I wanted to make a list of all the things
That made feel warm and content.
- A drink that goes down smooth
- Footsteps on boardwalks
- Hot cup of tea after a big breakfast
- The quiet of a reading nook
- Being remembered by distant friends
- A deep breath amongst trees
- Laughter
This list sounds like poetry to me,
And that too fills me with warmth.
viewA drop of justice in an ocean of injustice
— Sydnye Allen on the Derek Chauvin trial
viewThe vibrant sense of peace in the square made one think of children making sandcastles; they built as they seemed and dreamed as they built, until the dreaming and building became one single act.
— Ece Temelkuran, How to Lose a Country
viewDo not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.
— William Martin, The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents
Change is difficult,
As we are mired by our burdens.
Holding on to a permanence and comfort,
In a world that does not care.
We don't need much to simply be;
Food, shelter, warmth, touch,
And things that could move our hearts.
Yet these days they are all replaceable / consumable.
Except, for a few treasured keepsakes.
That anchor us to our moments of connection.
Though even they fade—
As we too are consumables.
viewTo send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.
— Phyllis Grissim-Theroux