Find your enthusiasm

“The surprises in life make it interesting. Could you imagine being able to see the future? And knowing what was going to happen when? You’d have no purpose for living. Ordinary, everyday happenings make life feel comfortable, but you live to be surprised. Never lose the capacity to be surprised. Never let life become ordinary. Learn to enjoy the littlest things. That’s why little kids and puppies are so neat. They think everything is new and exciting. Such enthusiasm.”

From the time I was a confused freshman in high school until I was a confused new wife and mother, my sister Pat wrote me wonderful letters full of insight and encouragement. Seeing as I have dubbed Thursday’s blog “Sayings, Songs and Signs”, I thought I would occasionally share some of her wisdom here.

On the long list of books I plan to write some day is her story. In addition to writing all those books, I also dream of seeing the book which Pat wrote become published. My idea is that once I am a famous author I will have an “in” to make that happen. I just need to keep the enthusiasm.

Try or Try Not

“Live, Love, Learn, Think, Give, Laugh, Try” John W. Gardener

When I was in high school, someone bought me a blank bound journal. They are very common now, but 35 years ago it was novel (if not a novel. Yet). Called an “anything book”, I filled it with inspiring quotations, poems, and song lyrics I ran across. Those were the days when you had to look in a book, maybe even go to the library, to find cool quotations. Those were the days.

Now, we can type anything into Google and get dozens of sayings on any subject. So I had to do a search of the above quote which is the first entry in my Journal. But alas, no results. Hmm? So either I totally made it up or I have more information than the World Wide Web.

A few years after I wrote the above words in my little red book, I heard I a quote containing the word “try” which I like much better. Didn’t have to look this one up on the web.

“Do, or do not. There is no try.” Yoda