Following are some very wise words. They were forwarded to me. Not on Facebook however as I’m one of two people in the whole world not on it. Consequently, to “forward” something to me you actually have to work it. I appreciate the person who made the extra effort.
These words were circulating on Facebook and other social or anti-social (depending on your personal view), media. They were attributed wrongly to Pope Francis.
Now I don’t know the Pope, but I have read some of the things he has said that found themselves into what little news I follow. After I read these words, I said to myself, “Self, I don’t think the Pope said that.”
Now I don’t consider myself any kind of a media detective or anything like that. But it didn’t take me long to come up with the truth. Isn’t that what we are all interested in?
Turns out I was right.
There is much wisdom in these words, so I do do want to share them with you. I believe these words touch on things we all deal with or have dealt with from time to time.
But they should be attributed to the Portuguese Scholar Fernando Pessoa who is no longer with us. (1888-1935) I’m sure he would be pleased to know his thoughts have been circulated so widely. It is possible that some punctuation might be altered but I believe the thoughts to be intact.
Enjoy and be challenged.
And be careful out there with your keyboards and screens.
“You can have flaws, be anxious and live angry at times, but do not forget that your life is the greatest company in the world. Only you can prevent it from going downhill.
Many appreciate, admire and love you. If you thought that being happy means having a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, working without fatigue, relationships without disappointment, you were wrong.
Being happy is not only enjoying the smile, but also reflecting on the sadness. It is not only celebrating successes but learning lessons from failures. It is not just being happy with the applause but being happy in anonymity.
Life is worth living despite all the challenges, misunderstandings, and periods of crisis.
Being happy is not a destination, but an achievement for those who manage to travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling the victim of problems and become the author of your own story, to go through deserts outside of yourself, but managing to find an oasis in the depths of your soul.
To be happy is to give thanks for each morning, for the miracle of life.
To be happy is not to be afraid of your own feelings.
To be happy is to know how to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a “no”. It is feeling safe when receiving criticism, even if it is unfair. It is kissing children, pampering parents, living poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.
To be happy is to let the creature that lives in each one of us live, free, happy and simple. It is having the maturity to be able to say: “I was wrong.” It is having the courage to say “sorry.” It means having the sensitivity to say, “I need you.” It means having the ability to say, “I love you.”
May your life become a garden of opportunities to be happy. May your spring be a lover of joy. May you be a lover of wisdom in your winters. And when you make a mistake, start over from the beginning. Only then will you be passionate about life.
You will discover that being happy is not having a perfect life.
Let your tears water tolerance.
Use losses to train in patience.
Use mistakes to sculpt serenity.
Use the pain to polish the pleasure.
Use obstacles to open intelligence windows.
Never give up. Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, because life is an incredible spectacle”.
Fernando Pessoa
Don, thank you. I always appreciate and enjoy your insight and perspective. I hope you’ll continue to share for years to come. “Happiness is grand, yet fleeting, sporadic and temporary in the temporal. While joy based in the hope of Jesus the Christ is permanent, constant and eternal.” “Joy to the world the Lord has come, …” Merry Christmas!
Pastor Les, Perfect! The perfect cap on our fleeting emotions. Merry Christmas to you and yours. We will have everyone, even the Scottish ones, for a few days.