard and history and baggage can be very difficult to overcome. Nonetheless; I realized today, that this is exactly what I need to do.
Earlier today I had a lengthy conversation with (SMF) Big Mike; the director of our soccer board. Part of our conversation was about our upcoming tournament, and he shared some information that disturbed me; because I found the decision to be very unfair to the children. Rather than be so vague, let me take a minute to explain. Every year we have a two day tournament at the end of the soccer season; and we always have it at a location, other than where we play regularly. Additionally, the tournament starts on Friday evening, so that the kids get the opportunity to play at night, under lights; and everyone seems to find this pretty exciting; kids and parents alike. Well today Mike told me that the teams that are in first place for U-8 (Kelsie's division and team as luck would have it,) and U-10 (Lyndzi's division and team, as luck would have it;) are NOT going to play on Friday night; and instead, they will play a double header on SaturDAY. I objected; and explained that I thought that it was unfair that the teams who had done the best all season, were going to be deprived of an experience that we were supposed to be giving to everyone. Mike fully agreed, but said that others were doing the planning and it just seemed like this was the way it was going to have to be.
OK, now let me stop you; and say I KNOW, this is NOT a big deal, in the big scheme of things. I KNOW that there are A LOT worse things going on in the world right now; and I'm not saying that this occurrence even merits being discussed; BUT it is a turning point for me; which is why I'm exposing myself and my thoughts in this way. I was contemplating the situation later in the day, and I decided that I would blog about it. I also knew that I had to STOP! Instead of being annoyed that my girls were being short changed; I needed to be grateful that I had healthy girls who COULD play soccer. I needed to be thankful that I could still afford for my kids to play soccer; and I needed to realize that no one will be any worse the wear, even if they are disappointed. I decided that I wanted to and HAD to choose happiness; and in doing so, I had to let go of these petty annoyances; and just go with the flow. Whatever it is; it is. Now, this is not to say that I am always going to accept whatever hand I'm dealt; because I do think that I have the ability to effect change; BUT, it means that if I haven't succeeded in my quest; I have to accept it, and choose to be happy despite it; rather than tell everyone I know about my latest pitfall.
So there you have it. My lesson of the day; I CHOOSE HAPPINESS!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING
