Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
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Hello world!
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Viktor E. Frankl
Hello world: Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Respite Reminder: I’m Taking My Advice. Will check occasionally. Back soon!
Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
Mirth and Motivation is a lifestyle and motivational blog offering an eclectic mix of mirthful and motivational pieces: Life Tips / Advice, Affirmations/Wellness, Women’s Lives, Food, Travel, Interviews, Inspirational posts, Reviews, Peace, and social media ruminations on people, places, and events that shape our lives. That said, I invite you to stay awhile, read some posts, and share your thoughts with this growing online blog community.
I started this blog 17+ years ago, as a way to help agents/staff at the company I worked for stay motivated. This was my first blog post on this site, hence the dodgy title. After the market crashed and we were downsized, I decided to keep it going. Therefore, the main goal was, and remains, to encourage myself and others to keep moving forward. It has been a long and rewarding journey.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
Over the years, I have learned a lot about blogging, its many positives and pitfalls, and how important it is to stay focused on our own Why or raison d’être. We can choose to focus on one of the fundamental rules of blogging: making connections with others by adding value through our message/content, comments, and social interactions. We can also choose to turn our attention elsewhere. It is entirely up to us.
Nevertheless, one thing I know for sure is that if your heart is invested in what you blog about, you will stay the course. Remember to stay true to who you are and why you blog. It can’t just be about monetization. Add value. Help others. Stay Encouraged.
Another thing I know for sure is that we all want to be heard, appreciated, and respected; I know that empowering messages are far more appealing than incendiary attempts to attract blog attention. If your blogosphere surfing brings you here, relax, kick back, and share a positive tidbit on your worldview.
HOW DO WE STAY MIRTHFUL AND MOTIVATED?
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“True love is eternal, infinite, and always like itself. It is equal and pure, without violent demonstrations.” Honoré de Balzac
Motivation Mondays: Malena & Klepetan in a Stork Love Story
Recently, while scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across a post by Sir David Attenborough, a British broadcaster, writer, and natural historian. It was about a pair of white storks who shared a long and everlasting love story. I was immediately drawn to his post because I found the story compelling and the love and devotion between the storks, Malena and Klepetan, so moving that I wanted to learn more. Someone in the comments section of Sir David’s post shared this version of the story with me, and I invite you to read it and contemplate its beauty. What lessons can we learn from these two storks about love, resilience, commitment, and trust? What can we learn from Stjepan Vokić’s kindness and assistance that helped Malena survive a gunshot wound and thrive in a relationship with Klepetan for 28 years?
We often talk about the resilience of the human spirit, yet that resilience exists in all life forms, and all life forms have feelings and can experience the deepest and most profound love in a relationship. Read and share your thoughts.
1. THE TRAGEDY AND THE RESCUE (1993)
The story began in 1993 in the small village of Brodski Varoš, Croatia. A school janitor named Stjepan Vokić found a female stork near a pond. She had been shot in the wing by poachers, leaving her severely injured and permanently unable to fly.
Vokić rescued her, named her Malena (which means “Little One”), and built her a cozy, insulated nest on his roof for the spring and summer. For the freezing Croatian winters, he built her a warm winter shelter in his garage. He became her caretaker, feeding her fresh fish and keeping her safe.
2. ENTER KLEPETAN (2001)
Because Malena could not migrate, she was incredibly lonely during the winter months. However, in the spring of 2001, a wild male stork landed on her roof. He chose Malena as his mate.
Vokić named him Klepetan, after the distinct klepetanje (clacking) sound storks make with their beaks.
3. THE 13,000-KILOMETER JOURNEY
Storks are migratory birds. When August arrived and the autumn chill began to set in, the instinct to migrate was too strong. Klepetan had to leave Malena behind to fly south for the winter.
He traveled an astonishing 13,000 kilometers (over 8,000 miles) from Croatia, across the Mediterranean, over the Sahara Desert, all the way to South Africa.
But the real magic happened the following March. Against all odds, Klepetan returned.
Let These be Your Desires by Khalil Gibran
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself
But if your love and must needs have desires,
Let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook
That sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart
And give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer
For the beloved in your heart
And a song of praise upon your lips. Via poemofquotes
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“Ironically, Loss gave me far more than it took – it gave me a compassion so strong that I can never retire … you see, I know something valuable – I know about ‘the gift of Loss'” Richard Wilkins
Motivation Mondays: The Gifts & Lessons of Loss
“It can be painful to be the youngest in the family…I never knew any of my grandparents… One by one, I’ve had to say goodbye to all my immediate family – Mum, Dad, two sisters, and a brother. I was 23 when I said goodbye to my Mum. I was 37 when I said goodbye to my Dad. I was 48 when I said goodbye to my only brother John. I was 64 when I said goodbye to my sister Jean. I was 66 when I said goodbye to my sister Doreen. I’m the only one left now, and this is the only photo I have of all of us – I think it was my christening – so it would have been 1950. I’ve had a lot of Loss in my life – loved ones/mansions/millions/marriages/companies/sanity.” Richard Wilkins
Recently, I stumbled across a post by one of my LinkedIn connections that stopped me in my tracks. It was a poignant and powerful piece about what he, Richard Wilkins, termed “The Gift of Loss.” He shared a post in which he talked about his family members who had passed away, about his many losses in life in general, and how the “gift of loss” had made him more compassionate and acutely aware of what was valuable in life. He invited others to reflect on their loss and share the impact on their lives.
As I read Richard’s words, the stark truth hit like a thunderbolt. Yes, loss is inevitable, as throughout our lifetime we all will experience some loss; from personal items to jobs, relationships, and close family members and friends. It is an experience we will have sooner or later. Some experience tremendous losses over and over again, while others might experience a few, but we all experience the sting of loss throughout our lives.
In 1969, world-renowned Psychiatrist, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, wrote her groundbreaking book, On Death and Dying, in which she introduced the idea of the 5 stages of loss/grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Whenever we experience a tragic event, we grieve in five stages that are not necessarily linear. We experience the initial emotion of denial, and subsequently moments of all the others at varying points in our grieving. While we may never fully accept the event and move forward with life and its many demands, we find pathways to manage the grief and work around it. There is no deadline or timeline for grieving, and each person comes to it with their own set of life skills, emotional baggage, and more.
As I explored the subject further, I came to recognize what Richard was pointing out about the lessons and “gifts” we learn along the way. While grief can be all-consuming and even debilitating, it brings out certain emotions that help us cope in ways we might not have considered. It reminds us to value what truly matters over the trivia we can get caught up in during our daily interactions. Here are a few to consider, and perhaps you can share some of your experiences with grieving and how you were able to cope.
Strength in Faith Community: I know that many people turn to their faith during times of grief, and it provides a solid way to connect with a supportive community while working through the difficulties that loss brings into our lives.
Deeper Empathy: Going through intense pain can open our hearts to understanding and responding to others’ pain in similar situations. When we experience loss, we also recognize the pain in others around us, and that provides a supportive, empathetic bond we can share.
Capacity for Deep Love: Love is one of our greatest and deepest emotions, and grief heightens both our memories of loved ones and our capacity to grieve deeply because we loved profoundly. If we look at our closest relationships, we know that those with whom we shared the deepest love are also the ones we hold closest to our hearts. It is an unshakeable bond.
Little Snowdrop by ~Author Unknown
The world may never notice
If a Snowdrop doesn’t bloom,
Or even pause to wonder
If the petals fall too soon.
But every life that ever forms,
Or ever comes to be,
Touches the world in some small way
For all eternity.
The little one we longed for
Was swiftly here and gone.
But the love that was then planted
Is a light that still shines on.
And though our arms are empty,
Our hearts know what to do.
For every beating of our hearts
Says that we love you.
Misfortune by Unknown
A Chinese farmer’s neighbors came over to offer him their sympathy after his horse ran away.
“I’m not so sure it’s a misfortune”, said the farmer. The neighbors left, shaking their heads.The next day, the farmer’s horse returned, and three wild horses came home with him.
The neighbors returned to congratulate the farmer on his good fortune.
“I’m not certain that it is good fortune”, replied the farmer.
The neighbors left, more bemused than before.Later that week, the farmer’s son broke his leg trying to train one of the new horses,
and the neighbors came by to offer condolences.
“I’m not sure this is a misfortune”, said the farmer again.
The neighbors left, discussing the man’s mental state among themselves.The next day, the emperor came through, gathering up young men to be in his army.
They bypassed the farmer’s son, since he had a broken leg. via Wisdom2be
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Motivation Mondays: Gratitude & Optimism
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Cicero
Motivation Mondays: Gratitude & Optimism
Optimism is a choice
Optimism is a lifestyle decision to live joyfully
Optimism is like a seed we plant that bears fruit
Optimism is about immersing ourselves in our work/craft
Optimism is about celebrating the little things
Optimism is about not sweating the small stuff
Optimism is a smile in the face of oppression – Gifts of the Day ~ EOF
Welcome June: As we leave May behind, two words come to mind: Gratitude and Optimism.
Gratitude for the company of family, friends, and well-wishers as we gather to eat, run, rejoice, volunteer, and support those in need globally.
Gratitude for my sister’s recent graduation from Harvard, the graduations of other friends/families, celebrations, renewals, and remembrances.
Gratitude to Abbott Pharmaceuticals/Abbottglobal and TeamAbbott for being my marathon-running sponsor and for sponsoring a community of runners who inspire others by showcasing how they’ve overcome health challenges and made an impact in their communities.
Gratitude for the gift of life, breath, health, love, basic needs, all things that make life joyful, and even for those that teach us painful lessons, and, above all,
Gratitude for God’s abundant grace and blessings.
How Often Do You Express GRATITUDE? It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well, but what do we do when we feel stressed out or trapped by life’s demands? What do we do when we suddenly find ourselves at a loss to say what we think or even how we feel about events around us? And what about when we’ve tried to handle a situation, and it persists, and we try another approach, and it lingers? At some point, we have to surrender our need for all our pegs to fit nicely into their square holes. We have to stop, catch our breath, and change directions, albeit for a short while.
What are you grateful for? What are you optimistic about? When we face life’s obstacles with grace and surrender, we see that life is about changes, hills and valleys, and lessons that help us grow. Real life is messy; it is not linear. We experience good, bad, and everything in between, and our attitude makes the difference. If we become bitter, our pain lingers. If we become grateful, our pain dissipates over time, and we gain the wisdom that comes from surrendering to our need to control everything. The Dalai Lama once said that “When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.”
An Æsop Story: The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse
A Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country. For lunch the Country Mouse served wheat stalks, roots, and acorns, with a dash of cold water for drink. The Town Mouse ate very sparingly, nibbling a little of this and a little of that, and by her manner making it very plain that she ate the simple food only to be polite.After the meal the friends had a long talk, or rather the Town Mouse talked about her life in the city while the Country Mouse listened. They then went to bed in a cozy nest in the hedgerow and slept in quiet and comfort until morning. In her sleep, the Country Mouse dreamed she was a Town Mouse, with all the luxuries and delights of city life that her friend had described to her. So the next day when the Town Mouse asked the Country Mouse to go home with her to the city, she gladly said yes.
When they reached the mansion in which the Town Mouse lived, they found on the table in the dining room the leavings of a very fine banquet. There were sweetmeats and jellies, pastries, delicious cheeses, indeed, the most tempting foods that a Mouse can imagine. But just as the Country Mouse was about to nibble a dainty bit of pastry, she heard a Cat mew loudly and scratch at the door. In great fear, the Mice scurried to a hiding place, where they lay quite still for a long time, hardly daring to breathe. When at last they ventured back to the feast, the door opened suddenly and in came the servants to clear the table, followed by the House Dog.
The Country Mouse stopped in the Town Mouse’s den only long enough to pick up her carpet bag and umbrella.“You may have luxuries and dainties that I have not,” she said as she hurried away, “but I prefer my plain food and simple life in the country with the peace and security that go with it.”
Moral: Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty. Via read.gov
🌟GRATITUDE by Melody Beattie
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
June by John Updike
The sun is rich
And gladly pays
In golden hours,
Silver days,
And long green weeks
That never end.
School’s out. The time
Is ours to spend.
There’s Little League,
Hopscotch, the creek,
And, after supper,
Hide-and-seek.
The live-long light
Is like a dream,
And freckles come
Like flies to cream.
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