Positive Quote Wednesday - On Regrets
February 1, 2012 by admin · View Comments
None of us like to feel regretful. We want to believe our decisions lead us in the right direction. But often that isn’t the case. What do we decide on something that didn’t work out quite as planned…and we hold ourselves responsible?
Regret is … an unavoidable result of any loss, for in loss we lose the tomorrow that we needed to make right our yesterday or today.
GERALD LAWSON SITTSER, A Grace Disguised
Often regret is very false and displaced, and imagines the past to be totally other than it was.
JOHN O’DONOHUE, Anam Cara
Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
SYDNEY J. HARRIS, Sam Horn’s Tongue Fu!
Remorse is the poison of life.
CHARLOTTE BRONTE, Jane Eyre
In history as in human life, regret does not bring back a lost moment and a thousand years will not recover something lost in a single hour.
STEFAN ZWEIG, Stellar Moments in Human History
So it is with all life. A tedium that includes the expectation of nothing but more tedium; a regret, right now, for the regret I’ll have tomorrow for having felt regret today.
FERNANDO PESSOA, The Book of Disquiet
Of all Sad Words of Tongue or Pen, the Saddest are these, “It Might Have Been.”
GEORGE ADE, More Fables
Is it really so difficult to tell a good action from a bad one? I think one usually knows right away or a moment afterward, in a horrid flash of regret.
MARY MCCARTHY, My Confession
Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.
AMBROSE BIERCE, The Devil’s Dictionary
Regret, which is guilt without the neurosis, enables us … to move forward instead of back.
JANE ADAMS, When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us
You’ll never regret writing any letter out of love. However, it’s a good idea to reread anything you’ve written in anger.
MARY MATALIN, Letters to My Daughters
Regret is an odd emotion because it comes only upon reflection. Regret lacks immediacy, and so its power seldom influences events when it could do some good.
WILLIAM O’ROURKE, Idle Hands
Beth
The Largest Living Roof 3 Years Later
January 31, 2012 by admin · View Comments
It’s been three years since the green roof was planted on Vancouver’s new convention centre.
Is it a success? Is it as good as they promised it would be?
The answer is that some parts are terrific — attractive, quality planting; a beautiful habitat for songbirds and insect life.
But other areas are untidy, scrubby, a bit of a mess; you might even say, an eyesore, and a fair ways from what they could or should be.Overall, the roof is more a success than a flop, but there’s definitely room for improvement, so the designers should not spend too much time patting themselves on the back. There’s still some refining work to do.
Covering 2.4 hectares (just over six acres), it is still the largest living roof in Canada and the largest non-industrial green roof in North America.
But being 10 storeys above ground, you can’t see much of it from street level, say from outside the Fairmont Pacific Rim at Canada Place.
The roof is mostly visible to people working in adjacent highrise office blocks, such as the Shaw Tower, or living in luxury condos opposite.Read more at the Vancouver Sun.
Beth
Composter Extraordinaire
January 26, 2012 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Sending food waste to landfill is unnecessary, unsustainable and costly. Discussing the problem in an Exmoor pub one night were Richard Gedge – an ex-stockbroker who now runs an award-winning farm for its green credentials – and Dan Welburn, a former formula one engineer. Together, after experimenting with prototypes, they created the Ridan composter.
Capable of composting up to 400 litres of food waste a week, they have helped divert over 1,000 tonnes from landfill in two years, according to the company. They are proving popular with hotels, National Trust sites, prisons and even climbing centres.
Perhaps most importantly, colleges and schools are using them, not only to save money on disposal costs, but to help raise environmental awareness about the food cycle – helping young people to learn to appreciate food and think about prioritising locally sourced food. Food miles are usually considered with the distance from where it is produced to where it is consumed. But perhaps less often does anyone factor in the distance that wasted food travels to be disposed.
The ‘in-vessel’ composter is simple to use say its manufacturers, and it is suitable for all food waste, including cooked and raw, meat and dairy. The Ridan composting process requires no electricity and is carbon negative. Its design led to it being a finalist in the Devon Environmental Business Initiative (DEBI) awards in its first year. It was recognised not only for its sustainable practice in dealing with food waste, but also for savings in emissions. The process saves in combustion emissions through eliminating transportation, as well as reducing the methane from decomposing matter, which occurs in landfill.
“We are proud of what we have achieved so far and are now expanding rapidly. One day it will be standard practice for every catering facility to compost on-site,” says Dan Welburn. And his best moment since their system was launched? “Watching ‘I’ve got a brand new Ridan Composter’ sung by children at an assembly to the tune of Wurzels.”
Source: Positive News
Beth
Blind 11-year Old Crosses Finishing Line
January 24, 2012 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Wakana Ueda followed the sounds of applause, of chanting and of her mother’s voice as she crossed the finish line of the Honolulu Marathon on December 11.
The blind, 11-year-old girl from Toyota City, Japan, had tears in her eyes as she reunited with her family after 14 hours, 3 minutes and 12 seconds since the start of the race, Hawaii News Now reports.
The girl’s first marathon was not without its difficulties: the physical strains of the course almost derailed her at several points - but determination and encouragement from her team carried her through the finish line strung with flower petals.
Source: Daily News
Beth
Worry-freedom - an Everyday Practice
January 23, 2012 by admin · View Comments
From Only Positive News writer Beth Mann:
I worry. More than I care to admit. Sometimes I don’t feel as if I have any control over it. But I do. (I mean, if I don’t, who does? The mailman?)
And it’s tough not to worry in today’s age. Our economy is hurting, our ecology is ailing and we’re disconnecting from one another, based on ever-growing need to be “connect” virtually.
I wanted to share with you a few techniques to stop worry in its tracks. Because I don’t know about you, but I’d rather live my life than worry about it!
1. Laugh. I can’t stress the importance of laughter as a worry-buster. A funny movie or a quick-witted friend can inspire those belly laughs that make you feel free and easy afterward. Can’t find anything funny? Fake it! Tests have proven that even fake laughter has therapeutic effects. Fake some laughter for 30 seconds and notice the difference.
2. Look skyward. Worry tends to make us think very small. We’re locked in a box. The simple solution: open it up by going outside. Look up into the sky and breathe. Take in the world around you and remember, you’re part of something greater. Go for a walk. When you return, check in with yourself. You’ll feel less stressed and more open-minded.
3. Write it out. This one is tough for people because we have trouble making time for it. But simply writing out your worries is a great tool that provides instant relief - so try to fit it in. This doesn’t have to be any masterpiece. On the contrary, purge. Let it all out on the paper in a big, unrecognizable blob. The idea is to simply put the inner chatter on paper, so you can close that notebook and leave the worries on the page.
Worry doesn’t just have to exist side-by-side with us. Don’t get use to it. No matter what the concern, the more you practice breaking free, the healthier and happier you’ll be.
Beth
New Year’s Solutions
January 19, 2012 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
One way that we can cultivate belief in ourselves is by incrementally increasing how we challenge our self. We can do this by setting one small goal at a time, taking the neccessary steps to set ourselves up for success and then of course, by sticking with it. Once we reach our goal, it’s equally important that we take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate our achievements before putting our focus on something just a tiny bit bigger. This process builds our belief in self.
It’s important to also know that for a resolution to be successful, it must be lined up with what our subconscious really wants for us. When we try to go against the subconscious, it will always find a way to meet it’s own agenda.
Beth
The Only New Year’s Resolution that Worked
January 19, 2012 by admin · View Comments
To Touch You More
My New Year’s resolution made over a decade ago was to touch people more. To break that social wall that keeps our hands and bodies a safe distance from one other. To connect more physically.
I’m speaking of the non-sexual variety of contact. We all know when someone is touching us with sexual undertones. That may or may not be welcome. I wanted to offer the kind of touch that wouldn’t be misconstrued.
This was not easy at first. Not because people weren’t receptive; they were. People generally love touch. They bask in it. They appreciate it on a cellular level.
It was a challenge because I wasn’t sure how to do it. My German family is not the touchy-feely sort. Stiff, awkward hugs. Overly firm pats on the back. Touching others freely hadn’t been habituated into me, so it took some training.
But soon, my hands and body reached out to anyone in my world, whether it was via handholding or a quick massage or a touch on the cheek or a full-body hug or a head on a shoulder. Or I’d simply stand closer to people, trying not to invade, but simply enter, their space. I even began kissing some of my closest friends on the lips, which is incredibly sweet and rewarding.
How did people react? Shoulders would drop, breathing would deepen, gentle smiles would appear - people relaxed almost instantly. We so desperately crave human contact, but often aren’t even aware how hungry we are for it. And giving touch is akin to receiving it. I feel touched as well. Cosmic win/win.
Last month, while taking a bus from the Jersey shore to New York City, an older, fragile Indian man sitting across the aisle from me suddenly handed me his cellphone. I accepted it, confused and slightly nervous.
“Um…hello?”
“Hello, my uncle may be having a heart attack. He needs help. He doesn’t speak any English.”
I looked over at the older gentleman and he was grasping his chest and moaning. I went to the bus driver and explained what was happening. As I returned to my seat, the man had fallen to the floor, in the aisle.
The bus pulled over. Emergency help was contacted. Several passengers made suggestions but few had any medical training, myself included. So I resorted to my New Year’s resolution. I placed both of my hands gently on his face and began whispering in his ear, “Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.”
I then unbuttoned his shirt and placed my hands on his chest. He was very agitated and his heartbeat was frighteningly rapid, so it took some time, but finally his breathing resumed to somewhat normal. At one point, he opened his eyes to look at me and they were filled with gratitude. No clumsy words needed.
When the police finally arrived, they instructed everyone off of the bus. (Another was waiting to take us to our destination.) I was afraid if my hands left his body, he would become unwell again. The cop didn’t really want to hear my spiritual take on the situation, so I got up to leave.
Almost immediately, the man’s breathing became erratic and his eyes glazed over and looked filmy. I left the bus feeling a sense of peace regardless. Strangely, I could feel his essence on me for quite some time, like an energetic imprint of some sort.
Fortunately, the man was fine. (His relatives left me a lovely message the next day.) But it was then I realized that touching was something beyond “feel good.” We live for it. I live for it.
So that is my first (and only) working New Year’s resolution - one that would change my life on a level beyond words.
Beth
Baby Born on Roof Lives to see 2012
January 18, 2012 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
Babies have been born in strange places. (Hey, you can’t always dial up birth, right?) This is a story that shows, as humans, even small humans, we persevere and adapt.
Mother Anna Liza Tumanda smiles as her children Edmar, left, and Vorach, right, play with their five-day-old baby sister Aizee at an evacuation center Thursday Dec. 22, 2011 in Cagayan De Oro city, southern Philippines. Mother Anna Liza gave birth to baby Aizee on the roof of a medical center after they were rescued by police. Their house were totally destroyed.
Source: Day Life
Beth
Positive Quote Wednesday - on Envy
January 18, 2012 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
William Hazlitt
Envy comes from people’s ignorance of, or lack of belief in, their own gifts.
Jean Vanier
Envy is an insult to oneself.
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Envy is like a fly that passes all the body’s sounder parts, and dwells upon the sores.
Arthur Chapman
Envy is never general, but always very particular - at least envy of the kind one feels strongly.
Joseph Epstein
Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.
Harold Coffin
Envy like fire always makes for the highest points.
Titus Livius
Envy, like the worm, never runs but to the fairest fruit; like a cunning bloodhound, it singles out the fattest deer in the flock.
Francis Beaumont
Envy, my son, wears herself away, and droops like a lamb under the influence of the evil eye.
Jacopo Sannazaro
Beth
Finding Life in Prison
January 18, 2012 by admin · View Comments
King spent 29 years in solitary confinement in a six-by-nine-foot cell at Angola Louisiana State Penitentiary.
King was convicted of robbery in 1969 despite the testimony of the main witness who admitted he picked King out of a lineup after being tortured.
King escaped from the Orleans Parish Prison and joined the Black Panther Party in New Orleans—five years after the federal government passed the Civil Rights Act.
He was recaptured within weeks of his escape and sent to Angola, then considered the bloodiest prison in America, in the spring of 1972 where he met Black Panthers Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace in solitary confinement.
They became informally known as the “Angola 3.” Woodfox and Wallace remain in solitary confinement, while King was released on time served in February 2011.
King learned the power of creative, physical activity while he was in Closed Cell Restriction (CCR), also known as extended lockdown, at Angola.
Unlike the other living spaces on Angola’s 18,000-acre prison grounds, the CCR cells did not have a slot for passing food to inmates. King had to eat from his plate through the bars while the plate was on the floor or while he balanced the plate in mid-air.
As a solution, King built a cardboard food tray and hung it from strings outside his cell. “All the guys began to do it. Some guys got creative about it. They drew pictures on their trays. They covered them in table clothes. We had fun with it,” King says.
They also made chess boards out of tissue paper. They fastened sixty-four tissue squares to their concrete floors with toothpaste to make chessboards. They made expertly sculpted tissue paper rooks and kings.
Beth
