Quote from: Mrs. Oliphant on Yesterday at 04:53:04 PMBeautiful, Sephirah. Someone once gave me great advice: never apologize. I thought about that and it reminded me of an old line from an old movie: love means never having to say you're sorry. Girl, you have a gift. Thanks for sharing it.

Love Story. I love that movie. And that's kind of the thing. People who get you, get all of you. So you never have to apologise. I am a hopeless romantic in that way. That's kind of my deal. But I am a Scorpio, so I kind of fall dangerously in love with people. Mostly for them.

Some of my favorite and important life guiding quotations come
from Winston Churchill and other famous world leaders....

... my most favorite follows:

 "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.
    The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
      - Winston Churchill.

And another famous quote of his:

"If you're going through hell... keep going."

The dude was an inspiration for so many people.

... and now from Dwight Eisenhower

  "Pessimism never won any battle."
        - Dwight Eisenhower

You make a good point, Danielle. Everything we do, and everything we face is as much a mental battle as anything anyone can throw at us. We choose how we approach life. I know a lot of people who have just given up.. and they don't even have to deal with trans stuff. It's all just too overwhelming.

"Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible. - Helen Keller.

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
...
We leave you a tradition with a future.
The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete.
People even more than things have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed and redeemed and redeemed.
Never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

Your "good old days" are still ahead of you, may you have many of them." - Sam Levenson.

Wow! I loved 'Euphoria'. What a follow-up to Winston and Dwight. I have nothing to add.

I wrote a story that includes a character on the autism spectrum. My daughter is diagnosed with ASD so I needed to do very little research for the character. In earlier versions, my character (Danny) compulsively hummed Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" under his breath. But copyright laws are painfully strict (ironically, one of latest changes to the law is known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act). So, I wrote an 'old' country song for Danny to sing. I hope you like it:

The Swimming Hole

Let's go down to the swimming hole
We don't need clothes and we won't need a pole
We ain't gonna fish and we aint' gonna swim
When we get to the river we'll dive right in.
I'll buy the beer and you'll bring the ice.
We might do it once and we might do it twice.
Let's stay so long we lay in moonlight
Maybe we'll stay all through the night.
The day's too hot and we've worked too hard
So don't clean the house and I won't mow the yard.
Missy can watch the kids but we'll take the dog
And we'll drink a beer on the fallen log
That fell across the old swimming hole
When we were still kids smokin' a bowl
Sharing our fears and sharing our dreams
While layin' in the grass on the banks of the stream.
You might not remember but I'll tell you this
The swimming hole was where I stole my first kiss
And where we went to heal when our baby died
We held each other close and we let each other cry.
All the tears that fell needed to be shed,
All the dreams that mattered seemed like they were dead
But we cleaved together by the swimming hole
And when the sun rose we were almost whole.
So, I'll grab the beer and you get the ice,
Put on something pretty and I'll wear something nice,
But those clothes are coming off as soon as we cross
And we'll count our blessings and consecrate our loss
At the swimming hole.
No one says good-bye.
Not at the swimming hole.


 

I wrote this back in 2019. I originally posted it here on Susan's Place to let my friends know that I had awakened from GCS, and that it was successful. It still brings tears to my eyes.

Love always -- Jess

Quote from: Mrs. Oliphant on Today at 07:57:34 AMI wrote a story that includes a character on the autism spectrum. My daughter is diagnosed with ASD so I needed to do very little research for the character. In earlier versions, my character (Danny) compulsively hummed Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" under his breath. But copyright laws are painfully strict (ironically, one of latest changes to the law is known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act). So, I wrote an 'old' country song for Danny to sing. I hope you like it:

The Swimming Hole

Let's go down to the swimming hole
We don't need clothes and we won't need a pole
We ain't gonna fish and we aint' gonna swim
When we get to the river we'll dive right in.
I'll buy the beer and you'll bring the ice.
We might do it once and we might do it twice.
Let's stay so long we lay in moonlight
Maybe we'll stay all through the night.
The day's too hot and we've worked too hard
So don't clean the house and I won't mow the yard.
Missy can watch the kids but we'll take the dog
And we'll drink a beer on the fallen log
That fell across the old swimming hole
When we were still kids smokin' a bowl
Sharing our fears and sharing our dreams
While layin' in the grass on the banks of the stream.
You might not remember but I'll tell you this
The swimming hole was where I stole my first kiss
And where we went to heal when our baby died
We held each other close and we let each other cry.
All the tears that fell needed to be shed,
All the dreams that mattered seemed like they were dead
But we cleaved together by the swimming hole
And when the sun rose we were almost whole.
So, I'll grab the beer and you get the ice,
Put on something pretty and I'll wear something nice,
But those clothes are coming off as soon as we cross
And we'll count our blessings and consecrate our loss
At the swimming hole.
No one says good-bye.
Not at the swimming hole.


 

I can actually picture that to music. Acoustic guitar, in a smoky bar somewhere. So you're a songwriter, too, Annika. That is fantastic. Girl there is no end to your talents.

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on Today at 10:06:09 AMI wrote this back in 2019. I originally posted it here on Susan's Place to let my friends know that I had awakened from GCS, and that it was successful. It still brings tears to my eyes.

Love always -- Jess

My Journey
by Jessica Rose


His mind fraught with pain.
Protecting her all his life.
In darkness she waits.

Consumed with anger,
He sensed his end approaching.
He must set her free.

He shared his secret.
Gentle light now bathed her soul.
She began to grow.

Soon she became strong.
For her to bloom, he must fade.
His silent goodbye.

Surgery finished.
Reminders of him are gone.
His journey complete.

Her soul emerges.
Painful memories recede.
She is free to be.

Awake from her sleep.
Her mind and body align.
Her eyes open wide.

At last, I am she.
A new world beckons me on.
My journey begins.

That kind of made me tear up a little bit, too, Jess. The only thing I would really say is... from getting to know you and the kind of person you are. At least here. I think you still have an echo inside you. I don't mean in terms of gender. You still have that instinct to protect. To be a shield for people in pain. And... that will always be a part of you. A beautiful, fragile part of you. Like a snowflake on a winter day. It's a whisper in your soul. And I hope you never lose that, Jess. Because it is a part of what makes you the beautiful, gentle soul you are. <3

"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things."

- Mary Oliver.

"There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty." - Steve Maraboli (this one resonates with me).

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

- Lord Byron.

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on Today at 10:06:09 AMMy Journey
by Jessica Rose

Jessica, your poem was exquisite. thanks for the gift

Quote from: Sephirah on Today at 05:00:37 PMShe walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

One of my favorites, Sephirah. George Gordon certainly had a way with words. I believe Mary Shelley would offer no argument to the contrary.