Desiderata

Desiderata speaks for itself so much that, everyone who quoted it on their websites didn't talk too much about it, just posted the script itself. I wanted to say some things, and that's why I kept it as a draft for a while, but I decided I'll just put it out there. Maybe I'll need it later on (not that I don't need it now, but I figure I'm doing OK for now), and it will be very easy to refer to, right under my nose, on my blog.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.


- Max Ehrmann, 1927

weekend

Last night my sister and I went to see this movie Get Smart, which was actually pretty funny. I love Steve Carell anyway, I'm ready to laugh at anything he happens to do. We then came home and found the boys slightly drunk, just done with poker. We saw Jon approximately 10 hours later when he came with Sandra for breakfast. I made 'menemen' and Doug made French toast in Sandra's honor, there were tomatoes and peppers picked from our garden, and it was a good start to the day we would be exploring Dali's art and enjoying the last days of summer/first days of fall - whatever you call that cross between seasons. I am not sure what to say about Dali's work. I really liked some of his earlier work, and I liked the part with his extremely detailed 'sketches' called the Inner Life of Salvador Dali. It's also interesting to see how his work resonates with the political and social ongoings of his time, such as the atomic bombings of 1945 and Freud's concept of the subconscious. Even though I'm not a fan of the highly symbolic products of his extreme imagination, this was a man whose mind was wide, wide open and who made available the inner life of this mind in many ways, to many people, and one can't help but appreciate that. When I saw his family pictures, early drawings, sketches, book illustrations, and even the cartoon he teamed up with Walt Disney to create, I realized that the way he was portrayed to me at least as an 'acrobat' artist lacked so much. I realized how much more talented he is beyond just creating confusing paintings with dream symbols embedded into one another. We went to Kanyon after the Dali exhibit and Le Pain Quotidient was the first place we could think of going in, as everyone craved coffee and some of us craved much more than that! We ended up sharing a cheese platter and a bread basket, and then stealing the contents of another bread basket from the table next to us right after its occupants paid the bill and left! Jon and Doug also went hunting for jams and bread spreads. It was a very fun and cozy meal, and I think everyone enjoyed the food and the company.

And now we're home, tired and happy. I need to do some soulsearching, I do. But do I really? Do I not know what I want? I feel like it's hiding somewhere inside me, sometimes surfacing and sometimes not. I'd better find you soon, life mission. Otherwise we'll have wasted some good talent and time.

We had a good time with Jon & Sandra at Bebek's new cafe, Nero. We hadn't hung out in a while, and we had good, fun, semi-serious conversations about many things. And then Doug and I walked some part of the way home, talking about our next step, a 'strategy'. We like to have a strategy.
It's starting to get chilly here. It didn't rain as much as we had been promised, but the weather is slowly approaching winter, and so are the calendars. I like to think that time is on our side, we as in human beings, but sometimes it's hard to say that. I want to make it so that in my life, time is on my side and I feel happy about how I spent my time.
I wish soulsearching came as easy as a google search does.

figuier

the luscious smell of figs as you walk through a summer night.

on clarity of mind and water

my mind is clear. the future is as translucent as the water i'm swimming in, and i swim through life as fast and effortlessly as i'm doing right now. i can breathe easily, my body takes me to where i want to go, as fast as i want to go, and my mind is helping me enjoy every bit of the journey. it's all very clear and it is where i want to be in life.