This is a group for people who want to live their lives well, and about all of the things that go along with that: Personal growth, leadership, inspiration, fulfillment and fun, paying it forward, community, living green, living with passion, purpose, and in accordance with values... Come join us! My hope is that members here will also share this friendship in the other areas on this site, including in debate, in shoutboxes, and in Q&A. Welcome!! Let's all live well!
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Also--Please feel free to check out these other Blurtit links, where you will find people committed to principles that support all of us living well now and in the future on this planet:
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Renewable Energy and Efficiency Group on Blurtit
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Global Warming Group on Blurtit
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Purpose Driven Art
Advice to Travelers
A burro, once sent by express,
His shipping ticket on his bridle,
Ate up his name and his address,
And in some warehouse, standing idle,
He waited till he liked to died.
The moral hardly needs the showing:
Don't keep things locked up inside--
Say who you are and where your'e going.
Walker Gibson
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Last edited by
robbier44  07 Jul 2008 20:04:12
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We All Dream of a Better World... |
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A world of tolerance, respect and understanding.
A world where nobility is honored.
A world not preoccupied with materialism, fame or trivia.
A world where free education is effective and inspiring.
A world where expert medical care is affordable and accessible.
A world where doing a good job, hard work, showing up and loyalty matter.
A world that wants to know our best ideas and values our opinions.
A world that is more fair, more just, more compassionate.
A world where we trust our leaders because they deserve our trust.
A world where leaders seek for the common good.
A world where we can afford all our necessities and some reasonable luxuries.
A world with a healthy planet.
A world that is safe for our children.
That is not the world we have.
But it is the world we could have.
(Courtesy of The American Dream Project:
www.americandreamproject.org, retrieved June 16, 2007)
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Last edited by
amore01 30 Aug 2007 04:00:01
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Inspirational Quotes For Our Lives |
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"I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being."
-- Dalai Lama
There is no proof for God, but there is enough proof in the people who have loved him. ...the Divine is evidenced in the ways of love. That is the only evidence. |
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Last edited by
amore01 17 Mar 2008 07:46:26
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Inspiration and Encouragement |
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Time passes quickly. May you find the courage to go after your heart's desires. And when the time comes for you to look back at your life, may you be deeply grateful that you've led a life that has purpose and meaning to you. - Susan
In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong; honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.
-- John Ruskin
Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.
-- Brendan Francis
No pleasure philosophy, no sensuality, no place nor power, no material success can for a moment give such inner satisfaction as the sense of living for good purposes, for maintenance of integrity, for the preservation of self-approval.
-- Minot Simons
Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.
-- Oscar Wilde
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.
-- Elbert Hubbard
I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
-- Stephan Grellet
In the words of Albino Luciani (Pope JohnPaul I):
If you come across error, rather than uprooting it or knocking it down, see if you can trim it patiently, allowing the light to shine upon the nucleus of goodness and truth that usually is not missing even in erroneous opinions.
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Last edited by
amore01 30 Aug 2007 04:03:52
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Funny Latin Phrases |
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Laughing well and often is a part of living well! Check out these unusually funny Latin phrases for modern times (compiled by Henry Beard) and laugh yourself silly!!
Excuses
My dog ate it.
Canis meus id comedit.
I did call. Maybe your answering machine is broken.
Sane ego te vocavi. Forsitan capedictum tuum desit.
Baby, Sweetheart, would I lie to you?
Amicule, deliciae, num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
The check is in the mail.
Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est.
I was kidnapped by aliens. What year is it?
Hostes alienigeni me abduxerunt. Qui annus est?
Insults
In the good old days, children like you were left to perish on windswept crags.
Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.
Things to Say to a Teenager
Really Rad, dude!
Radicitus, comes!
What's happening?
Quid fit?
Latin for Computers
Why won't you print out?
Cur ullum imprimere non vis?
I did not commit a fatal error!
Non erravi perniciose!
Garbage in, garbage out.
Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum.
Bumper Stickers
When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have catapults
Cuem catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscripti catapultas habebunt
If you can read this bumper sticker, you are both very well educated and much too close
Si hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter educatus et nimis propinquus ades
And finally...
Lies that don't seem as serious in Latin...
The check is in the mail.
Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est.
I have nothing to declare.
Nihil declaro.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Nescio quid dicas.
It was that way when I got here.
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
There's no one here by that name.
Nemo hic adest illius nominis.
Don't call me, I'll call you.
Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo. |
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Last edited by
amore01 30 Aug 2007 03:55:42
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More Fun Latin |
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Flattery Sounds More Sincere in Latin...
Have you lost weight?
Nonne macescis?
You haven't aged a bit!
Minime senuisti!
It looks great on you!
Id tibi praebet speciem lepidissimam!
A wig? I never would have guessed!
Capillamentum? Haudquaquam conieci esse!
And Intimate Subjects are Much Easier to Broach in Latin...
Your fly is open.
Braccae tuae aperiuntur.
Your slip is showing.
Subucula tua apparet.
You have a big piece of spinach on your front teeth.
In dentibus anticis frustum magnum spiniciae habes.
You've been misusing the subjunctive.
Abutebaris modo subjunctivo. |
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Last edited by
amore01 08 Aug 2007 02:00:43
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Handy Dandy Latin For BlurtIt |
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For debates
Whatever has been said in Latin seems deep
Quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur
Unencumbered by the thought process
non impediti ratione congitatonis
It does not follow
non sequiter
Ignorance of the issue
ignoratio elenchi
In reaction to strange answers given
"Cobbler, no further than the sandal!" (or "not beyond the foundation", meaning, "don't provide answers outside your area of competence")
ne sutor ultra crepidam
The wrath of gods
Ira Deorum
One day we'll look back on this and smile
haec olim meminisse iuvabit
In response to strange questions
Have mercy upon us
miserere nobis
In a vacuum
in vacuo
For very good questions and answers
Let it be printed
impramatur
When someone really doesn't know or 'fakes' the answer
The explanation is less clear than what is supposed to be explained
ignotum per ignotius
In God we hope
in Deo speramus
Thus indeed
ita vero
Road trip!
iter faciamus!
When we don't understand the question
One day we will think this was funny
haec olim meminisse iuvabit
And finally, at the end of your BlurtIt Session...
Everywhere I have searched for peace and nowhere found it, except in a corner with a book
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro |
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Last edited by
amore01 14 Oct 2007 19:49:12
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It's Better Than Sitting Around...Darwin Awards |
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[[B:Lawn Chair Larry
1982 Honorable Mention
Confirmed True by Darwin]]
(1982, California) Larry Walters of Los Angeles is one of the few to contend for the Darwin Awards and live to tell the tale. "I have fulfilled my 20-year dream," said Walters, a former truck driver for a company that makes TV commercials. "I'm staying on the ground. I've proved the thing works."
Larry's boyhood dream was to fly. But fates conspired to keep him from his dream. He joined the Air Force, but his poor eyesight disqualified him from the job of pilot. After he was discharged from the military, he sat in his backyard watching jets fly overhead.
He hatched his weather balloon scheme while sitting outside in his "extremely comfortable" Sears lawnchair. He purchased 45 weather balloons from an Army-Navy surplus store, tied them to his tethered lawnchair dubbed the Inspiration I, and filled the 4' diameter balloons with helium. Then he strapped himself into his lawnchair with some sandwiches, Miller Lite, and a pellet gun. He figured he would pop a few of the many balloons when it was time to descend.
Larry's plan was to sever the anchor and lazily float up to a height of about 30 feet above his back yard, where he would enjoy a few hours of flight before coming back down. But things didn't work out quite as Larry planned.
When his friends cut the cord anchoring the lawnchair to his Jeep, he did not float lazily up to 30 feet. Instead, he streaked into the LA sky as if shot from a cannon, pulled by the lift of 42 helium balloons holding 33 cubic feet of helium each. He didn't level off at 100 feet, nor did he level off at 1000 feet. After climbing and climbing, he leveled off at 16,000 feet.
At that height he felt he couldn't risk shooting any of the balloons, lest he unbalance the load and really find himself in trouble. So he stayed there, drifting cold and frightened with his beer and sandwiches, for more than 14 hours. He crossed the primary approach corridor of LAX, where Trans World Airlines and Delta Airlines pilots radioed in reports of the strange sight.
Eventually he gathered the nerve to shoot a few balloons, and slowly descended. The hanging tethers tangled and caught in a power line, blacking out a Long Beach neighborhood for 20 minutes. Larry climbed to safety, where he was arrested by waiting members of the LAPD. As he was led away in handcuffs, a reporter dispatched to cover the daring rescue asked him why he had done it. Larry replied nonchalantly, "A man can't just sit around."
The Federal Aviation Administration was not amused. Safety Inspector Neal Savoy said, "We know he broke some part of the Federal Aviation Act, and as soon as we decide which part it is, a charge will be filed."
DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2007
Submitted by: Ed Greany, Douglas Walker, Walter Hecht
Reference: UPI, Stabbed with a Wedge of Cheese by Charles Downey
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Last edited by
amore01 10 Aug 2007 20:48:13
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Paying it Forward Stories |
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Harmony for Youth, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Dear Catherine,
My name is Joanne Klauke-LaBelle, I am the founder and CEO of a registered charity in Southwestern Ontario. I began this organization after a tragic suicide of a young boy that I cared very very much. The organization's mandate is to improve the self-esteem of youth through the vehicle of the arts.
We offer 21 different art programs completly free of charge, we supply all material, and supplies, as well as teachers.
We also have a mentoring program, tutoring, meal, and clothing programs, and all free of charge with no pre-requisites, means tests, or waiting lists.
All students "pay" for their lessons by "paying it forward".
Currently we have over 1000 youth that are members, and four seperate centres.
We have changed many lives due to the Pay it forward, and thanks to you and your philosophy we have made a real difference in our community.,
Please check out our web-site for information. I think you will be pleased.
www.harmonyforyouth.org
We hope that you take an interest and want to find out more about our great program.
Yours Truly,
Joanne Klauke-LaBelle
Executive Director
Harmony
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Last edited by
amore01 30 Aug 2007 08:40:52
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IDEAS FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO JOURNAL |
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What Should I Write About?
Some journalers stop writing because ocassionally they will sit down to write and feel stuck or unmotivated. Some just like to create structure and defined purpose in their writing. Using "springboards" is a great way to give the journaler direction and motivation to write. They are topic sentences that launch the journaler in a direction and gives the journaler some focus. Here are some springboards to consider. (Most of there ideas come from Kathleen Adams, M.A.. She wrote "Journal to The Self", and I highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in journaling!)
QUOTATIONS AS SPRINGBOARDS:
Create a custom journal by writing your favorite quotes (one for each day) on the blank pages of your journal or spiral. This affords the writer an opportunity to explore and philosophize on a variety of topics that can have relevance to that day or period in his/her life.
KEEPING IT SHORT AND SIMPLE (K.I.S.S.)
Eloquent speakers and/or prolific writers sometimes have difficulty because they find they are writing copiously about the mundane details of their lives. A trick to providing more focus to entries is to create and use some sentence completion springboards. Create your own, and keep a running list on one page of your journal that you can refer to when you need a springboard like this. Here are some samples to start you off:
1. Today I feel_____ years old (6, 16, 60?)
2. I am excited about…
3. Three things I want to accomplish (today, this week? Month? Year? Before I die?)
4. What is the state of my (mind? Relationship? Career? Life? Business? Home?)
5. The most important thing to do right now is...
6. My idea work environment would include…
7. Right now, I feel…
8. What I need most right now is…
9. The resources available to me are...
10. I am happiest when…
11. I can best use my resources now by...
12. What I value most about my relationship with ________ is …
13. What I miss most is…
14. I feel (a certain way) about _______________(upcoming event? Person? Eating? Money? Issue? )
15. I feel excited when…
16. I am so turned off by...
17. I am proud of myself for…
18. I am losing or gaining healthy personal power by...
19. I’m alone, and it’s…
20. Today was a … (great? Lousy? Stressful? Hectic? Incredible?) day…
21. Why am I feeling so… (happy, afraid, alone, paranoid, excited, etc.)
22. What I really want is...
23. I doing to __________ to experience joy in my life right now.
24. Right now, I am grateful for…
25. What has changed for me (lately, in the last month, since the divorce, in the last year, at my job, etc.)
26. Just recently, I learned…
27. My biggest (secret, joy, fear, wish, etc.)
28. I feel like my body is...
29. I am considering...
30. I can take care of myself by...
TOPICS FOR THE DAY - Another Idea
Another approach to journaling is useful for monitoring specific areas in your life. It involves creating a list of 31 items of importance of which you wish to keep ongoing track. For example, number a page 1-31. This will become your reference page. By each number, write only one topic you wish to monitor. Then, each day you write about the topic that is numbered the same as today's date. (If today is the 30th, you write about the item number 30.) Here is a partial list of 31 topics from one single mom, for example:
1. Rituals
2. James (Boyfriend)
3. My job
4. Spiritual life
5. Journal writing
6. Old friends
7. Habits
8. Projects planned
9. Body/health
10. Blessings
11. Parents/family
12. Hobbies and Leisure
13. Money
14. Goofing off
15. Dreams
16. New relationships
17. The world around me...
18. Things to improve
19. School
20. Completions
21. Monica (daughter)
22. Lessons
23. Observations
24. Successes
25. Travel and holiday
26. Celebrations
27. Synchronicities
28. Reflections
29. Boundaries
30. Business
31. Self Discipline
These 31 topics stay constant. In this way you can track how you're doing with each of these 31 topic areas over a period of time.
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Last edited by
amore01 06 Sep 2007 18:48:21
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Other Groups |
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Check out these other groups related to Living Well!
Cooking and Food: The Spice of Life!
Description: If you eat, go there. Food ideas, answers to questions, grilling and other techniques, worst and best cooking stories, where to find ingredients, preparation tips, favorite restaurants, recipes, and funny (and serious) food pictures
Blurtit Puzzles, Jokes and Fun
So much of what brings joy to life is our ability to keep it in perspective. Check out this fun site for some perspective through a grin, giggle, or even a guffaw! You'll love it!
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Last edited by
amore01 06 Sep 2007 18:51:58
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A Sample List Of Life Values |
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Values are beliefs and priorities that guide our actions in life. Many people adopt values simply by default, or because they are someone else's (parents, friends, society) whose view they respect.
What are your values? There is no right and wrong list; everyone is different. But the important thing to remember is that people are happier , more successful, more fulfilled, and more peaceful when they are living in accordance with deeply held values that are authentically theirs.
I encourage you to define your own values. How do they inform your life choices? What changes can you make that would make your life more "in synch" with your values and bring you greater peace/happiness?
Following is a sample list of life values to examine. What are your top 5 ?
Achievement
Belonging
Concern for the Environment
Family
Concern for/Service to Others
Creativity
Independence
Health
Life Purpose/Meaning
Financial prosperity
Spirituality
Humility
Privacy
Interdependence
Responsibility
Education/Wisdom
Integrity
Enjoyment
Expertness
Leadership
Prestige
Personal Development
Enjoyment
Spontaneity
Friendship
Loyalty
Location
Challenge
Security
Industriousness
Live well!--
Amore01
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Last edited by
amore01 25 Sep 2007 08:15:18
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"Live Well" Music Theme |
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This song characterizes how I see the reason for this group of strangers who have become friends. It is great to have you all here.
Blessings to all, and to mending the gaps... - Live well. -Susan
Hole in the World - Click to listen to the song
Here are some other beautiful songs for you to enjoy:
Tommy Emmanuel: Those Who Wait
Those Who Wait
Eva Cassidy: Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
Eva Cassidy: Fields of Gold -great traditional song, best known performed by Sting years ago
Fields of Gold
Also enjoy,
"I Wish You Peace" - The Eagles (I don't have a link for you on this one, sorry...
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Last edited by
amore01 15 Nov 2007 20:53:20
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A Fresh Start |
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Here is a brief story that Associated Press did in April this year on a woman who decided to part with some of the things that were bogging down her life in order to make a fresh start...
"ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) - Lisa Perry wants a fresh start. So she's decided to sell nearly all of her belongings in one massive auction on eBay.
Perry, 45, said the top bidder in the auction, ending Thursday, will get more than 300 items - including snowshoes, a futon, a bed, a Village People album, seashells and more. Perry is keeping just a few things: Her dog, her cat, photo albums and some clothing.
"This might be mid-life, but it's not a crisis. It's mid-life excitement," she said. "I don't need it all. I don't use it all. I just have it all. Actually, it has me."
Perry has worked as a lawyer in Montana, a communications professor in Mankato, Minnesota, and a bookseller in North Carolina. She now delivers subpoenas and legal documents. In June, she plans to move west, possibly to take up creative writing or holistic healing.
"I've been schlepping this stuff across the country for more than 20 years," she said. "I'm tired of thinking: 'Oh my God, what if it breaks in the next move?' Who cares? I think it will almost be scary how liberating it will be."
As of Sunday night, the top bid was $100. Perry has a reserve number of $2,000, which means she can back out if the top bid falls short of that. But she said she might lower the reserve.
"I'm at the point I just don't want it all anymore," she said."
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How does this inspire you toward your own goals or dreams? Would you ever see yourself doing this if you could have the life you envisioned?
Maybe your future doesn't require this kind of drastic change, but what can you do today to move closer to your life's dream? |
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Last edited by
amore01 02 Oct 2007 12:22:28
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Spiritual Encouragement |
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Regardless of one's spiritual beliefs, spirituality (the belief/curiosity of the greater unknown and intangible) and the resulting questioning/weighing of ourselves, our origin, our creation, and our connectedness or separateness is a part of human nature.
Whether or not you hold a personal belief in "The Divine", and however you choose to define that for yourself, I wanted to share with this group an excerpt by author Julia Cameron that I found personally touching. I hope it will bring some value or encouragement in some way to you or someone you love, as well.
Excerpt from Love Letters from the Divine, Julia Cameron, 2006. Julia is an English professor and author of multiple works, including "The Artist's Way" and "Your Right to Write", as well as many others.
"You feel yourself separate. You fear yourself small. You see the world as large and threatening. I tell you, you are wrong. You are a part of me and I am very large. You are as large as you need to be to face your problems. You are larger than you know. Name your problem and bring it to me. Already, it is smaller. I am larger than your cares, larger than your woes. I am almighty, infinite, all reaching. Nothing that you bring to me overwhelms me.
It is all a matter of perspective. To me, you are large and your problems are small. You are what I am focused upon. You are the point of my loving concerns. I have all the strength, all the wisdom, all the grace you need. Nothing you bring to me is too much for me... I take pleasure in helping you.
For me, you are never separate, never small.... It is my joy when you enjoy [this world]--when you feel safe and secure. This is my intention for you always. Take comfort in me as your creator and your protector. You are my own."
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Last edited by
amore01 20 Oct 2007 19:49:58
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