FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
“Are you emotional?” I was asked. We were having our regular friendly drinks together. “Am I what?” I replied. “I get emotional watching the Angelus.” And I do. I got very emotional watching that scene they used to air a while back: a mother and daughter, with special needs, making a loaf of bread together. I found that very touching.
“Truth be known I’m a sentimental slob,” I told my friends. And so, this week with sentimentality in mind – a potpourri of pieces that hover somewhere between sentimentality, wisdom and common sense.
And if you haven’t the stomach for sentimentality look away now. Oh, and if you are affected in any way by anything in these pieces – deadly! Good! Great!
Eight lessons from
a Japanese monk
The quieter you are, the more you hear what matters.
A clear mind is stronger than a busy one.
Happiness is found in discipline, not desire.
The one who masters patience, masters Life.
Anger is like hot coal, it burns the hand that holds it.
True strength is being kind when it’s hardest.
The ego shouts but wisdom whispers.
A prescription
for happiness
Express gratitude regularly.
Set, and work, towards goals, small and big.
Cultivate optimism. Be more kind.
Become more self-aware.
Nurture your relationships.
Exercise daily – the greatest pill of all.
Value your time. Live in the moment
Laughter – take daily.
Five quotes worth
remembering
1. We suffer more in our imagination, than in reality (Seneca).
2. Care about what others think, and you’ll always be their prisoner
(Lao Tze).
3. Our life is what our thoughts make it
(Marcus Aurelius).
4. A fool is known by speech,
a wise man by silence
(Pythagarus).
5. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room
(Confucius).
Dust if you must
But wouldn’t it be better
To paint a picture, write a letter,
Bake a cake or plant a seed
Ponder the difference
Between want and need
Dust if you must
But there’s not much time
With races to run, mountains to climb
Music to hear and books to read
Friends to cherish and life to lead
Dust if you must
But the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes
And wind in your hair
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain
This day will not come round again
Dust if you must but bear in mind
Old age will come and it’s not kind
And when you go, and go you must
You, yourself will make more dust
(Rose Milligan).
Stop waiting
Most people wait for everything.
For Friday. For summer. For happiness.
But Life keeps moving on
While they postpone joy.
Happiness isn’t hiding in the future
It only exists now.
The moment you stop waiting
You start living. Don’t chase happiness
Practice it right here. Right now.
(Soul Guidance).
My wish for you
This is my wish for you:
comfort on difficult days
Smiles when sadness intrudes
Rainbows to follow the clouds
Laughter to kiss your lips
Hugs when spirits sag
Friendships to brighten your being
Confidence for when you doubt
Courage to know yourself
Patience to accept the truth
Love to complete your life.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Four things to
remember in life
1. Forgive your enemy, but remember the bastard’s name.
2. Money can’t buy happiness but it’s more comfortable to cry in a Merc than in a back street.
3. Help someone when they’re in trouble and they’ll remember you when they’re in trouble again.
4. Alcohol does not solve problems but, then again, neither does milk.
