Friday Happy Hour: Words of Wisdom

Everyone needs inspiration to get through the day. For some it’s just a ride with the top down and good music blaring and for others they turn to written word. I have found myself seeking that which uplifts and inspires me from all sources and then mixing it up into my own mash of inspirational goodness. And it is amazing where the goodness turns up! Facebook statuses, NPR, Mumford and Sons, an art documentary, Pinterest.com, my children and their wild, innocent ideas about life, or my husband struggling to find a path of truth through a sea of misfit government employees. Now I carry a notebook where ever I go because I am saving these things to use as arsenal at a later time.

...Because at any time the weight of the world could crush us if it were not for that which continually gives us strength to climb above it. If one positive voice can be heard above the useless negativity, it might just give us enough courage to live a better life, even if it is one day at a time. And I believe reinforcing these ideas through signs and music, conversation and written word, action and humble silence, will make a difference on how much of it sinks into your being and becomes a part of your daily thought.

This week has been the best week ever because I have really been absorbing these great ideas and turning them into something tangible. I have been sketching, making watercolors and carving stamps with fabulous quotes on them. And each time I finish another piece of written art I feel inspired to share the goodness and I emerge from the studio with a happier soul. I will be ready to open a new Etsy.com shop by October so I can share the goodness with everyone, but in the mean time I am posting a few of my prints and ideas right here to share with you to help you have the best week ever. These are my favorites right now:

·         “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” Goethe

·         “It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart, but the welcome I receive with a restart.” & “I need to know how to live my life as it’s meant to be.” & “Where you invest your love, you invest your life.” Mumford and sons

·         “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.” Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

·         “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” Churchill

·         “Everything is fine, not final.” & “Keep your eyes open as if everyone else is a poet.” Jason Mraz

·         “You have to be brave with your life so others can be brave with theirs.” unknown

·         “Let’s have an awesome day, okay?” Jena Garzaniti (my sister on her FB status)

·         “As we grow old, the beauty steals inward.” Emerson

·         “Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life.” Bertolt Brecht

·         “Amazing people do not just happen.” unknown

·         “Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” Thoreau

·         When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.” Erma Bombeck

What are your favorite quotes? Share them with me and I may even be inspired to make a new print or painting out of your quote and if I do, I will surely send you a copy! Tell me, What inspired you to have the best week ever?