Right To Vape

IF...

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Kipling

Desiderata         -- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --

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 vexatious 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 this not 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.

I Love Rudyard's 'IF' great piece that. that's the only verse i have a copy of on the PC.

anyone got a good reading of it on youtube or something , that's a great piece with the right narrative voice.

'If' always gives me a lot of strength when I'm feeling wobbly, I think it's very powerful.


Here's the man himself:


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpcNFll5yOM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpcNFll5yOM</a>

Thanks Kate , Is that Kiplins voice ? I only ask because it sounds very familiar but i can't put my finger on it.

Karma
 
I am a good person. I treat people with respect, love and gratitude. I am thankful and I try to listen. I try to live my life according to these simple principles- at home, at work and at play. I mess up a lot but I usually have the right intention which is a good place to start.

Well today I learned a valuable lesson- just because I live according to these simple tenants doesn't mean other people do. In fact, most people don't. They take, they trample and they throw you under the bus. Even now in retrospect, I am not so much hurt as I am disappointed that people function with so little respect and perspective. Thank you insecure person for once again illustrating the lack of professionalism, respect and legitimacy in the work place. Your lesson has been marinating with me and will continue. Oh...thank you for that too since you don't deserve this much attention but I am too sensitive to let it go that easily.
Yep this is what work is all about, right. I just shake my head and move on to the next task. Just another bump in the road

I just assumed that was Kipling Apo but don't know for sure.

It's all part of life's rich tapestry Aspen.  Good company, fun and games are great therapy   

My my did I hear right you said therapy. lets see here .
Ahhh the ever present idea of therapy. Is it good? Can it help you? Should you do it? All valid questions deserving of a well-thought out, subjective response. Key word: SUBJECTIVE. Each to their own in this arena.

Personally I would do not be the poster boy for therapy. I am defensive (self-admitted), logical and the ever rational "can't I figure it out on my own" kind of person so therapy is not necessarily on my check list for priorities or to-dos. Further my third person experience with those encountering therapy always leads me back to the same conclusion: you went to school for this? Although, as a tangent, that is an inner personal thought exclusive "for Aspen" use and I do feel that therapy is a great source of healing for most, just not me. Again let me go back to that defensive self quality I mentioned above- DULY NOTED.

For some, therapy makes all the sense in the world. They are hurt, weak, in need of direction, advice or healing, searching for an answer of some sort and therein lies THERAPY. So let's circle back to my original point- therapy good, therapy for Aspen Bad.

I have never tried therapy so I am being a hypocrite because I've always prided myself on the "don't knock it if you haven't tried it" stance. So the ultimate question is do I indulge this defensive side and try therapy or stand strong? What if I just start laughing in the middle of a session? What if I don’t  hmmm………

My social worker and psychiatrists have tried to drag me to serious therapy and I've refused every time.  Not for me.

I do have my own made up recreational therapy which gives me something to do with all the time I have on my hands and often keeps me entertained.

For me there's nothing better than a good belly laugh, that beats anything.

Cognitive behaviour therapy seems to be getting fairly popular and I can see that most of the human race does need practice in clear constructive thinking.  Maybe some more techniques will work their way into popular culture.

Quacks stirring up past injuries scare me to death, I bet they do more harm than good a lot of them.

I think one has to be in a pretty bad place to surrender to a therapist. I can't even imagine it but glad it exist for those who end up on that path. I am not saying anything negative just that the shoe doesn't fit here yet. Yes a good gut wrenching laugh with some tears is like whip cream on strawberries. Laughing is great medicine. I seem to think I always need improvement on my daily thinking skills. It's like a never ending project. My mother once told me " the more you see, the more you see" I think I now understand her point.

Desiderata. I know this very well. I used to carry a full page of it in my notebook to work. It has been so long since I last read it. So good to read it again to remind me.

Mums are almost always right.  And my mum used to say that even when she was wrong she was right


Laughter is the best medicine and it keeps you young at heart.


Desiderata is one of my favourite texts Bryn, I like to meditate on it.  Every time I read it I learn something new.

Looking at that video again Apo, it's dubbed.  I don't know whose voice it is.

'Tis Robert Morley - a Grand Old Man of sonority.

C.

World wide wait is long today -forums unchanged for ages.

Test.

C.