I am publishing one of my older posts again for you because I don’t have the energy to write anything new just right now. I I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did.
I have been tagged for a “3.2.1 Quote Me!” Challenge on the topic: FOOD FOR THOUGHT, by Paula, the creator of Light Motifs II, as you can see from her great post below:
https://lightmotifs.wordpress.com/2019/10/23/3-2-1-quote-me-food/
As you may already know, “3.2.1 Quote Me!” Challenges originate with Rory, the creator of A Guy Called Bloke. This was his original FOOD FOR THOUGHT post:
https://aguycalledbloke.blog/2019/10/14/321-quote-me-food-for-thought-2/
Guidelines: 3.2.1 Quote Me!
Thank the Selector – THANK YOU PAULA!
Post 2 quotes for the dedicated Topic of the Day.
Select 3 bloggers to take part in ‘3.2.1 Quote Me!’
My Two Chosen Quotes
Some of my friends have labelled me a “foodie”. I disagree, only because I don’t really take a massive interest in food. I am just very supportive to friends organizing parties and dinners. So I often help by making a dessert, or making hors d’oeuvres. I know what tastes yummy, so some of my friends say I must be a foodie.
But I rarely think about food itself. I am not creative, I am always faithful to recipes, because I have no confidence in myself to experiment. Plus, I am vegetarian with a dairy intolerance. So a lot of what I make is for other people to enjoy. And that is what I like about food – the pleasure it brings to other people.
I will admit to this – I watch hardly any television – but I love MasterChef and The Great British Bake-Off. But on my own, I eat very simply. When I am on my own, food is just fuel, I probably don’t take enough time to enjoy it properly. It’s only to bring pleasure to friends that makes me start cooking and baking with gusto. But I do have some foodie friends. They really do love food. They are fabulous friends – a lot of fun to spend time with. Oh and also…I think the majority of blogs I follow are foodie blogs – which explains why I always feel hungry when I am blogging.
Anyway,..here are my quotes!
I don’t need to explain this one do I? I don’t have anything against celery sticks. In the summer I munch on them. But obsessing about calories is not going to make you a happier person. And self-hatred, because you want to be the shape of a super-model, is no way to live.
Live life with gusto! Be active and energetic – that, in my experience, is one of the best ways to be able to enjoy a variety of food and stay balanced. It’s is often love for life that makes people more appealing and attractive. So live!!
Life is so good! But I wonder at times if some people are enjoying what makes life richest. Be with people, lovely people, enjoy singing and laughing together. Enjoy food together. If you are on a budget, it does not need to be complicated! When was the last time you went round to a friend’s house with a packet of biscuits?
Recently, I had a couple of friends come and cheer me up (when I a wooden roof had fallen on my nose and my face was bruised) and they brought cookies. It was so good to have their company for a little – I was feeling kind of sorry for myself I will admit!
Food is a wonderful gift – can you imagine how boring it would be without the astonishing variety of flavours and textures available? But the best thing about food as far as I am concerned is the chance to share it with other people. Moments like these – they make life special! We will never forget them. Enjoy your food, but most of all enjoy your life – with wonderful people.
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I remembered that I was tagged for a “3.2.1 Quote Me!” Challenge on this same topic last year. At the time it was all new to me. I had only just discovered Rory (A Guy Called Bloke) and it was my first quote post. I didn’t know what to do!
I chose this one because although I am not sure what the originator had in mind, it is something I certainly relate to. I am a people person. I like to walk this journey of life with people, not alone.
I am content with who I am. I have a healthy amount of self-esteem. I am aware of some strengths and also aware of some weaknesses. I know my good habits and my bad habits. I know the parts of me that I am chuffed to bits about and am so grateful for all those who have helped build those parts of me. However, I also know there are parts I am not proud of and would like to change. But I know it’s important to remain balanced. Just as it is not good to think you are perfect and without reproach, neither is it healthy to feel you are unlovable and worthless.
This is something my mum taught me. She is such a beautiful person – inside and out. I never heard her say unkind things about others, even those who she had a right to complain about. She is mild and delightful.
Here is another quote that struck a chord with me. I think that my mum and my dad set a wonderful example in being the best kind of humans. From the youngest age I saw them, not only caring for the seven of us children, but caring for others too.
I have been falling way way behind in all aspects of blogging. Please feel free to give me a shout if I seem to be missing your posts. I am speed reading as much as I can of the many posts that appear in my Reader. I lost a couple of days completely when I just did not have time to open my lap-top at all. But I am trying to spend a little time each day.
I will admit to you right now…this topic was not as easy as I thought it would be at first. I will explain why. I love music as much as the next person. As a teenager I worked for a record company and I was obsessed with music! I am very aware of the powerful effect it could have on my my mood, attitude and emotions. But because some of that effect was harmful to me…I started to limit the amount of music I listened to and I became much more selective about lyrics. When I was looking for quotes for the challenge, I thought some of them were a bit unbalanced. They reminded me of the obsessive view of music I used to have. So in the end I chose two quotes that are a bit more positive and healthy and balanced.
“Don’t take that attitude with me young lady!”
Aaaaaah! That clearly shows the potential for positive or negative is equal. Attitudes can be extreme, or in between. Our attitude is basically our habitual thoughts and feelings about things or people. Careless, indifferent, generous, arrogant, hopeful, rebellious, judgemental, kind, miserly, cheerful…there is a array of potential when it comes to that one word: ATTITUDE!
Of course, I understood that in the past that individual had been treated badly by some people. But it was now wreaking havoc on their ability to develop and maintain new relationships. And it was a battle to help overturn their entrenched thoughts, feelings and attitudes towards other people. I kept on hearing the same expression over an over “it’s just me, I cannot change”. Wrong – of course you can change. It might take effort, but of course you can change.
Gratitude for a myriad of things is a powerful force in helping you endure trials and hardships. Hard times will come, no doubt about it, and no matter what anyone says, it is ok to be sad, and it is ok to cry. But do not let those bad things impact too much on all the wonderful things in life. Treasure up the wonderful.
I have mentioned in a few posts that when I was a teenager, I went through a bit of a rebellious stage (which is not unusual). I started working for a record company. I was listening to songs with lyrics full of angst and anger and apathy and disdain for any authority. Not surprisingly those lyrics started to effect my attitude. I met a lot of musicians during that time. I mixed with filth, some who I came to regard as the dross of humankind. (Some of them, not all of them.) Now, as a 14/15 year old, I should not have been at some of those venues – stupid me!
Admitting that I found that atmosphere foul and breaking free was liberating. I was still a bit lost, because as a teenager, I just did not know what I wanted in life and had no sense of direction. The first time I walked onto a construction site as a volunteer, I found the purpose I had been longing for. Clean, kind, friendly, good humoured, generous, patient, gorgeous, warm – I could go on and on. It was so refreshing to me.
Right… well… where on earth to begin? Well, where do most people start their search for truth? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think many lean towards either science or religion in their quest for truth.
And so before I give you my two quotes…one in connection with science, one more on a religious note – I just want to say, I do understand why many feel cynical. Too many outright lies, half-truths, distortions of truth, twisting of truth by far.
Many reach the conclusion that there is no truth, except hard truths that kind of extinguish hope and optimism. Now, I love humour…but I think many have given up their quest for truth, and just see an endless source of comedy in the hypocrisy of those who set themselves up as truth-sayers, gurus, experts.
I feel there are some who set out to deliberately deceive and profit, by extorting money from those who trust them. Some just seem rather mercenary in their zeal to promote their conclusions. There are others who seem to have a gigantic chip on their shoulder or their knickers in a twist, and just attack everyone else, but don’t have anything truly substantial to offer themselves. Or those come across as if they have been deeply let down and pained by those they trusted. There are others who genuinely believe they are correct and speak with passion, and yet their statements or teachings have holes in them. I don’t think they are deliberately trying to manipulate anyone, but perhaps they are being over-confidant and presumptuous in their claims.
I honestly feel more inclined to trust those who display humility and recognize that our view is limited. We may not have all the facts, so it is unwise to be dogmatic about conclusions and not allow for the possibility that we might be wrong, at least in some respects. We should always be prepared to learn more and correct our understanding. I am also inclined to prefer those who don’t try to over-complicate things with highfalutin explanations and technical terminology that Joe Bloggs, Jane Doe and I cannot understand. Even profound concepts can be presented in simple terms by an effective teacher.
I love science. I am particularly drawn to physics. In essence, I have always felt that a true scientific approach involves the search for answers to questions and testing out the various theoretical possibilities to see how they work. I have a mathematical mind and I am always interested in the mathematical probability of a theory.
Although I have a keen interest in physics and a passion for learning and understanding how things work. I am not sure that science alone can answer all of our questions as humans. Remarkable things have been discovered by scientists. I do believe there are some very genuine and open-minded scientists who will continue to learn and discover amazing things.
Working in pharmacy…you can see how much money can be made from promoting a wonder-drug or treatment. One drugs company may promote their new product on the market by dissing the products that have been relied on previously. They can sound very convincing, very authoritative. Do they sincerely believe their product will make a huge improvement to people’s health…or is their marketing just very clever – all leading to a great big fat profit?
Let me say first though that I do believe in a Creator. Someone that fashioned matter into remarkable creations. Not just a force of energy, but a person with a remarkable personality. I do believe that He possesses love, power, wisdom and that He wants us to know Him and that He wants us to find the answers to our questions – especially why there is so much going wrong with this world and is there any hope for things to get better? In saying this I am not inviting any bullish remarks from those who might have drawn a very different conclusion to me. I am just being up front about my own view because I truly am trying to write a post that is free from bias.
However, I certainly do not believe that religion as a whole is trustworthy. I refer to both the teachings or doctrines that exist and the behaviour and attitude of individuals, especially religious leaders. There are no doubt many who are sincere in themselves. But as with science, there are also those who have been motivated by wealth and prominence. I feel indignant by how many have used religion to beguile others and have extorted a massive profit.
In addition, surely nobody in their right mind would deny that there are too many pages of bloodshed in the history of religion by far. Lots of damage has been done by those who have claimed to represent the Almighty and yet have abused the positions of trust they have been placed in. I am not surprised that there are some who feel very angry with religion, and are now averse to anything associated with religion or a Creator. It is again something that makes me feel incensed that many religions have put people off believing in a Creator who cares.
Now, I really don’t want to single out any religious groups – I don’t feel I have any right to mock someone’s treasured beliefs. So I am going to steer clear of mentioning any specific doctrines and religious teachings that I feel are far from true. I have friends and workmates who have religious beliefs very different from my own. Some seem more devoted to their religious beliefs than others.
I have read a lot about the major religions of the world, but I feel I know more about Christianity and it’s history than other religions. I have read in various books that there are anywhere between 37,000 – 42,000 different Christian denominations. Some of those have very different understandings of the role of Christ, the route to forgiveness, which practices are acceptable or not, the perception of the soul, the hope for the future of mankind and for those who have died. Same leader, same scriptures – wildly different teachings.
Yet I will say this, I do believe that some religious groups are a lot closer to truth than others. I think that both their teachings and their conduct and attitude to others, manifest that they have a lot more truth in them. They make religion look good. I respect those that have a faith based on clear reason and who try to live by their faith in sincerity. Especially when they are able to engage in a reasonable discussion about their beliefs, answering questions, but remaining calm and respectful about and towards those who do not share their beliefs.
Well… I am one of… is it seven or eight billion humans, who have the capacity to ponder “what is it all about?”. There are a lot of people who are convinced they are right, telling me what to believe. I am fascinated by science and religion. But as I have gained experience in life and have talked with people from all backgrounds, I am drawn to those that bear the stamp of truth.
I don’t tolerate those who cannot have a discussion with a respectful attitude. I am not interested in mental boxing matches. Then there are those I can see that may feel they are genuine and are full of conviction, but despite their sincerity, I discern big holes in their reasoning. On the other hand, I have started to probe more carefully those who speak with eloquence and profess to have all the answers. It’s up to me to test out what I read, see, hear and to decide whether I am reading truth, half-truths, a twisting of the truth, or outright lies. I have felt many of my questions have been answered satisfactorily. Especially why there is so much going wrong on a planet that has the potential to be a paradise? I have a lot of hope that the future will be better. But I do have more questions and I am eager to read, listen, learn more and more.
But that process should not be just about me picking my favourites, what tickles my ears…like running around a sweet shop and making up your own goodie bag. I try to be unbiased and careful in my approach to what I read. I do ask:
Caramel 