On a beach walk, I came upon a large patch of seaweed. There was no way around it, so I searched for a long stick and then pushed and pulled at the thick, wet and heavy verdant greenery to create a narrow walking path.  

It was difficult work and I imagined being an explorer, swashing a path through uncharted lands, one step at a time. This quote arose in my mind, “Why follow a path when you can make a trail?” The mind is funny. It throws stuff out there and sees what sparks interest. 

The interest sparked is of quotes themselves, the words of wisdom that help in life’s questioning and struggles. Quotes are ‘helpers’ in that they have power to cut to the quick and prompt us to ‘rise above’ or ‘go high’.  Even hundreds of years later, a person’s words can reach across time and empower the reader. 

Here are three quotes that I think say, “It’s really all OK”:

“Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down the dulcimer.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

-Rumi

“The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.”

-Yasutani Roshi, Zen Master

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” 

-Greek Proverb

See you next space…