Speaking Words of Wisdom

"It is a good thing for an educated man to read books of quotations."
-- Winston Churchill

Well, here it is at last: finals week. I am utterly unprepared(*laughs quietly to self*...accidental alliteration is always amusing!!) for my exam tomorrow. In fact, it occurs to me now that I'm not even sure when it is scheduled to take place...I would do well to look into that!! So, I find myself on the eve of an important final. Yet, here I sit, writing away as if I have all the time in the world. I really should be studying.

But Columbus has been beautiful since I came back 3 days ago! The sun is shining brilliantly, there is a warm breeze in the air, the cheerful singing of the birds has changed the sky from grey to blue, and the trees are starting to come merrily to life once more! All of this has positively affected my mood! My spirit feels renewed; it has given me a new found sense energy and optimism. And for some reason, it has increased my desire to write!

Since I haven't written nearly as often as I should like, I decided to suspend time and allow myself to do so for as long as I want. When I'm done, I will continue studying. Only then will time resume. =P

earlier I was searching for a good quote to reflect on.. The trouble is, there are so many to choose from. I just love quotes! They're so wise and insightful! Each one contains its own morsel of wisdom, and I could generally write for hours about the ones I like. I've actually started collecting any that appeal to me in a document so I don't lose them. I couldn't pick just one quote or topic, so I decided to write about how much I love quotes. I guess I like them because they are such a good tool for self reflection. Whenever one catches my attention, its words can usually tell me a great deal about myself, or my life. they're sort of like maps in that regard. Often, they reveal the way into my heart, making clear my thoughts and feelings. Other times they reveal a way forward; showing me how to proceed in solving a difficult problem, making a difficult choice, and so much more!

Quotes that I would have written about if I could choose between them:

"Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't, it is of no use."
--Carlos Castaneda

“And so I tell you,
keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you
will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone
who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the
door will be opened." (Luke
11:9-10)

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the
chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something
to be enthusiastic about." – Einstein

"There is a part of me that wants to
write, a part that wants to theorize, a part that wants to sculpt, a part that
wants to teach.... To force myself into a single role, to decide to be just one
thing in life, would kill off large parts of me." -H. Prather

And finally, before I head off to study, I will conclude with some words of wisdom that I need to heed at the moment:
"Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to get leisure."--Benjamin Franklin

Which road do I take?

Alice came to a fork in the road. "Which road do I take?" she asked."Where
do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat."I don't know," Alice
answered."Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."~Lewis Carroll, Alice in
Wonderland

I came across this bit of wisdom from Alice in Wonderland recently, and it really appeals to me right now. When I think about it, there are a multitude of reasons why.

Specifically, I have come to a potentially huge fork in the road. Luckily, it is one that I have plenty of time to think about. Prior to a few months ago, I have always known what I want to do with my life. Being the dreamer that I am, I basically had my whole future mapped out. In college I was going to work for my district's representative at the statehouse, and then I was going to attend law school. After law school, I would practice law at the same lawfirm I started working for in high school and then I would run for office. Also, I would buy a house, have a family, etc., etc., Someday, I would make it to Congress. That was my goal. And I liked it too!

But recently I have heard about the adventures of someone who has been able to travel the world doing meaningful work for the government. Moreover, she works in a community with some of the brightest, most interesting people in the world.

There is an opportunity for me to apply for an undergraduate internship in this field.

The fascinating nature of the work, as well as the intellectual community and travel opportunities greatly appeal to me!

Yet, doing so would require me to suspend my ambitions to attend law school, at least for awhile. It would mean not returning to work in my hometown after college. (Although I really don't mind hopping around, experiencing new places. Actually, I LOVE traveling to new places.)

It's just hard to give up a plan I have been dreaming about for sometime now. The question is, "where do I want to go?" Of course the answer: "I don't know." Thus, I guess it doesn't matter! Where ever I go is where I will be. And I will always find the path that suits me best. If not, I'll simply hop off at the next fork in the road.

In a world of his own

"Wouldn't it be nice if the weather stayed like this till spring?" he asked happily.

"I guess that would be nice." his companion said unimaginatively.

"It would be so nice!" he said, hopping over a puddle of melted snow.

Laughing at his silly antics, his companion replied, "Unfortunately for you, my friend, it's

supposed to be 20 degrees by monday."

"Oh. Well I disagree." He said, never to be discouraged.

"Check the weather channel, they'll tell you." His companion insisted.

He thought for a moment then said, " Well I think they're wrong, too!"

Clearly baffled by this logic, his companion shook his head saying,

"You just live in you're own little world, don't you?"

Grinning at his companion's insightful

remark

He bounced along energetically and said,

"Absolutely!"

Random Acts of Coincidence--Excuse me-- Kindness; Random Acts of Kindness.

So the idea that I should go to Church has been floating around the outer rims of my mind for some time now. In fact, Just before Christmas break I stopped by the church on a whim. *Coincidentally* I met a priest named Father Larry Rice. (He even has a brother named David. Strange, eh?)

Well, I haven't been back since that time. The past few days I have had a couple strong feelings that I need to go see Father Rice again. However, with the weather being so cold and the church so far, George my nay-saying little parrot has convinced me of a thousand reasons to put the trip off.

I checked the mail today and found an envelope from the church. Inside was a letter and $25.oo Itunes gift card from none other than Father Larry. The letter said: "Congratulations! you're the winner of our Random Acts of Kindness drawing." It also said, I hope to see you at church, etc.

If I had any doubt that Father Larry has some sort of message for me, it was erased in that letter.

Getting that letter is kind of surreal, I think. It's almost as if God has been trying to get this message through to me for a while, but since I've not been getting it spiritually he decided to write to me physically! (Note: I need to pay closer attention to those outer-rim thoughts as I wont be getting personal letters like this all the time!)

I think if I ignore this letter, I may find two more in the mail. And if I ignore those, I may find the whole mail box full of them. Then they'll be coming in through the windows and the chimney! Before I know it, I may find myself in a shack on an island in the Atlantic. Inevitably, a giant man with a black beard will come and wisk me away!

Actually, I might be thinking of Harry Potter. Just the same, I think I better do what the letter tells me and go to church. Who knows what will come of it? Maybe nothing, maybe something. But it will be interesting to find out....

Sunny Days Ahead

“Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of golden
yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from
surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy, as well as spark creative
thoughts.”

I've been paying closer attention to recurring thoughts, patterns, themes and ideas that cross my path lately.

The other day I was driving back to Columbus and I was thinking about seeing a yellow Monte Carlo on the road. Shortly thereafter, I saw a bright yellow semi whizz by. And then another yellow car. And another. Before I knew it, there was a flood of bright yellow cars coming towards me! Within the span of 40 minutes or so, I must have seen 7-9 bright yellow cars go by. I never saw my Monte Carlo, but it got me thinking, "I wonder what the significance of all these yellow cars is?"

In retrospect, I remembered someone telling me I had sort of a yellow tint to my energy field. Not knowing what this means, I looked it up. So all of the things I found about the color yellow were rather interesting.

"Pale yellow – You’ve recently embarked on a spiritual journey, or you've discovered latent psychic
abilities. There’s a renewed sense of excitement and hope for the future."

This is remarkably accurate. I had a very enlightening conversation on saturday, and walked away from it with a renewed sense of excitement and hope for the future.

"Brilliant yellow –You’re spiritually inspired, or experiencing a spiritual
awakening. You have a playful spirit and will act on your thoughts"

What more can I say? I have a very playful spirit, but he's been hushed with stern looks and wounding comments over the past few years, methinks. Having seen what an unashamed playful spirit looks like, maybe I can remember how to re-kindle the playfulness of my youth. All I can say is, "meow!"

First thoughts...

Hello all!

welcome to the home of my new blog, A Quantum Quest for Nature's Nest. What does that mean? Well, when I mentioned the idea of starting a blog to my two mongolian friends,"GK" and "GB," one of them said, "I think you should call it something like 'Quantum Leap'" and the other, "Maybe a nature theme would be good."

So, what I've come up with is not only a great merger of these two ideas, but also a great reflection of what this blog will be about.

"A Quantum Quest." Pretty much self-explanatory; I'm on a quest. "For Nature's Nest." I often talk about "finding my spot in the world; having my own special place to go where I can feel at peace. There are actually many such places in the world, methinks. Often times these places are found in the beauty of nature. So that's what I mean by "Nature's Nest." But also, when I say I'm searching for "my spot in the world" I mean that both literally and metaphorically.

You'll see what I mean as this blog unfolds in the weeks ahead!