Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

-- Harriet Van Horne

Seen at the very tasty Milford Bistro in beautiful Prince Edward County.

The quote was both inspiring and challenging though I'm not sure whether more for cooking or love.

The past is a memory,
the future a fantasy.
It is only in the present that we truly live.

-- Quote from "Snowcake"

I had wanted to see this movie for a while. Who wouldn't want to see a movie filmed in Wawa, Ontario? I quite enjoyed it and recommend it. Stellar cast, moving story. I laughed, I cried, I... Okay, that's a little bit of a stretch. Still, I definitely recommend it.

Quoting Megan Griffith-Greene from "Let's Get Lost" in The Walrus:

Do you believe that the universe is a labyrinth or a maze? A labyrinth traces a single winding path to a centre or exit; you may not know where you are, but you are where you are supposed to be. The way through a maze is interrupted by false paths and dead ends. It is chaos. You have doubt. You have lost faith.

I find it an interesting way of considering things. It seems that life can feel like a maze all too often. Still, I'm inclined to believe it is more like a labyrinth. Does that mean I think fate governs my life (our yours)? Nah, I'd just rather be inclined towards comfort and happiness than doubt and chaos. I hope that's not a bad thing.

Some of the most important "learning moments" can often come as part of extremely trying times. While the challenges in our lives can often leave us, with the benefit of hindsight, better people, I am thankful that not all "learning moments" need to be challenging. In fact, some can be quite tasty.

Just look what my chicken/avocado sandwich taught me today:

Fall in love or fall in hate. Get inspired or be depressed. Ace a test or flunk a class. Speak the truth or lie and cheat. Dance on tables or sit in the corner. Life is divine chaos. Embrace it. Forgive yourself. Breathe. And enjoy the ride..."

--Solbeam

Cheering Success

Blogs are great soap-boxes. You can rail against injustice, go on uncontrolled tirades or you can draw attention to issues that are important to you (maybe hoping that those reading will agree, or at least consider your points). Over the past while I've been touching-in to Richard Takata's efforts. They are something that I thought deserved whatever attention I could turn their way. Again today, you see me standing on my soapbox, drawing attention to the herculean efforts of a young boy. Dakota Russ, a boy of just 9, who has taken on his town and he has won. A truly inspiring moment for all of us. Take a look at what his local paper had to say.

Thanks go to Rob, for drawing my attention to such and inspirational story.

We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can.

--Will Rogers

Not a shred of evidence exists in favour of the idea that life is serious.

- Brendan Gill

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself.

- Galileo

If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.

- Albert Einstein

Growing Old(er), Not Growing Up

I have always liked the quote:

Growing old is mandatory.
Growing up is optional.

- Chili Davis

I'd like to think that I live that in my daily life. I know that there are parts of me that fit with that quote and parts that don't. Still, I think it is a great goal in many ways.

The quote and the idea came to mind when I saw a short documentary about a game I remember from my childhood. This was not a film to remind people of their childhood but rather to show people who have taken that game and changed it to fit their current urban lives. The game is "Manhunt", a cross between hide-and-seek and tag. I used to play it a while back and most often in the woods or some other natural environment. Fast-forward to 2007: People are playing it many urban environments. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and even Perth, Australia. These are young adults (of which I consider myself one-even if it has the word "adult" in it), using their urban surroundings entirely differently from the way most people do. I think it's great for so many reasons. Maybe I should start a regular game in Kingston.

A Life, in Quotes

Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.

- Julius Charles Hare

I could throw quotes at you forever. There are plenty that have touched me in one way or another over the years. I don't want to just toss someone elses words at you though. Of course it's not just tossing someone elses words since the insightful readers will know that the quotes I choose resonate with me. That may or may not mean that they apply to my current experience or betray my immediate thoughts. I guess you'll have to guess when you see quotes come up.

This particular quote I find deep in its simplicity. Whether it means more to me than that is your call. ;)

The secret of achievement is to hold a picture of a successful outcome in the mind.

-Thoreau

From a day calendar/piece of note paper (Thursday June 29, 2006 - to be exact).

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

- The Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (560-480 BC)

Feeling more joyous than sorrowful (but recognizing the place for both), I like this Swedish proverb (I know... Swedish proverb?!)

Shared joy is double-joy, and shared sorrow is half-sorrow.

And now in it's native Swedish (thanks Phil!)

Delad glädje är dubbel glädje

We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are.

- Anaïs Nin

Earlier in the week I threw a quote at you as a way of avoiding sharing my thoughts directly. I recognize, though, that my selection of quotes belies my inner thoughts. Sure, I'm not baring my soul directly but I guess I am communicating a little more about myself than may be obvious at first glance. I promise not to communicate only in quotes but I am not going to stop sharing some now and then since they wouldn't be quotes if they didn't do a bang-up job of communicating someone's thoughts. If I happen to share those thoughts, then all the better. And feel free to add a (Wo) to the beginning of the quote. I don't think Gandhi would mind.

"Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning"

-Mahatma Gandhi

Bicenpostial

Another artificial milestone. Two hundred posts. It's hard to believe that I've had that much to say and share in the past year-and-a-bit.

As at many points on this journey, I'm at a transitionary point. Exciting? Sure. Challenging? Somewhat. Still, it's all part of the adventure. Perhaps this should be my "New Year's". This could be a point to make a resolution for the posts/year ahead. I guess I could come up with something to share with you but I'm resolutionless at the moment (and yes, I am aware of the irony of that situation in light of the content of what follows). Instead, I'm going to leave you with a great quote that was kindly sent my way after the last Goethe quote I posted. Maybe it will resonate with you as it has with me.

Commitment

Until one is committed,
There is hesitancy, the chance to draw back,
Always ineffectiveness.

Concerning acts of initiative (and creation)
There is one elementary truth
The ignorance of which kills countless ideas
And splendid plans:

That the moment one definitely commits oneself
Then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one
That would never otherwise have occurred.

A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
Raising in one's favor all manner
Of unforeseen incidents and meetings
And material assistance
Which no man could have dreamt
Would come his way.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Begin it now.

-Goethe

In order to avoid delving into my own psyche I am going to provide you with another quote to chew on.

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

-Goethe

A quote for all of us (politicians especially)

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

-R. Buckminster Fuller

In light of the season, this may be a timely quote:

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

-Bertrand Russell