The Greatest Wonder....Our Planet Earth

The Greatest Wonder

Author Unknown

If the Earth
were only a few feet in
diameter, floating a few feet above
a field somewhere, people would come
from everywhere to marvel at it. People would
walk around it marveling at its big pools of water,
its little pools and the water flowing between the pools.
People would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding
it and the water suspended in the gas. The people would
marvel at all the creatures walking around the surface of the
ball, and at the creatures in the water. The people would declare
it as sacred because it was the only one, and they would protect
it so that it would not hurt. The ball would be the
greatest wonder known, and people would come to
pray to it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know
beauty and to wonder how it could be. People
would love it, and defend it with their lives
because they would somehow know that
their lives, their own roundness, could
be nothing without it. If the
Earth were only a few
feet in diameter....

Source

The Thirty Second Quiz

 

 

The Thirty Second Quiz 
Author Unknown 
   
 
 Don't bother getting a pen and paper... just read... if you can't
answer them, just keep going.

 

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

 

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

 

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

 

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

 

5. Name the last five Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Actress.

 

How did you do?

 

The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They're the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

 

Now here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

 

1. Name three teachers who aided your journey through school.

 

2. Name three friends who helped you through a difficult time.

 

3. Name five people who have taught you something worth while.

 

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

 

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

 

Easier?

 

The lesson?

 

The people who make a difference in your life aren't the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They're the ones who care.

 

(Wishing you a BEAUTIFUL day!)
 

 

LIFE - SIMPLY APPRECIATE IT & IT WILL BE EVEN BETTER

What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it - would you be likely to give them another?

Life is the same way.  In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.

- Ralph Marston -

Meditation - Mindfulness - A Simple Effective 5 Minute Mindful Breathing Exercise

1 - Find a comfortable and stable posture either sitting or lying on your back. Allow your back to be straight but not rigid. Let your arms and hands rest in a relaxed position.

2 - Close your eyes, if it feels comfortable. If not, soften your gaze.

3 - Bring your attention to the present moment by noticing how you're feeling physically. Scan your body from head to toe and consciously try to let any tension slip away. Take a moment to notice your environment - any sounds you might hear in the background, what the temperature feels like in the room.

4 - After that, bring your attention to your breathing from three vantage points:

--First, notice the sensation of your breath going in/out of your nostrils or mouth.

--Second, as you breath, pay attention to the rise/fall of your chest.

--Third, notice the rise/fall of your belly as you breath.

5 - Pick the vantage point that seems to be the easiest for you to focus on. Follow the breath for its full duration, from the start to finish. Notice that the breath happens on its own, without any conscious effort. Some breaths may be slow, some fast, some shallow or deep. You don't need to control the breath, you just need to notice it.

6 - If you find it helpful, you can say "1" to yourself on each in-breath and "2" on each out-breath.

7 - Each time your mind wanders away from the breath (and this will happen many times!), notice where it goes and then gently bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath going in and out.

When the mind wanders, you can make a mental note of it. For example, if you drift away from your breath to thinking about the future, you can say to yourself "planning, planning." If your mind is pulled to a sensation of pain in your body, you can say to yourself "pain, pain." Or, if you notice you're focused on something worrisome from the past, you can say "worry, worry" and then gently bring your attention back to the present moment - noticing the breath.

8 - Your mind may wander hundreds of times or more during these 5 minutes - that's ok and quite natural! Your "job" is to catch yourself when you've wandered and to gently bring your focus back to the breath every time, without judging yourself for how "well" or "poorly" you're doing the exercise.

9 - Try to practice this exercise for 5 minutes (or longer if you'd like) every day, for at least one week. Notice how it feels to spend some time each day just being with your breath.

Practicing mindful breathing is like strengthening your muscle of living in the present; as you practice more, you'll find it easier to remain in the here and now, rather than being caught up in the past or in some fantasy about the future.

Source:  Karuna Web