How’s That ?

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“People are always so boring when they band together.
You have to be alone to develop all the idiosyncrasies
that make a person interesting.”
Andy Warhol

Hows That

Everybody has their own idiosyncrasies. Some people bite their nails. Some people twist their hair. Some have a particular way they speak. And some have sayings that they always use.

A common idiosyncrasy of a young person is using the word “like”. Like they say it all the time. Like when they are telling a story, or like when they are quoting something someone said. I remember using this word in every sentence when I was young. It took a great deal of effort to break this habit of mine.

The last few years I’ve noticed that my husband has a saying he uses quite often. He’s an Italian native New Yorker, so he has a repertoire of sayings such as: fugeddaboudit, how ya doin’?, boombots and stuppiad (these I hear quite often when we are kidding around). He has been using, “how’s that?” at the end of most of his sentences when he’s telling me a story.

So this post is dedicated to my husband. How’s that?

Shine On

Beginnings are The Best

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“Nature is infinitely creative.
It is always producing
the possibility of
new beginnings.”
Marianne Williamson

Sailing away on the beginning of daylight savings time.

Everyone loves something new. Something untouched, innocent and beautiful. Who doesn’t love baby animals or a human baby or even new car smell. No one.

Beginnings of new relationships are magical. That sensation of giddiness when you talk or walk with a new lover. The beginning of a book you’ve been wanting to read for months. The beginning of that vacation or long holiday weekend you’ve been looking forward to for years. Beginnings always add excitement, a sense of adventure and magic to ones otherwise humdrum life.

Beginnings are about allowing yourself to start over. It’s about looking, listening, and learning from what you hear and see.

That’s why, beginnings are the best.

Shine On

Live Your Dream

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and
Third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
Confucius

Lessons of Life This is your life.

Do what you love,
and do it often.
If you don’t like something,
change it.

Stop over analyzing,
life is simple.
All emotions are beautiful.

When you eat, appreciate every last bite.

If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.
If you are looking for the love of your life, stop;
they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.

Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences.

Ask the next person you see what their passion is, and share
your inspiring dream with them.

Travel often; Getting lost will help you find yourself.

Some opportunities only come once, seize them.
Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them,
so go out and start creating.

Life is short. Wear your passion and live your dream.

Shine On

In Harmony with Animals

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“I think of my life’s work as a celebration of all of nature,
an orchestra that plays not the sounds of one musician,
the music of one species, but rather
an expression of all of nature’s songs”.
Gregory Colbert

Elephant with woman by photographer Gregory Colbert.

The other day I read, Larger Than Life, by Jodi Picoult. It’s a wonderfully written novella about a young woman researcher studying the memory in elephants. It’s the first time reading one of her books, but the story made such an impact on me, I will surely read other books by Ms Picoult.

I’ve always been intrigued and in awe by elephants. It saddens me to hear in the news about poaching in Botswana and other African countries. The thought of elephants becoming extinct frightens me. Hopefully, with the help of numerous writers, celebrities as well as photographers raising awareness of the terrible threat to these noble prehistoric pachyderms extinction will not happen.

There is one man, a not so famous celebrity by the name of Gregory Colbert who is making a difference in saving the elephant. He is a Canadian photographer/film maker who created Ashes and Snow, an ongoing traveling exhibition of photographs and films focusing on the exquisite interaction of humans and animals. Better known as the nomadic museum, these images and films are displayed in purposely built temporary structures that travel the world.

Mr. Colbert started this exhibit in 1992 in hopes of exploring the relationship between man and animals from the inside out. Ashes and Snow has been viewed by more than ten million visitors to date, making it the most attended exhibition by any living artist in history.

He is fast become my favorite photographer. Not only for his heart warming images, but for his beliefs. He has discovered the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, and is working towards restoring the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals.

Shine On

Just Around the Bend

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high.
Look the world straight in the eye.”
Helen Keller

Just Around the Bend on Narcissa Drive in Palos Verdes, California.

Life is but a journey with twists and turns just like a winding road. The future is hard to predict, comparable in many ways to the experience of rounding a corner in a new location and seeing unexpected sights. If an event is just around the bend in the sense of time, it generally means that the wait won’t be long.

Sometimes these bends and turns in life take us in a new direction. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worst. But always in the direction of the unknown. If you’re lucky, these turns in life can make all the difference in one’s life.

Often we are very close to a destination in life, yet we are unable to see it. It’s always good to have a second set of eyes, to help you see the way. A friend will be able to see things much clearer than you. A true friend, will give you words of encouragement such as: “Don’t worry, it’s ‘just around the bend.'”

Shine On