This is one of my favourite poems. It is by Marianne Williamson.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
I am fortunate to be living in Canada for the first time and witnessing a true autumn/fall as most of the native trees are deciduous.
Those that live in tune with the cycles of the seasons teach that as in nature, this is the time of the year for us to let go of all we do not need. May you let go of unnecessary relationships, behaviours and possessions as gently as a tree drops each leaf. May you ready for winter, the time of self reflection and hibernation, before you sprout as the new and strengthened you in the Spring.
I found this video about a year ago and it always makes me smile. I don't know if it's the people smiling and laughing, the silly dancing, the stunning scenery or the music.
Matt is a 32-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames. Matt achieved this goal pretty early and enjoyed it for a while, but eventually realized there might be other stuff he was missing out on. In February of 2003, he quit his job in Brisbane, Australia and used the money he'd saved to wander around Asia until it ran out. He made this site so he could keep his family and friends updated about where he is.
A few months into his trip, a travel buddy gave Matt an idea. They were standing around taking pictures in Hanoi, and his friend said "Hey, why don't you stand over there and do that dance. I'll record it." He was referring to a particular dance Matt does. It's actually the only dance Matt does. He does it badly. Anyway, this turned out to be a very good idea.
A couple years later, someone found the video online and passed it to someone else, who passed it to someone else, and so on. Now Matt is quasi-famous as "That guy who dances on the internet. No, not that guy. The other one. No, not him either. I'll send you the link. It's funny."
The response to the first video brought Matt to the attention of the nice people at Stride gum. They asked Matt if he'd be interested in taking another trip around the world to make a new video. Matt asked if they'd be paying for it. They said yes. Matt thought this sounded like another very good idea.
In 2006, Matt took a 6 month trip through 39 countries on all 7 continents. In that time, he danced a great deal.
The second video made Matt even more quasi-famous. In fact, for a brief period in July, he was semi-famous.
Things settled down again, and then in 2007 Matt went back to Stride with another idea. He realized his bad dancing wasn't actually all that interesting, and that other people were much better at being bad at it. He showed them his inbox, which, as a result of his semi-famousness, was overflowing with emails from all over the planet. He told them he wanted to travel around the world one more time and invite the people who'd written him to come out and dance too.
The Stride people thought that sounded like yet another very good idea, so they let him do it. And he did. And now it's done. And he hopes you like it.
Matt lives in Seattle, Washington with his girlfriend, Melissa, and dog, Sydney. He hasn't had a real job since Stride called him up. Matt doesn't mind working, but he doesn't much care for having to show up at the same place every day.
Matt is not rich. Matt also doesn't have some magical secret for traveling cheaply. He does it pretty much the same way everybody else does.
Matt thinks Americans need to travel abroad more.
Matt was a very poor student and never went to college. When he got older, he was pleased to discover that no one actually cares. Matt doesn't want to imply that college is bad or anything. He's just saying is all. There's other ways to fill your head.
Matt is left-handed.
When Matt was younger, he could hang seven spoons on his face at once. Sadly, puberty made Matt's face less conducive to spoon-hanging.
Matt's Xbox Live screen name is BadDancer. He plays a lot of Rock Band.
Matt has a little piece of extra cartilage sticking out on the rim of one ear and a little hole in the same place on the other ear. Since saying so on this page, he's been informed that the extra piece of cartilage is called a Darwinian Tubercle. Matt thinks this is pretty much the greatest name for anything ever.
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius
Beauty can be found in so many things. In a sunset or a smile, a ballet or a babbling brook, a dress or a dragonfly. This blog is dedicated to all things beautiful, from the natural world and that of humankind.
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~John Muir
However it is not my intention to promote beauty itself, but rather it's effects. The smile it paints across your face, the worry its wastes away and the reminder at times when it seems to you that all is lost, there is still hope. Remember it must be dark to see the stars!
I invite you to celebrate the world's beauty in all it's forms with me. To see that in fact, no matter where you may be there is an abundance of beauty. I hope you can visit this blog from time to time and find it uplifting, renewing that spring in your step. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and hearing your comments.
When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. ~Chinese Proverb
This is one of my favourite poems. It is by Marianne Williamson.
