Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations (Chicken Soup for the Soul) (46 page)

W
hen I enter into a relationship with the idea that another person can make me happy and content, I become concerned over what I might or might not get back. If I relieve others from the responsibility for making me happy, I can enjoy intimate relationships based upon mutual caring, not on need. I deserve a relationship, not to make me happy, but to share the richness of who I am with others.

Rokelle Lerner

Always do what you say you are going to do. It is the glue and fiber that binds successful relationships.

Jeffrey A. Timmons

Footnotes for Life

N
OVEMBER
3

L
ife is a glorious mystery. After we have understood one thing, we are presented with a fresh problem. We are not perfect. We are not God. We will never understand completely. Some years ago this used to anger and irritate me. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to have the answer to all life’s problems. I wanted the “power” that comes with perfection. I hated being vulnerable, weak and confused! I hated being human! Yes, that was my problem. I hated being a human being. Today I am enjoying the adventure of life, and I kneel in awe at its mingled complexity. Today life is a paradox that I can live with.

Father Leo Booth

The future is hidden even from the men who made it.

Anatole France

Footnotes for Life

N
OVEMBER
4

W
hen faced with tossing a few bucks into the jar of an unfortunate soul I wonder if by doing so I’m supporting a person’s addiction or falling victim to a scam. I usually decide that for the price of a scratch ticket, I’d rather give a person the benefit of the doubt. With thousands swallowed up by substance abuse, alcoholism, unemployment and homelessness each day, it could easily be me or someone I love walking in those worn shoes. The next time you ask yourself why God has given so much to so few, and so little to so many, consider this: perhaps God has given enough and the problem is that people have forgotten how to share his generous gifts.

Steven Manchester

More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying them.

Unknown

Footnotes for Life

N
OVEMBER
5

A
rainy day can get me feeling down. The gray skies, the dull colors, the dripping rain. I see and hear this and my spirit sags. Occasionally, responding this way sets me on a downward spiral of feeling even worse, because I expect myself to be cheery and positive. The self judge comes alive with, “Why am I letting a little rain get me down?” My body can be very sensitive to changes in the environment and knowing that can help me ease up on judging myself. I can’t always be upbeat and happy in the same way that it can’t always be sunny and bright, however I can always allow myself to be with every mood I feel.

Anne Conner

She said she usually cried at least once each day, not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful . . . and life was so short.

Brian Andreas

Footnotes for Life

N
OVEMBER
6

W
hen you are in the grips of a compulsion to act on an addictive behavior, be kind to yourself; stop, breathe and, above all, remember the feeling will pass.

Reach out to supportive friends, go for a walk or see a movie and wait; one minute, one hour, one day–until the agony and temptation pass leaving strength, determination and pride in their place.

Lisa Jo Barr

Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

Ephesians 5:15,16 NIV

Footnotes for Life

N
OVEMBER
7

E
verything needed for our happiness and serenity already lies within. Problem is, it’s often buried deeply beneath the lies, prejudices, chaos and traumas that we experience or are taught. Life’s challenge, your challenge, my challenge, is to avoid the search for happiness or serenity through external or chemical means. Rather, we must commit to passionately and to consciously find the kingdom of heaven within us, sifting through the debris, finding the best parts of our inner selves, finding that which connects us spiritually, and bringing that inner self to life.

Kevin J.Holmes

There is always a certain peace in being what one is, in being that completely.

Ugo Betti

Footnotes for Life

N
OVEMBER
8

I
search for silver linings, for the deeper meaning of events in my life. When I feel pain or confusion, when I am discouraged or hurting, I look for the hand of spirit in my life. I try to understand what I am meant to see that I am not seeing, what I am meant to hear that I am not hearing. My life is a journey and I cannot stay on my path of spiritual development if I am not willing to experience the truth of my inner world. I can grow in joy and pain. It doesn’t need to be one or the other because pain can transform into joy. It can be the fire that clears the field for new and tender growth.

Tian Dayton

Whatever you can do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

Goethe

Footnotes for Life