Unique

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away."

~Raymond Hull

Isn't this just about the cutest thing you have ever seen? I thought so. I have never seen anything like it, I thought he was very unique. It made me think about how cool it is to actually be different. To standout from the rest. It's something we all should strive for. To have the confidence to not conform to the rest of the world.

Vacations......

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, this picture reminded me of something tropical and when I think of the tropics, I think of being on vacation. Laying on the beach, eating jumbo shrimp and watching the sunset with a loved one. *sigh* If I only I had the time and the money. It's been far too long since I've had the luxury to experience such a thing and it seems that I am not the only one going through vacation deprivation. I've read the Americans take fewer vacation days than anyone else in the industrialized world by far. We give $19.5 billion back to our employers each year in unused vacation time. Something is wrong with this picture. Vacations make us feel good and re-energizes us, so that when we do go back to work and to our daily lives we can be even more productive than we were before. We need to take back our right to go on a vacation and relax. Get away from the world and just be. We need to demand more time to spend with our loved ones and not let anything or anyone take that away.

A bee's life....

“The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.”

I find bees to be amazing creatures. I believe that they have a way of life that we humans could definitely learn a little from.
One thing that stands out the most is their sense of community. The beehive is an amazing complex community. Each bee has a different task that keeps the whole hive functioning properly. This keeps the bees working together for the benefit of the entire community. Bees are constantly used in the Mormon religion to represent the ideal society. It is said that they are one of the most prolific examples of a working community.
How would communities in America benefit from this type of society?
One interesting fact that I found:
Many famous poets and writers such as Virgil, Sophocles, and Plato were associated with the bee. A common story was that infants whose lips were touched by bees would become great speakers, poets, storytellers, and philosophers. Thus, bees were often called "birds of the muses".

PHOTOGRAPHY!!

So, I've decided to take on photography. It's a new passion of mine and I love it! I'll be posting new pictures everyday......Hopefully.... Enjoy!

Birthday gift

A few days ago, I turned 26. For my birthday my brother wrote me this beautiful poem with the title of my blog. Enjoy!

Dance like no one is watching
I once heard someone say….
“Life is like a dance”
Some are so fast, you lose your feet,
Some are slow, hot, bitter and even sweet,
Some move with love and others with hate,
Some have a happy living and some a dreadful fate,
When we dance we neither follow nor lead,
Each step is a life we should prepare to heed,
And always with heaven as a partner;
Dance like no one is watching,

I know someone with a graceful dance,
And therefore a graceful life she has,
I think of her as a ballet,
Moving like a lovely cloud in a lovely sky,
Lovely as any lovely image of heaven,
As happy and alive as Mozart, she dances,
With a true and genius smile,
God watches her as she prances on earth,
Proud of her, these twenty-six years since birth, as she does;
Dance like no one is watching,

There are all types of dances as there are lives,
And we all have our own steps,
But I have learned something from an angel I believe,
Of how we should move in this life,
Her spirit travels in my mind and memories,
And she is a teacher and child of the divine,
As splendid as the grandeur of nature,
And pure as its blooming flower,
Alive as a warm breeze she will always;
Dance like no one is watching,

If life is like a dance,
How would you describe it?
If there is one think I know for sure;
Dance like no one is watching.

Beautiful Art

I wanted to share one of my favorite pieces of art with everyone. It is painted by my brother. It’s such a beautiful painting. It brings out so much emotion. This quote I feel went perfectly with it. Enjoy!

Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.

-Kahlil Gibran

Hunger for Love

There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
-Mother Teresa

I found this quote to be very interesting and very sad. It made me think of this movie I recently saw called A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. This movie had a profound affect on me and my attitude toward my work. I work with kids of all ages and sometimes dealing with some of the behaviors can get very frustrating and very hard. There have been times where I feel like there is nothing left I can do to motivate or inspire them to be more than what is expected of them. Fortunately, I’m not one that gives up very easily, so I keep my head up and try the next thing, in hopes that this time I will get a break through. What this movie helped me realize was that I have no idea what kinds of issues these kids are dealing with at home or elsewhere. One of the kids in this movie really acted out and had some serious anger problems. To most people he would be considered a bad seed. Some would believe that no one or anything could help him, and he is basically a lost cause. Most would probably give up on him but what they didn’t know was that this kid was getting abused at home. He was being told every day that he is nothing and will never amount to anything. He was never told “I love you.” This put a lot of things into perspective. For some, I might be the only encouragement that they may ever get. I might be the only person who gives them a hug and show that I care. I might be the only person that supports their dreams and aspirations. Sometimes all people want is to have someone to just listen to them without judging.

It’s not only kids that are being affected by this hunger. People of all ages, all over the world are craving this need to be loved and appreciated. What happened to the love? Is it the lack of face to face communication? There is not much human contact anymore. We need to change that. We need it more than we think we do. I know I’m guilty of this facebook, text and email too, so I’m going to follow the advice of one of my favorite quotes: “Be the change you want to see the in the world.” I’m going to try my hardest to quit texting so much and actually call a friend and ask them how their day was. Instead of constantly being on my phone, I may leave it at home and take a walk, maybe strike up a conversation with a stranger. They may be a having a bad day and need to hear a friendly voice. You just never know what anybody is going through and just a smile or a simple hello could be just what they need to brighten up there day. Love is still out there people, we just have to open ourselves up to give and receive it. We have to come together as a whole and make it happen. So let’s do it people, let’s make it happen together.

Let’s bring the love back.