Bird Droppings July 11, 2011
Is it really adversity?

“If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience.” Robert Fulghum

I was working in the yard most of the day yesterday when I was not at a reptile show with my son, weeding our front shrub beds and working on edging the beds as well and all during the day various birds flew by chirping and calling sort of keeping me company as I toiled. In the late morning a red tailed hawk swooped across the yard over into some pines to add to a rather interesting morning. As I thought today and much early saw this quote from Fulghum it seemed to be a good way to look at life. But it is also too how we deal with the problems we face.

“We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ unless we ask the same question for every moment of happiness that comes our way.’ ’A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.’” Authors Unknown

So often we get absorbed in the issues, the problems and do not see what lies ahead or that something can lie ahead around the turn. It must be that compulsive obsessive behavior that seems inborn in so many of us myself included.

“The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief.” William Shakespeare, Othello

Life continually throws curve balls and learning to hit a curve ball is the secret and not succumbing to the psychological ploys of the pitcher. Of course when you learn to hit curves the pitcher may throw a slider.

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” Mother Teresa

There is a bit of humor in Mother Theresa’s stoicism as she wondered about her place in the circle of life and questioned.

“We acquire the strength we have overcome.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

A simple thought but adversity does bring strength. Thinking back to yesterday and Dr. Garrett and the rule of opposites there needs to be weakness for the strength as we struggle through life.

“You can’t run away from trouble. There ain’t no place that far.” Uncle Remus

I recall Uncle Remus from Disney’s cartoons based on the characters and many trips through Madison Georgia that is the home of the Uncle Remus’ characters. Even in Madison you see the Disney art work portraying the various characters. In life far too often we run away trying to avoid dealing with issues and there is no place far enough eventually it does catch up.

“Enduring habits I hate…. Yes, at the very bottom of my soul I feel grateful to all my misery and bouts of sickness and everything about me that is imperfect, because this sort of thing leaves me with a hundred backdoors through which I can escape from enduring habits.” Friedrich Nietzsche

A day or so ago a comment was made about over achievers as I read various educational materials. In dotting every I and crossing every T and each capital letter exactly correct as I read I was thinking obsessive compulsive. Understanding our frailties and weaknesses can make us strong.

“If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don’t embrace trouble; that’s as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you’ll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Perhaps it is in acknowledgement of trouble that we can overcome it. It is true we learn and we grow, we develop a capacity to overcome adversity as life experiences are gained.

“The healthy and strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it, whether he’s got an abscess on his knee or in his soul.” Rona Barrett

“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.” Garrison Keillor

So often we fret over things that in truth are simply a part of life and fretting will not take it away it is in knowing how to deal with and live with them.

“Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies.” Erich Fromm

You have to get through the trials before you can savor the victory is what most coached will tell their teams.

“I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.” Jewish Proverb

As I think and ponder perhaps this is the most powerful quote of today. If we all looked at life this way what a world we would have, no more whiners.

“Sometimes the littlest things in life are the hardest to take. You can sit on a mountain more comfortably than on a tack.” Author Unknown

This is such a good illustration picturing a tack and a mountain and trying in turn to sit on each. The big issues we seem to deal with but those sharp tiny ones sneak in there and cause the trouble.

“How can something bother you if you won’t let it?” Terri Guillemets

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” Frank A. Clark

“As long as you keep getting born, it’s alright to die some times.” Orson Scott Card

“Bad is never good until worse happens.” Danish Proverb

Even though the smooth pavement is so much easier to travel on I do prefer a bump now and again to keep me awake. I was thinking of the ripples alongside the interstate highways before bridges they really do wake you up quick. Sometimes we need a ripple or two to keep us going.

“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” Walt Disney

Walt Disney was one of the great optimists of our time. Back in the day he had the vision to see pine flats, orange groves and swamp and envision a city, an amusement park unlike anything ever built before. As I look back all from drawing of a little mouse.

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” Arthur Golden

“There’s a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out.” Lou Reed

Again the rule of opposites falls into play and from Eastern thought the yin and yan opposites that need each other so you can truly see what each is often depicted as black and white which h is for many the contrast of life.

“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” Mary Engelbreit

So much of life is how we see it and then what we do about it. It is a new week so as always please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts.
namaste
bird

Doc Bird’s Herb Garden note:

Soothing tea – This is from Kathleen Brown’s book Herbal Teas. I tried it last evening and not bad although I added a little lime juice and blue agave nectar.

1 part catnip leaves
1 part lemon balm leaves
1 part linden blossoms (Basswood tree and no blossoms to be found yesterday)
1 part oat straw
1 part passiflora leaves (passion flower)
1 part St. John’s wort blossoms

Combine herbs in a pot cover with boiling water steep 15 – 20 minutes