other people's words
Have come across some inspiring and timely quotes lately. This one by John Steinbeck, written as advice to his own son in a letter, is simple but so profound:
"And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."
Because we do tend to rush things. Our nature is to categorize and label our experiences and to do that we need things to be complete and definable. But the best things about life, love, creativity, art, beauty...these things are entirely undefinable. And so we rush to hold on to these precious things when all the while our rushing forward only pushes all the good stuff further away.
Also came across this great quote, by Alice Walker, about creativity:
"Creation is really a sustained period of bliss — even though the subject can still be very sad. Because there’s the triumph of coming through and understanding that you have, and that you did it the way only you could do it — you didn’t do it the way somebody told you to do it, you did it just the way you had to do it. And that is what makes us us."
I really identify with the idea of creation being intrinsically related to our "selves". Retaining individual integrity is an ongoing process in any persons life; whether you are an accountant or a writer, there will be times when you are tempted to do things in a way, other than your own, for commercial gain or success. Staying the creative course is a success unto itself.
The 25km race is next weekend. I did a 16km yesterday with no problem, my foot seems healed and my fitness is back up to where I was at the end of January. I'm so nervously excited to see how everything goes...trying very hard to curb my competitiveness and just approach the race as an experience. "Run to finish" should be my mantra, but instead I'm finding myself thinking "run to finish fast". Either way, I'm loving the sport.
"And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."
Because we do tend to rush things. Our nature is to categorize and label our experiences and to do that we need things to be complete and definable. But the best things about life, love, creativity, art, beauty...these things are entirely undefinable. And so we rush to hold on to these precious things when all the while our rushing forward only pushes all the good stuff further away.
Also came across this great quote, by Alice Walker, about creativity:
"Creation is really a sustained period of bliss — even though the subject can still be very sad. Because there’s the triumph of coming through and understanding that you have, and that you did it the way only you could do it — you didn’t do it the way somebody told you to do it, you did it just the way you had to do it. And that is what makes us us."
I really identify with the idea of creation being intrinsically related to our "selves". Retaining individual integrity is an ongoing process in any persons life; whether you are an accountant or a writer, there will be times when you are tempted to do things in a way, other than your own, for commercial gain or success. Staying the creative course is a success unto itself.
The 25km race is next weekend. I did a 16km yesterday with no problem, my foot seems healed and my fitness is back up to where I was at the end of January. I'm so nervously excited to see how everything goes...trying very hard to curb my competitiveness and just approach the race as an experience. "Run to finish" should be my mantra, but instead I'm finding myself thinking "run to finish fast". Either way, I'm loving the sport.
posted by wattlebla at 12:12
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