Life’s Inspiration

Posted by ineta on Oct 5, 2011 in wisdom

These are excerpts from the book “A Walk on the Beach” by Joan Anderson. This book always inspires me. So much wisdom here.

Here is a Joan Erikson’s Unconventional Wisdom. It will make you think. It will make you come alive. It will make you feel grateful for what it is. Make it a fantastic day, and live each moment to the fullest:

1. OVERDOSE ON THE SENSES. “Get out of your body, absorbing all that you come in contact with.”

“The great joy is when something happens seredipitously,” Joan says, “like an unexpected breeze, or finding this boat. I never feel as though I am living unless I am making contact with the world like we’re doing now. In my youth, I would walk the streets of New York and smell the neighborhoods, all the aromas of people from other places, or walk across the great bridges with rain-soaked hair and the wind on my skin, or go to museums where I would get so close to a painting that I could smell the oil. Do you know what I mean, dear?” she asks, extending her hand now over the edge of the boat and letting the water race through her fingers. “We taught early on to stop sensing the world. Parents say no to their toddlers all the time, when all their child wants to do is sense the world around him. Pity, isn’t it! Overdose on the senses is what I say, all the way through life.”

“…the way to feel a whole range of emotions is to use them.”

“I want to be nature – you know, unblemished, natural, primitive, even, That makes all the difference.”

“We came away from that moment realizing the importance of reflection. If I recall we spent the rest of the afternoon reflecting on reflection. It’s a matter of using all that is around you, merging your senses with the world like an animal or child would do to find the clarity you seek. Once again, the key is to loosen up. Where curiosity and playful discovery are the focus of activity, there’s little opportunity to fail.”

“See, smell, touch, and taste everything… that’s what enlivens and links us in a sensuous way to the world outside ourselves. It’s the very food we need for our body and soul.”

2. DANCE BEYOND THE BREAKERS. “Having direction and going after something – going toward that which gives you purpose is the way – otherwise your life becomes avoiding trouble and there is no strength in that.”

“That’s the beauty of this life. You leave all the rigid rules behind.”

“Dance is so absolutely glorious. There’s no end to what you can do with pure energy.” “…especially with modern dance, which isn’t restricting. Rather, it’s about breaking boundaries.”

“And down the street and onto the beach. Why not?” she laughs. “Dance beyond the breakers, that’s what I say… be willing to go as far as you dare. Hell, it’s one of the few legitimate ways to be sexy and sensuous,” she says, her naughty twinkle appearing again. “The motion of the whole thing…and the flexibility it evokes! The lucky ones are those that grow up near water where everything is in motion – you crave it the rest of your life,” she says, reaching for my water glass and taking a gulp.”

“Dance when you’re broken open, and, Dance if you’ve torn the bandage off, Dance in the middle of the fighting, Dance in your blood, Dance, when you’re perfectly free.”

“There should never be any set way to dance. It’s about losing yourself and giving your body over to the music.”

“Always remember, my dears,” Joan says by way of a toast, “that no matter how hard you dance, not everyone will clap.” She lifts her glass to both of us. “At the very least, from here on in, you’ll be creating your own rules. Take your dreams by the hand and let them float. It’s a gift being your own person. In any case, it’s pretty deadly not to be.”

3. LEAN ON YOUR STRENGTHS. “In order not to fail in the end, you have to be dependent on yourself and know that you can handle things. Most importantly, bring a little humor into despair. Lightness, imagination, flexibility – these are the things that go into making a new start.”

“Adventure gets you to a feeling level and keeps the mind at bay. Allow your imagination and feelings to follow whatever image moves you.”

“You must have confidence in your body. It’s a portable world-a wonder, really. It will get you through anything if you take care of it.”

“Passion is a force, a direction you are moved to. It comes when you are open and vulnerable… Still, passion is only a lofty word if you stay closed and not open. All the words attached to the stages are so grand. Only when we turn them into verbs and connect them with action do they make sense. Always remember, dear, that theory without action has no strength at all.”

“It was she who told me that she didn’t hit bottom awfully easily. “When I do,” she once admitted, “I try to focus, not on the problem but on my strength. One way out of doldrums is to do something…take action rather than sit passively.”

“I keep telling myself that I can be either powerful like the sea or as weak as the broken shells under out feet. Of course you know which I’d prefer.”

“One thing I’ve learned is that when you can no longer get in touch with your instinct and intuition, It’s all over.”

“You must imagine your capacities, how much strength you can muster, what you can do even before you set out. Then you will have the confidence to stretch yourself like never before.”

4. SPONSOR YOURSELF. “Don’t deny yourself to please others. You only lose yourself in the promise.”

“Many a woman makes it a goal to know her man without knowing herself, first. She sees loving him as the solution to her problems, but love soon becomes the center of her problem. She is thinking rather than feeling her way through the relationship and eventually becomes isolated from the very essence of herself. That is a tragedy.”

“Well, in any case, I always envisioned marriage as a collaboration,” she continues. “Mutuality, reciprocity, interdependence are the keys to the game. If you don’t have them, what’s the point?”

“We must have sensed a deep need to know ourselves better if we were ever to know anyone else.”

“When you are willing to pull back and look at your neglected dreams and foibles, you bring a newfound energy into your partnership. You learn to respect what makes you an individual and you learn to accept the other person’s quirks as well. It isn’t easy work. The big trap most of us fall into is believing that love and joy always go together. It can’t possibly be so because truth comes with love and many times truth is not so playful because of its honesty.”

“You get love by participating in it.”

5. SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW. “Be generative. Pass on what you know. In sharing there is real delight. People in every stage depend on other people. Out of connection real growth happens. If there is no reciprocity, nothing ever works.”

“It’s not about you, dear. It’s about being generative and giving back. Can’t you see how people are sick for the truth? Nothing in our culture encourages us to break out of the mold.”

“Henry James said that a writer must be willing to embarrass himself,” “Everyone wants to hear the voice of someone who has gone through something real.”

“You have something unique to share, my dear. People are dying for adventure, and if they can’t make themselves get out there, they will content themselves with living vicariously off of others.”

6. PLAY OUT YOUR EXPERIENCES. “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing. Anyway, the opposite of play is obey!”

“The point is to be less serious,” Joan says, “and more playful. Children have it right – that is, until someone knocks sense into them and the life out of them. I always insist that joy is a duty.”

“If only we could spread our wings and be freer with our bodies, we too could lighten up and recharge our souls.”

“Stop relying so much on your mind and get in touch with experience.”

“It’s one thing to hazard out in a safe place and another in unknown territory. Taking chances and risking routine are two important ingredients for keeping alive. Besides, a new panorama always offers fresh insight.”

“I make a silent promise to remember always to strive toward more unimaginable experiences.”

“I have been leveled and grounded by intangibles – such things as endurance, patience, will, commitment – a pleasant combination of active and passive ingredients needed for a harmony and balance. Sitting here and taking stock forces me to remember and cherish what is to be vitally alive – somehow to transcend the mundane, to be broken and remade.”

“In any case, richness of experience is a potential generator of wisdom.”

“Life works best when there is a flow between times of intentional quiet and informed action. ” Action needs a counterpoint and destiny always develops in silence.”

7. REACH FOR SATISFACTION. “Does what you are doing (in work or play) satisfy you? Does it make you laugh? Does it make you sing? If so, latch on to it.”

“You emerge slowly when you truly listen to your heart. There’s no putting a time frame on soul work.”

“Practice nonsense, Have some joy during all your trudging, and don’t forget to laugh. Tears no longer become you.”

“I want to remember to reach for the unknown or exotic as well as a measure of joy. “It’s there for the taking, ” Joan constantly says, “and we must seize it for ourselves. The opposite of joy is shame and doubt. There’s hardly any fun in that.”

8. ALWAYS BE WILLING TO EMBRACE CHALLENGES. “A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension. The struggle, the pull and tug are everything.”

“It’s the hard that makes it great.”

“The only way to pass the test is to take the test. – Native American Regal Black Swan. “Whether I’m giving a speech, walking my talk, or climbing the mountain, it’s all about taking one step and then another.

“Sigmund Freud though that out of one’s vulnerability comes strength.”

“you need to shake your life up in order to find new intentions.”

“No more asking permission, Whose life is it anyhow?…Besides, haven’t you learned by now that no one ever pushes you towards freedom. You need to take that for yourself.”

Take Action

Have Adventures

Face Your Fears

Seize the Moments

Tolerate Isolation

Overdose on the Senses

Lean on Your Body

Reach Beyond Your Grasp

“Please let your sun – your concentrated energy, your own submerged authentic vital power – shine out from you.”

Tags: "A Walk on the Beach", books, children, family, friends, fun, inspiration, Joan Anderson, Joan Erikson, kids, life, life's inspiration, lifestyle, love, opinion, personal, philosophy, photo, photo gallery, photos, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, ramblings, random thoughts, reflections, relationships, self-confidence, self-esteem, stories, thoughts, women, wonderocity

Macrophotography

Posted by ineta on Aug 14, 2011 in nature, photography

If we look more closely, we can find a new world open up to us. All we have to do is look down in front of us. Children are great at it because they are closer to the ground. Everything fascinates them; therefore, they notice things that we adults do not even see.

What if we would take the time and see what is in our gardens, what is in the grass. If we just lay down on the grass, we would be instantly connected to the nature, and to the world that we forgot about. Let’s take our shoes off and hear the earth and notice different inhabitants in the grass and flowers.

Photography is a great way to notice many things, and in macrophotography, we make the smallest creatures big. We magnify them. Some of these creatures look like a cartoon, some of them look like an alien, some of them are so colorful, and some of them are so well camouflaged, that it is hard to see. The only give away is if our eyes meet theirs. The captured flowers become bigger that we want to smell and touch them. The petals look so soft.

There is an intriguing world out there if we just stop and notice little things.

Look at intricacy of these little snow-white blossoms.

Monarch butterfly is enjoying Milkweed. Look at those polka dots on the wings and body.

A curly young palm tree branch

Lady bug in the coming out sunshine.

This one is a curious creature. It looks like a spider, but it is not. It is capable of walking in the water. It’s a water strider. I aligned sun’s reflection in the water with the strider to have the star effect on its feet.

A beautiful American Lady butterfly. Also called American Painted Lady.

Now that’s what I call camouflage. Katydid on a leaf.

White Peacock Butterfly with back-lit wings. This sight really warms you up, isn’t it?

That’s a really well camouflaged butterfly, too.

I know, spiders to some are creepy. However, they are great because they eat harmful insects. This one is called Golden-Silk Spider. Just look at those legs.

Drumming. I love colors on these Southeastern Lubber Grasshoppers. They are huge in size.

This one is an Imperial Moth. It is giant Silkmoth, and it is one of the largest silkmoths in Florida that can reach 5″.

Another colorful spider against pink flower background.

Do you know that dragonflies come in pretty red color? This is a male Scarlet Skimmer. Dragonflies are great because they eat mosquitoes.

A close-up of Eastern Pond-hawk. Just look at the detail of those wings and colors.

Little snail in the sunshine.

Blue Dasher dragonfly on my finger.

Now this creature looks like an alien, isn’t it? Look at those eyes! It is a Robber Fly.

A bug hiding from the rain in the rose.

Rain drops on spider web make it magical.

It looks like frog enjoying a bubble bath.

Green anoles are Florida’s natives. Do you know they can change color to camouflage themselves? They can go from green to brown instantly.

Not to confuse with Cuban Brown Anole who is native to the islands of the West Indies. They believed to arrive in Florida through tropical plant nurseries. They also can change color from brown to black, but never to green.

This one I call “Dear God, please send me some flies.” Look at that concentration.

Macrophotography taught me a lot about smaller creatures. It is great not only to notice them, but to learn something about them. Next time, you go by the garden, take a closer look and see what it lurking there and see what you can capture.

Tags: anoles, butterflies, children, digital photography, dragonflies, frogs, fun, insects photography, kids, lizards, macro, macro photography, macrophotography, nature, photo, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photos, picture, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, spiders, thoughts, wonderocity

Shadow Play

Posted by ineta on Jun 25, 2011 in being creative, photography

There is the whole new world in Shadow play. Shadows bring us mystery and wonder. We can tell a story with shadows. We can make a shadow game with the whole family and kids. All we need is camera and our great imagination.

Shadows can cause an illusion

They make pictures more fun.

Shadows make simplicity more interesting and somewhat complicated

Here is another view of making an interesting masterpiece

A chair is a chair. Now add some shadows and it makes it an interesting picture.

Now, look at this incredible light and shadow show. Guess what it is?

Shadows can create a mystery

and a surprising look.

We can have fun with shadows

and again cause a funny illusion

It is fun to make different poses.

and have our imagination play a big part

Even the light looks like from mystery movie.

We never know unless we look behind us and above us and down in the daylight or at night. There is a different world we can capture if we look more closely. All we need is open eyes and our imagination and great lighting. Now go out and see what you can capture. What new world opens up to you?

Tags: art, beauty, children, family, fun, games, how to, inspiration, kids, life, photo, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photography tips, photos, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, shadow game, shadow play, shadows, thoughts, training in seeing, wonderocity

Wonder of Imagination

Posted by ineta on Apr 20, 2011 in being creative, photography

Imagination is unseen, unheard, cannot be touched… Yet it is a magic that helps us to create anything we desire. It is our inner knowing. It is something that we hold inside of us until we project it to the world. Children are masters of imagination. They can see things that no one can see or feel or hear. We are all born with imagination. Unfortunately, we grow up and most of our imagination gets trampled. We are told to grow up. We go into harsh reality with lots of responsibilities, bills to pay, no time to play. We become robots at 9-5 jobs doing things that we hate, listen to our bosses, playing life by rules that somebody made it. We think that we have no time for imagination. Is it true or we make it as true?

Imagination is still within us. We just have to wake up to it. Can you imagine if we would just trust ourselves to be original, see where our imagination would take us? We can use our imagination to create our “reality.” Some of us already do it by pursuing our dreams. Do not let anybody trample your imagination. This is who we are. This is our key to our dreams come true.

Imagination helps to see our world in creative ways. If we concentrate on beauty, we can see beauty in the simplest ways in the simple things around us. We can create a magic in what we see, feel, hear, touch.

While some people just see a pond, I play with sunlight, and create magic.

Now, this is tricky. Can you see a heart in this tree?

Look closely… If you come close to the trunk, then you can see it.

Here it is in a full view.

Amazing, isn’t it? Now, most of us can see a floating leaf. It seems it is nothing to look at. It is just a leaf. Now, watch this:

By adding a reflection, it becomes an artistic butterfly-like effect. Or by seeing a leaf in other reflections background, it transforms into water color painting.

While many people will see a horse or turtles, I see them both. By adding all three animals together, it makes a pretty interesting composition. It is unexpected view.

While many people dread to drive at night in the rain. I see a street full of colorful reflections. It is as if streets turn into paintings.

There are many ways where imagination can be used: art, photography, writing, creating jewelry, the way we dress, cook, etc. Imagination is our creative way to see the world. What is in your imagination? What you are going to create for yourself? Be bold, and do not let anybody or anything to stay in the way.

Tags: art, beauty, children, design, fun, how to photography, imagination, inspiration, kids, life, nature, personal, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photos, photos of reflections, pictures, reflections, style, thoughts, women, wonderocity, writing

Imagination at Play

Posted by ineta on Mar 7, 2011 in being creative, nature, photography, wisdom

Remember when we were kids, we used to play a cloud game? We would run our imagination wild and see different creatures in the sky. We would lay down or sit in the grass, and just be in the now, admiring each shape of the cloud or bird, even bug pass by.

When we grow up, we stop playing. We stop using our imagination. We get overwhelmed with everyday worries and responsibilities. All we do is live in our heads. We do not even see what is above us or in front of us. We do not have time to stop and just breathe.

What if we would schedule time for ourselves, to enjoy the present. It does not have to be the whole day, which would be great, though. Ten, fifteen minutes, half an hour can be enough, too. If we would spend time to just slow down, and take time to sit and soak up the sun, walk barefoot on the ground (weather permitting), we instantly would re-energize ourselves. If we would kick up the notch, and unleash our imagination and creativity, our hearts will be filled with joy and wonder. We never know what brilliant idea will pop unless we take time to sit in silence and be present in ourselves.

Let’s take time to just be. Breathe. Smile. Enjoy every minute. Life is too precious. Let’s have our imagination run wild.

Nature is a master painter. It is up to us to see and admire the masterpieces in the sky. What do you see in these clouds?

Ocean wave

Mashed potatoes

Poodle

Running Lion

Sea Turtle

Huge beautiful heart and infinity sign under

Number 4

Lion face with rainbow

Mickey Mouse watching sunset

Lion on the right

Teddy Bear giving a hug

What will you see if you take time for yourself and unleash your imagination? What brilliant idea will enter your mind? There is a great wisdom inside of us, if we’ll take time to listen, to play and just be.

Tags: art, beauty, children, cloud game, cloud pictures, clouds, creatures in the sky, energy, enjoying the present, fun, imagination, inspiration, kids, life, Little Things that matter, nature, personal, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photos, pictures, playing, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, re-energize, reflections, thoughts, wisdom, wisdom in nature, wonderocity

Monday’s Smile

Posted by ineta on Aug 9, 2010 in photography, smile

Have a fantastic week, my friends!

Tags: children, deer, doe, fun, funny, humor, kids, nature, photo, photo by Ineta McParland, photo inspiration, photo of doe sticking out a tongue, photography, reflections, sticking out the tongue, wonderocity

Being Fortunate

Posted by ineta on Jul 27, 2010 in photography, smile

I go every morning to take care of our horses: feed them, brush them, hug them, kiss them. It makes my mornings special. Also, I get to see deer family. There is one deer lives behind. She recently had 2 fawns. They are so cute! It warms my heart. I have pictures that I want to share with you and make you smile. Enjoy and have a great day!

I call him Spot, the Adventurer. He often separates from his family to look for adventures. He is so curious about everything.

Here, Spot checks me out.

The Spot’s sibling that always sticks with Mommy

The Mommy Deer

Pregnant doe before the twins

And here is my most favorite family shot

See Wildlife love photography

Tags: beauty, children, deer, deer family, family, fawn, fun, inspiration, journal, kids, life, me, nature, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photography, photos, photos by Ineta McParland, pictures, pregnant doe, random thoughts, reflections, stories, thoughts, wonderocity

How to Outsmart the Bullies?

Posted by ineta on Apr 30, 2010 in being brave, self-confidence

We probably all dealt with bullies in our lives: in kindergarten, schools, at work, in relationships. The bully could be a co-worker, a boss, a partner, even an organization, etc., etc.

How do we handle the bully? Do we let them treat us like crap and be a victim, or do we do something about it? Let’s define “bully.” According to Merriam – Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus: bully is “a person habitually cruel to others who are weaker.” If we give in to bully, does that mean we are weak? We certainly do not want to choose being that.

Now, let’s look into bully’s mind. There are underlying reasons why bullies are the way they are.

1) They want to bully others around them, so they would not portray themselves as weak.

2) They need to control their surroundings, so they would not feel helpless.

3) They feel good when they hurt others because they do not want to be hurt themselves.

There might be a situation at some place at some time, where and when they have felt as weak, helpless and hurt. Therefore, in circumstances where they can feel power, they will do everything to be in control.

So the big question is how to dis-empower the bullies? How to outsmart them? How to protect yourself?

We need to diminish the circumstances where the bully feels powerful. How? We put them in surroundings, where they feel weak, helpless and hurt.

1) For your protection, never ever show fear and weakness. Bullies feed on that.

2) If possible, completely ignore them, like they would not exist.

3) Never make them mad. Do not want to infuriate the bull.

If that does not work,

4) Find their weak spot, their weakness, their insecurities and turn that against them. Let their own ego self-destruct them. They will not know what hit them.

5) Put them in surroundings where they feel helpless. For example, among stronger than him people or among people who make him feel helpless and insecure.

6) Sometimes you can kill bullying with kindness. Play on their weak spot. (Just never ever become a doormat. Always stand up for yourself.) You never know, bully might just need a friend, and he may be shocked because nobody was nice to him before.

Of course, different circumstances require different measures. Got to play accordingly. Just got to use your brain to outsmart the bully.

As businesses or organizations go, you can always change them. Nothing is worst for business than a bad word of mouth. If boss or co-worker bully you, – report them or change locations or jobs. Stand up for yourself to be respected. Being bullying is not in job’s description. If partners bully you – either stand up for yourself or leave them. Life is too short to be unhappy. You can always choose to be strong.

Tags: at work, bad word of mouth, being strong, boss, bullies, bully, bullying, business, children, circumstances, co-worker, cruel, dis-empower, education, ego, family, fear, friend, friends, happy, helpless, hurt, insecurities, inspiration, kids, kindergarten, kindness, life, mad, opinion, organizations, outsmart, outsmarting the bullies, peole, personal, philosophy, photos, pictures, power, protection, reflections, relationships, schools, self-confidence, self-esteem, standing up for yourself, strong, surroundings, thoughts, victim, weak, weak spot, wonderocity