Savvy Thinker » Quotations

Not-so-invisible older women

Karin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:00:18 +0000

I was surprised to learn that in the last 10 years, the Oscar for Best Actress hasn't been awarded to any woman over 39. For the past 9 years, it was even lower, around age 35. If Judi Dench, Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep wins, she will be the most mature recipient since 1990 when Jessica Tandy, at age 80, won for Driving Miss Daisy.

A weird thing happens to male actors, especially movie stars, in my experience. Which is, they become grumpy old men. I think a young male actor feels great. All the girls want him. He's a star. As they get older, that sense of not being in control of their own destiny sort of grates on them, and they get grumpy. And they move into direction to try and feel they're in control of their own destiny...I don't feel psychologically challenged, because I'm in a collaboative situation on a set with a director...

One of the great advantages of getting older is that you can walk into a world which is more truthful and less to do with other people's fantasies. Helen Mirren

Well, who's it gonna be? Likely the decision is already made; we just don't know who it is yet.

I often think life is hardly fair. Tremendous performances can be turned in by several, but because of the thoughts-of-the-year it's a shoo in for one who might not in other years be the choice. But that's life! On to the next project! Talent wins out, Oscar or no Oscar.

When asked if they still had to audition for roles, Dame Judi said:

I think sometimes we might be without knowing it. If you're having a kind of friendly [there's that word again!] meal with somebody and you suddenly see those very beady, gimlet eyes looking at you, you might be auditioning then.

I like to see power going to older women. It makes me feel more secure.

No, seriously, I was just seeing if you were reading. I don't feel more secure, but it may move us away from the 60's kind of veneration of youth.

A well-known George Bernard Shaw quote is:

Youth is wasted on the young.

I hardly think so. But I'd like to see age like Dylan Thomas did:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Let's go on and out with a few sparks and some Oscars.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-02-24 07:23:49.

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Making our lives a prayer

Karin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:14:58 +0000

Norris Burkes had another thought provoking column this week.

Andi Bowsher, author of Praying the Pattern ...says , "Paul [when he said to pray without ceasing] was suggesting making life into prayer rather than making prayer into a life."...I can spend all week praying for fresh inspiration and still get nothing but a frustrated editor muttering some pretty unspiritual words about my column being past deadline. But when I seek to make my life a prayer, when I seek to serve and to become the answer to the prayers prayed by others, I get real inspiration...I pray to become the prayer... Norris Burkes (to see the full article go to his website.

I keep coming back to the idea that our lives are really the answer to someone else's prayer when we live our life as a prayer or are conscious of it. I think I've been aware of that on occasion, but not as a guiding principle. (Elsewhere in the article Burkes talks of 'living the principle that Bowsher describes.')

Can you think of a time when you were the answer to someone's prayer? Perhaps you didn't recognize it at the time.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-10-24 07:35:12.

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What about that HERO OF HARLEM!

Karin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:33:15 +0000

Kudos to Wesley Autrey who saved the life of a 19 year old who fell onto the train tracks Tuesday.

He said something needed to be done and he thought:

I'm the only one to do it. ... I am not a hero.Â Wesley Autrey

Karin

Originally posted 2007-01-05 10:59:32.

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I believe in you, Bob Dylan

Karin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:06:04 +0000

They ask me how I feel
And if my love is real
And how I know I'll make it through.
And they, they look at me and frown,
They'd like to drive me from this town,
They don't want me around
'Cause I believe in you.

They show me to the door,
They say don't come back no more
'Cause I don't be like they'd like me to,
And I walk out on my own
A thousand miles from home
But I don't feel alone
'Cause I believe in you.

I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter,
I believe in you even though we be apart.
I believe in you even on the morning after.
Oh, when the dawn is nearing
Oh, when the night is disappearing
Oh, this feeling is still here in my heart.

Don't let me drift too far,
Keep me where you are
Where I will always be renewed.
And that which you've given me today
Is worth more than I could pay
And no matter what they say
I believe in you.

I believe in you when winter turn to summer,
I believe in you when white turn to black,
I believe in you even though I be outnumbered.
Oh, though the earth may shake me
Oh, though my friends forsake me
Oh, even that couldn't make me go back.

Don't let me change my heart,
Keep me set apart
From all the plans they do pursue.
And I, I don't mind the pain
Don't mind the driving rain
I know I will sustain
'Cause I believe in you.

Copyright Â© 1979 Special Rider Music

Originally posted 2007-04-02 20:26:01.

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Living a passionate life

Karin — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:00:43 +0000

What is the purpose of this life? Do you keep living until you have had all the best experiences? When is life complete? How many years would you want to keep living? Or do you just enjoy living every day?

Life (and fragrance) is not a means to an end; it's the process that is to be savored. Colin, Le 3eme Homme at POL, with permission

I want to live a passionate life. To that end, I've been thinking the last few days of what it means and what it takes to live a passionate life. I came across the quote above and also the article below which put into words what I've been thinking better than I could.

There are many ways to define passion. Dictionary definitions include "ardor, powerful intense emotion, great enthusiasm for something, sexual love, a longing for something that promises enjoyment and satisfaction."

What makes a person passionate? We're not talking about sexual passion per se, but a physical and emotional energy that sustains us and keeps us going, even in the face of adversity. How can you become passionate about life, about what you do every day?

"We tend to define passion as coming from outside ourselves, but day-to-day passion comes from within and requires special skill," says Robert Maurer, Ph.D., a behavioral health provider who travels extensively giving seminars on personal happiness and success.

"It is based on an understanding of our wants and a firm belief in our entitlement to those wants. If we're going to stay passionate about our wants, we have to know what they are (often a surprisingly difficult task) and then hold true to them when obstacles arise."

Confidence, enthusiasm, energy and strong beliefs are often the hallmarks of passion. Do you believe in what you do? Do you have clearly defined goals and wants? Do you keep going even in the face of adversity? These are just some of the elements that define a passionate person. Dr. Maurer maintains that passion and enthusiasm do not come when you achieve success â€” they are necessary fuel to create and maintain success.

The first and most important step is to identify and become clear about your wants and goals. Dr. Maurer suggests these strategies:

Be optimistic. Optimism is an indicator of passion. Believing that there are always choices and taking responsibility are two elements of optimism that play a role in passion.

Identify how you can (or do) contribute to others. Passionate people often view their actions as a service or gift to others, and use it to learn personal lessons; this perspective helps maintain passion.

Take responsibility. Passionate people don't complain and blame others for problems but take full responsibility for making things better. They believe they can make a difference.

The keys to finding and sustaining passion are to have a clear sense of purpose and destination. Dr. Maurer cites several people, especially those who have used their passion to succeed and make a difference even in the face of adversity, as good examples of passionate people: Christopher Reeve and Toni Morrison, for example.

"It's how you operate in the world minute by minute that sets you free and creates passion," notes Dr. Maurer. "Passion is about creating happiness in every moment." From Canyon Ranch

What does it mean to live a passionate life?
What does it mean to you? Are you living a passionate life? Do you wish to?

Karin

Originally posted 2007-03-24 07:17:48.

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Finding happiness in the moments

Karin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:16:53 +0000

A friend sent me a card with these words on it. I've seen it attributed to either Emerson or ee cummings.

The earth laughs in flowers.

Now the card is front and center to my computer screen where I see it daily.

I wish I knew why it seems like negatives grab consciousness quicker and stay longer than happiness, which seems so fleeting. I try to reverse the emphasis by being conscious (and keeping lists) of unexpected happy moments. They feel especially like serendipitous gifts, if I'm having a low moment.

This is a reminder to me that joy is found in places and moments that we might not recognize if we don't consciously let it register. It reminds me to be childlike -- to notice the interesting bug or the flowers in someone's garden or the wildflowers that are profuse along certain roadways. These are moments of happiness mitigating the adult issues that we all face in some form or other. Nature is a gift, freely given.

It just tickles my fancy to think of the earth, laughing, in flowers. A kind of celestial hiccup. And there's another one. And another one. Just like happiness.

I tell a friend that we need to string together moments of healing and happiness, as if the moments were pearls. No one focuses on the knots in a strand of pearls, just the pearls. So too, the knotty issues of life should fade into the background of our happier moments.

I made a bracelet with small sized alphabet beads and crystals using this quote so that it would be before my consciousness as I go about my day. There are even little crystal flowers on it and a butterfly.

I can always use more conscious happiness. How about you!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-01 12:10:17.

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Entwined fate(s) and forgiveness

Karin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:20:51 +0000

To say, my fate is not tied to your fate, is like saying, your end of the boat is sinking. Hugh Downs

Forgiveness is not an elective in the curriculum of life. It is a required course, and the exams are always tough to pass.
Charles Swindoll

These two quotes happened to be side by side in my miscellaneous quote file. I thought, I think they look like they could go together. So I've been thinking of them that way. I'm not sure how to tie them in so it would make sense if your thoughts weren't following the same path. It's easier for me to see it, than to write it.

Maybe it's just the syncretism I see in tying them together. If all parts are necessary for the whole, then it stands to some sort of reason that we need all parts, that we are not as separate as we think.

I think we all learn forgiveness, but I'm not sure all-forgiveness is possible in this life (or maybe even a goal.) We do what we can with what we have, and throw some grace in that makes things possible that are not ordinarily possible, and that's about all I can say about that. And somehow our fates are tied together, forgiveness or not. The required course is tough, but a passing grade is all that is required, not perfection. I think passing can be a sliding scale depending on what we are dealing with, do you? Mercy and grace cover a multitude of falling short of the goal, when we are still doing our best to see our way through.

And somehow, it makes me think, today, of the last HP book in the series. Maybe not the forgiveness part, but the entwined fates part. And how much friendship can make our path easier, even if it is hard.

And it made me laugh to think of only one end of a boat sinking. As if!

Karin

Originally posted 2007-07-20 16:55:20.

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Do you accept your children/other people for who they are?

Karin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:14:59 +0000

One of the best things I've read on acceptance comes from an online friend of mine:

I would no sooner want my daughter straight than I would want my son white. It is the world I want to change, not my kids. Julia at IAT, with permission

I suppose, failing to change the world in one fell swoop, is to change ourselves.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-04-26 06:23:14.

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Live large

Karin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:52:03 +0000

"Look up, laugh loud, talk big, keep the color in your cheek and the fire in your eye, adorn your person, maintain your health, your beauty and your animal spirits."

William Hazlitt 1778-1830, Essayist

Another favorite quote...

It's a reminder to stay sweet, not to let life's challenges bring negative changes, to find the things that bring joy and live them.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-01-05 08:56:49.

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Tamping down prejudices

Karin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:56:21 +0000

I don't think there is a single soul walking around who doesn't have some prejudices. Maybe our prejudices serve to keep us safe -- or maybe we think they do anyway. Or maybe they come out of life's experiences. Who knows. I suppose we fall into two categories: those who drop prejudices over time or those whose prejudices settle in more pronounced.

I was interested in what Sandra Bullock says about her husband who hosts cable-TV Monster Garage, sports a bunch of tattoos and knows his antiques.

I assumed he was a homophobic chauvinist, a bigot who killed people. And later I felt saddened by my assumptions because I wondered how many times had I written off people who truly were real. Sandra Bullock

I hope I'm overcoming a few of my own too. How about you?

Karin

Originally posted 2007-02-21 10:25:41.

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