“….if a window opens
and the prospect pleases,
float through it;
that window
may never open again.”

Mirabel Osler from ‘In The Eye of the Garden’

Popularity: 4% [?]

“I am what I am
And what I am
needs no excuses…..”
from La Cage aux Folles

What’s more I am not a clothes label, a newspaper,  a TV channel,  a political party,  a make of car,  a holiday desitination or a brand of buggy.

I am not yummy, slummy, earthy, alpha, retro, attachment, middle-class, chav, cloth nappy, baby-wearing, organic, non-organic, controlled-crying, vegetarian, meat-eating, feminist, traditionalist, designer, liberal, conservative, socialist, scrounging, breastfeeding, bottlefeeding, over-anxious, boho, pushy, unmarried, single, teenage or aging – or any of the other ‘labels’ you wish to bestow on me.

I am a mum. And I am so much more besides.

Popularity: 14% [?]

We were emailed this story recently and thought it was just too good not to share.

Recently, in a large city in Australia, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, “This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?” A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don’t exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them … where is IT? Therefore, they don’t have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends.

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!

How fabulous do you feel now, having read that??!!

Popularity: 15% [?]

“Take the first step in faith.
You don’t have to see the whole staircase,
just take the first step.”

Martin Luther King

Popularity: 2% [?]

I see this day as a positive new beginning.
(It’s never too late to have a new beginning.)

Today and tomorrow can be very different from yesterday if you can let go of yesterday and focus on today.

Look for things to feel good about, and watch how everything in your life will unfold to reflect that.

Taken from The Teachings of Abraham Well-Being Cards by Esther & Jerry Hicks

Popularity: 1% [?]

“Success is the sum of small efforts,
repeated day in and day out.”
Robert Collier, self-help author 

Whatever the challenge, remember you can’t make it happen all at once. But every little step you take, and each small achievement, will all add up to a greater success.

Popularity: 6% [?]

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

William Shakespeare, Hamlet, 1.3

This is my favourite quotation and one which, whenever I am in doubt about something, I call to mind. Whether the issue concerns your children, your partner, your friends, your colleagues or customers, the only thing you can ever do is be true to your own beliefs and do what feels right for you. Nobody knows you better than you know yourself – so trust your instincts.

Popularity: 6% [?]

My future isn’t about my past
(Life is only about NOW)

Nothing that has ever happened has anything to do with now, unless, in my now, I continue to think and speak about it.

Fresh new thoughts give me a fresh new experience.

Taken from The Teachings of Abraham Well-Being Cards by Esther & Jerry Hicks

Popularity: 4% [?]