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Saturday, May 22, 2010

What Really Counts




If you are a little crab washed ashore after a big wave tore you from your feeding spot, what matters is to  scamper back in your sand hole before the next wave pushes you so far out, you become somebody else's food.

A  bit deeper than before, so the next wave doesn't tear you from your spot again, while you're still in shock.

If you swallow too much alcohol and are numbed by the experience not to see the wave that will knock you down, and manage to walk away from the water and reach safety, do as that little crab did.  Double up your efforts to stay sober and to stay away from precarious ground.

What really counts is not to be happy.
Happiness is illusory.
Not to have possessions.
Possessions lose their glint the minute they are possessed.

What really counts is to learn from each experience and live fully aware every minute of our lives.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

I

43 comments:

Helen said...

I do hope our younger generations can appreciate this wisdom ...

Velva said...

Thank you for the gentle reminder.

Hope you have a great weekend too.

Marion said...

What an excellent, wise post. I've found that the older I get, the less things I want. Like, I'll see a pretty lamp and think, "Money gone, bulbs to buy, electricity to buy, object to dust and care for...." then I'll put it back. I find myself giving away lots of stuff, too. I think it's a natural response to ageing. I feel lighter with each possession I discover I can live without. You have a wonderful weekend, too. Blessings!

Tess Kincaid said...

Wise words, Rosaria. I find I must have just a teensy-weensy bit of clutter. Just a few old books and fresh flowers to feather my magpie nest.

Ann Best said...

You say, "What really counts is to learn from each experience and live fully aware every minute of our lives." Exactly. Well said. And I love the crab metaphor.

I love photographs such as this on blogs. Not a lot of photographs. Too many detract from the content, and from the impact of each photo. Simplicity.

Really nice post. Have a great weekend, too, Rosaria!

Unspoken said...

I am afraid I disagree. YIKES. I am convinced happiness counts. It must. It just must. I have had it and I have it slip through my hands. But it counted. I count it, I do.

As for possessions, I have had them and I can care less about them. There we agree!

Saz said...

sober post! just what was needed...

saz x

ellen abbott said...

If only! I find there are lessons I have to keep learning over and over.

Less stuff is good but I do like my small art collection though.

human being said...

the most dangerous thing is possession...
the heavier one is, the sooner he'll be drowned...



thoughtprovoking and wise words...

potsoc said...

Be sober and aware, yes of course. Those who have can do without possessions, those who have not are the miserable ones and they could do with a few without too much harm.

Relyn Lawson said...

Oh, what a beautiful shot. Happy weekend to you, too.

Cheryl Cato said...

A great piece of wisdom you have offered! We learn as we grow. Happy weekend to you too.

Brian Miller said...

some great wisdom there...on what really counts...mistakes are best when you learn from them...

happy saturday!

Rob-bear said...

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." ~ Albert Einstein

One of the things that count, indeed, is learning from our experiences.

Thanks for the thought.

xxx said...

Brilliant!

I totally agree with these words of wisdom.
Somewhere along the line we have become confused about happiness.

I think that all experiences are fleeting and trying to hold onto them like a possession can be harmful.

I love the way hb has worded it.

I like this piece of writing very much.

thank you
Robyn x

xxx said...

ps... i think you are a budhist at heart ;)
i mean that in the nicest way x

Woman in a Window said...

I slap my leg. Happiness is illusory. I hurrah! You'd think I was mad to hurrah such sentiments. Well, no, YOU wouldn't, but if we could all accept this, we'd be a whole lot better off as a society.

And then too, that second bit.

I work in a gift store, Rosaria. I hear in the form of an exhale, Ohhh, how beautiful, a bunch of times each day. I picked some stuff up today. I put some stuff down on a shelf today. I told myself, this stuff is meaningless. Never get distracted by stuff again. I told myself, if it is something to line a shelf, it has no meaning. I felt better for it. And then I put those other people, filled with wonder, through the cash. I don't fault them, really. I just don't get it. I did once. I don't want to get it again.

You have a wonderful weekend feeling it all. Unfortunately, I'm working. Ha! But not to afford stuff, but rather to manage hand to mouth.

xo
erin

Marguerite said...

Great analogy and wise words, too! And that photo is beautiful! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Cloudia said...

Amen







Aloha from Hawaii


Comfort Spiral

Together We Save said...

Beautiful post!!

Lisa said...

Thank you lakeviewer.

Maggie May said...

Great wisdom indeed.
I feel like a little crab being tossed about by the waves just now.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

RNSANE said...

I've been pounded by the waves quite a bit the last year or so and, sometimes the current is so strong, I wonder how I manage to pull myself back on the sand..but, so far, I'm still hanging on....yikes, here comes another one!!!!

Lydia said...

Excellent analogy of the crab to sobriety.
Yes, live aware.....and be present. Sometimes awareness, if that is all there is, can lead to hyperactivity (at least this is true for me)..whereas being present is what grounds me.

Thank you for a thought-provoking post.

Tabor said...

This is true but this kind of wisdom seems to only come with age. Living on the edge, pushing the envelope, doing dangerous things are so attractive to the young.

Anonymous said...

A lovely post. You made me stop and think.

Anonymous said...

Happy weekend to you.

I have my vitamins and at least one belly laugh every day.

Sheri said...

your post was so good, giving all of us such vivid imagery on how to stay alive in spite of overwhelming and powerful circumstances! loved your truth on 'happiness' oh, yeah, spot on! i've learned to replace that silly word with 'contentment', not being tossed about because of Who i contain ;)
this was excellent!

Sharon McPherson said...

It's true ... what matters are the lessons. Lessons are exquisite and precious and more valuable than those other things.

When I do feel moments of happiness I like it ... and I have to remind myself that those moments will come by again, sometime.

Some lessons though I am yet to grasp ... so I say never give up trying.

Thank you so much for this post, it came at a time when I've been feeling blue. And you Rosaria, just cheered me up! x

Rachel Cotterill said...

So true - it's always important to learn from experience.

shopgirl said...

Very insightful and well said. I think it's all part of the learning process as we age.

ds said...

Oh yes, yes indeed--though it is easier in the thought than in the action (but we must try)...
Hope your weekend was a grand one, wise lakeviewer!

janis said...

I do understand your point, but I have to say happiness does matter so much to me! Illusory? Oh heavens no! It is marvelous and helps some of us to strive more and enjoy life. It also helps me to get throught the not so happy or pleasant experiences, knowing I must learn from the bad to appreciate the good ones.
Gotta have my Happiness! The world is too scary without!

Phoenix said...

I like this a lot! I suppose the challenge is to find happiness in learning the lessons :)

Sniffles and Smiles said...

ABSOLUTELY INSPIRATIONAL, Rosaria!!! Thank you!!! Yes...you are so wise and so right!! So much more important things than simply "being happy" Thank you for this reminder! ~Janine XO

Diana said...

Such a beautiful reminder. Thank you! To be in the moment and to learn from what we live,so vitally important.

L. D. said...

This is such a wonderful shot. I remember the cool breezes off of the Pacific Ocean. It always affects your weather and makes it more pleasant than inland.

Reya Mellicker said...

Happiness is not all it's cracked up to be. To me, a sense of contentment and satisfaction beats the pursuit of happiness any day. Thomas Jefferson really planted a seed in our minds ... for heaven's sake!

Room Service ~ Decorating 101 said...

You my friend are a wise soul. I've missed you, thanks for visiting. Beautiful post.

Vagabonde said...

I enjoyed reading this post and your previous one which are philosophical really. I also thought many times about what if I had done this or that, but I did not. There are so many routes one can take. Thank you for coming to my blog. You said you came to this country at about the same time I did – where did you come from? I looked at your profile and saw you had two other blogs, so you may be from Italy? Molti anni fa parlato italiano meglia che inglese ma dal momento che non parlo italiano mai lo dimenticato. Mi piacerebbe parlare italiano se conoscevo alcuni italiani nelle vicinanze.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

"What really counts is to learn from each experience"

That's the key - learning from life. I hope I never forget that.

rjerdee said...

Living fully aware--that's the secret to life, alright!

Nancy said...

As usual, great thoughts and thinking.