life

King of the Island

A speckled rooster crowed as he strutted around the beach chairs with head held high acting as though he were “King of the Island” and we were all expected to clap our hands in applause at being in the mere presence of him. Slowly and methodically a hunchback wiry old man with a weather-beaten brow sauntered toward the cedar shelter, his gait slow, wearing nautical swim trunks. A full-face snorkeling mask was dangling loosely around his neck. Each step reminded him of how he had taken his vitality and physical strength for granted only a few years ago. The crashing waves of high tide seemed more of a challenge this morning than he initially thought. 

Have Faith in Yourself 

“One of the things I learned

the hard way was that it

doesn’t pay to get discouraged. 

Keeping busy and making optimism

a way of life can restore 

faith in yourself.”

~ Lucille Ball

Look Up Through the Treetops 

“The sensitive ear of the musician

detects a certain musical note

in every city which is different

from that of another city. 

He hears in each little brook

a new melody, and to him

the sound of wind

in the treetops of different forests 

give a varying sound.”

~ Max Heindel

Take a Seat at the Table

“You should make something.

You should bring something

into the world

that wasn’t in the world before. 

It doesn’t matter what it is. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a table

or a film

or gardening-

everyone should create. 

You should do something,

then sit back and say,

‘I did that.'”

~ Ricky Gervais

The Beauty in Glass

“That we find a crystal

or a poppy beautiful

means that we are less alone,

that we are more deeply inserted

into existence than

the course of a single life

would lead us to believe.”
~ John Berger