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Giving up is
not giving in, nor is it failing.
It is no
longer needing to be right.
-- Anonymous
When
someone tells us a riddle, we may give up if we
don't know the answer. We give up because
we are tired of trying to get it, or
because we are eager to find out what it is.
Giving
up in other situations, may be more difficult.
We may need to give up eating something that
isn't healthy for us.
We may
need to give up trying to win an argument.
We may
need to give up old clothes that we love which
no longer fit us.
When we
don't want to give up, it may be because we have
forgotten the knowledge, health, or peace of
mind we gain by doing so.
In each
case, giving up means growth and going on with
our lives.
Giving
up may mean many different things in different
situations, but it does not mean doing nothing.
It means
doing what seems right for us and giving up the
expectation that what happens will be exactly
what we want.
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All music is what
awakes from you
when you are
reminded by the instruments.
-- Walt
Whitman
A small
group of friends sat in a room around a record
player. It was a heavy old thing, with parts
that had to be operated by hand and only one
speaker -- nothing like a modern stereo at all,
but more like an antique phonograph. 
The
record -- a recording of their favorite music --
was old, too, and scratched, its grooves worn
smooth as a stone in some places. The tone arm
skipped and scratched, and the sound was tinny,
hard on the ears.
Most of
the friends squirmed in their seats as they
listened, and several grumbled that it was
impossible to hear the music with such inferior
equipment.
But one
of the group sat listening, her eyes closed,
swaying to the music and humming softly to
herself.
"How can
you enjoy this?" the others asked.
"Ah,"
she said with a mysterious smile. "I am
listening beyond the recording to the music I
know is there!"
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Happiness is
not a place to travel to.
It's a way of
getting there.
-- Anonymous
Those of
us who climb mountains find joy in reaching the
top.
However,
the climb would not make much sense if there
were not things to enjoy on the way up.
If we
groan and complain, it will be hard to feel joy
at the summit.
However,
if we are able to enjoy each day's journey, it
makes all the difference in the world.
In the
midst of each chore, we can notice the sunset or
the unique and beautiful surroundings of each
day.
Each of
our days is different.
Happiness
is not a goal we are struggling to reach some
time in the future.
It is a
gift we can give ourselves today.
If we
enjoy some parts of each day of our hike, we
will also feel joy at the summit.
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_______________
Copyright ©
2024 Hazelden Betty
Ford Foundation. All rights reserved. from the
book Today's Gift
Pearly Gates image Copyright © Pinterest
Most dividers from
Chrysia's Page (dead link 07/29/2003)
Bearer of the Crystal
image Copyright © Jean
Pierre Targete
Guardian At The Gate
image Copyright © Carol
Heyer
Sea of Dreams (detail)
image Copyright © Kirk
Reinert
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