Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
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Photo Challenge: More LINES
“Sometimes you have to, as I say, build bridges where you can – but draw lines where you must.” Fred Thompson
Photo Challenge: More LINES – BROOKLYN BRIDGE AT DUSK and More
For this week’s challenge on LINES, I’m sharing some construction shots including the ever popular Brooklyn Bridge at dusk. I’ve been thinking about the theme for this week and trying to find a philosophical arc I can hold unto to help me interpret the assignment. There are lines everywhere we look. From nature to man made structures, there are lines small and large … Lifeline comes to mind. The poem below fits the bill and I’ve tried to include photos that hold special memories for me. Let’s think about this one.
Dancing on the Lifeline by Cecil Miller
Dancing on the lifeline,
Flying through the dirt,
Mixing into puddles,
Resembling the sky…
Everything is nothing.
Nothing is everything.
The truth is but a lie
Not looked in the eye.
The spoiled goods we buy!
Dancing on the lifeline,
Spinning dervish, spin.
Aquire all the knowledge you seek,
Find it is within. More below
More Below! Read more…
Motivation Mondays: A Passion For BOOKS
“Books and all forms of writing are a terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.” Wole Soyinka
Motivation Mondays: A Passion For Books
If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. Toni Morrison
There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book. Marcel Proust
No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance. Confucius
Happy World Book Day! Happy Belated Earth Day! Have books played a big role in your life? They have in mine. I’ve shared this simple fact on this blog, over the years, that because I was a painfully shy child, I found a rich, inner world in books. Through books, I was able to live out fantasies, personalities and claim my version of a superwoman status… all from the comfort of my armchair in my Dad’s study. I am still drawn to the world of books because I simply love the feel of a book; hard or soft cover; with or without a jacket. Audible or visual. To loose oneself in a good book is to feel time stop and watch all our fears and worries slip away; albeit temporarily.
Reading is to the mind what water is to the body; it refreshes and rejuvenates. I remember the first time I read one of my most favorite books; Things Fall Apart, I had to put it down several times as the painful scenes were quite overwhelming. When the protagonist, Okonkwo, participated in the murder of a key character, Ikemefuna, I wept. I have reacted in a similar way to other characters in books I’ve read. Books with well developed, believable, three dimensional characters can leave a deep impression on our psyche, remind us of our frailties, and even embolden us to stand up for a great cause. The power of the pen demands that those who enjoy her favor must use it wisely… to whom such a gift is given, much is expected. I have been moved by many books and continue to discover new works and voices from all genres and walks of life. Instead of rehashing a laundry list of books I’ve read, I’ve added several of my older posts on books below. I encourage you to read any of the books mentioned and share your favorite books list in the comments.
READ: Books: Over 100 Must Read Memoirs To Whet Your Appetite…
Bedtime Stories: What Do You Remember?
Inspiration: Books That Brought Us To Tears…
Dr Seuss: Books For Obsolete Children…
“Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Motivation Mondays: A Passion For Books
A room without books is like a body without a soul. Marcus Tullius Cicero
To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark. Victor Hugo
Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life. Dr. Christiane Northrup
What books are you reading lately? When I pick up a book to read, everything falls away, and I am completely immersed in the world of the characters in the book. Book lovers tend to lose themselves in a good book, make connections with characters they like, and empathize with them. This makes for an emotionally charged reading experience. I read widely but, I do love non-fiction and some autobiographies have such harrowing stories that make you feel compelled to put the book down, pause and bawl. Of course, not everything I read is weepy; the last three books I read were We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union, The Wisdom of Sundays by Oprah Winfrey, and Happiness Is a Choice You Make by John Leland. I am currently reading Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life by Sarah Jakes (TD Jakes daughter). I’ve read quite a wide range of books in the last 6 months, from Black Privilege by Charlamagne Tha God, to Far From The Tree by Andrew Solomon, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, to Rabbit by Jeannine Amber and more.
Frankly, reading is sexy. Learning is sexy… We no longer should make excuses for why we can’t read. While time is still a factor in all of our lives, we choose what we make time for. Get off social media for an hour and read. The best part is that there are some many options available to us now. We can try Audible for audio books, Kindle and its equivalent for a visual read or we can pick up a hard copy or download a book and keep our minds facile and fresh. When we read, we set an example for our kids to read too and no matter what path they decide to follow in life, reading can serve an important role. The creative arts offers so much to the reader including the fact that we are able to find and incorporate new ideas into our work. So, go ahead and Read a book!
READ: 100 Top Inspirational & Motivational Books by Women
Twelve Books to Uplift You & Blast the Blues…
Influential Musings: Twelve Books That Have Shaped My Worldview
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for MAR 2018/APR 2018 are:
03/04 – Women’s History Month, National Nutrition Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, American Red Cross Month, 08 International Women’s Day, World Kidney Day, 04 Academy Awards
03/11 – 11 Daylight Savings, 14 Pi Day, 15 World Consumer Rights Day, 17 St Patrick’s Day
03/18 – 19 St Joseph, 20 International Day of Happiness, 21 World poetry Day, 22 World Water day, 24 Earth Hour
03/25 – Palm Sunday, 29 Holy Thursday, 30 Good Friday, 31 Passover
04/01 – 01, April Fool’s Day, 02, Autism Awareness, 06, International Day Sport Development Peace, 07, World Health Day,
04/08 – 10, National Siblings Day, 10, Equal Pay Day, 12, Holocaust Remembrance Day
04/15 – 17 Tax Day, NationalVolunteerWeek
04/22 – 22, Earth Day, 23, World Book Day, 27, Arbor Day
01/29 – 29, International Jazz Day
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
MORE BELOW!
Photo Challenge: PROLIFIC
“An orchid in a deep forest sends out its fragrance even if no one is around to appreciate it.” Confucius
Photo Challenge: PROLIFIC – Orchids fit the bill
Photo Challenge: PROLIFIC – Orchids fit the bill
Just as I wonder
whether it’s going to die,
the orchid blossoms
and I can’t explain why it
moves my heart, why such pleasure
comes from one small bud
on a long spindly stem, one
blood red gold flower
opening at mid-summer,
tiny, perfect in its hour.
Sam Hamill
PROLIFIC: Orchids are remarkable and prolific flowering plants. There are about 30,000 varieties of this exotic flower and counting. If you love orchids and are in the Tri-State area (NY, CT, NJ), the New York Botanical Garden currently has a fantastic exhibition of both popular and rare orchids; The Orchid Show runs through April 22, showcasing thousands of orchids in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and features a series of installations crafted by Belgian Floral Artist Daniel Ost. His large Installations filled with a breathtaking range of orchids must be seen to truly enjoy them. My photos of the Installations just don’t do them justice because I forgot to bring my wide angle lens for my dslr camera and had to take photos of them with my android. My macro shots of the orchids, above and below, were taken with my Canon DSLR T1 with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens. I love macro photography so that lens is almost always attached… sigh. I need a new Camera though. Hello Canon?
READ: How to Photograph Your Public Art and Large-Scale Installations
How To Photograph Art Like an Expert By William Sawalich
“Periods of tranquility are seldom prolific of creative achievement. Mankind has to be stirred up.” Alfred North Whitehead
Photo Challenge: PROLIFIC – Orchids fit the bill
Photo Challenge: PROLIFIC – Orchids fit the bill
I have become an orchid
washed in on the salt white beach.
Memory,
what can I make of it now
that might please you-
this life, already wasted
and still strewn with miracles?
Mary Ruefle
Did You Know? As I worked on this post, I found out quite a lot about Orchids. They can be finicky plants to maintain unless you follow the recommended watering schedule religiously. LiveScience also offered five fascinating facts about them. As you already know, there are thousands of varieties and we’ve barely made a dent in discovering the full color spectrum of the range. They have a bilateral symmetry that resembles our human face. Did you know that? Take another look. They trick insects into pollinating them by adapting to match what the insect looks like. Smart! Research has shown that orchids date back to around 120 million years. Whoa. Now that is what I call persistence … and longevity. Drumroll! Vanilla is an orchid variety so, every time you take a bite of that vanilla ice cream or taste it in anything you love, think back to this hardy, prolific and versatile plant.
READ: LiveScience 5 Surprising Facts About Orchids
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