The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.

"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."

-- Benjamin Franklin

Choices

We all live a small life
Much decisions on our shoulders
Some a burden while some for fun
But not friendship
No, not at all
Come let me take you into a fantasy
A dream like one you’ve never seen
Just close your eyes and listen to me

Can you hear the Lark?
Can you hear the Cuckoo?
Can your hear the Nightingale sing?
A melancholy song
Of a story not so long
For the sands of time to bring

Listen carefully my dear
For there is a lesson to be learnt
Don’t judge so soon
You may be wrong
And hurt yourself in return

It was a bright bright day
Silence
Not a sound to be heard
No noise made
All were present
Man, beast and bird
No one moved
They simply stood and watched

Then came a far, far off cry
Of pain of hurt
And a sob and a sigh
For all watched a tortured soul
Tormented hurt and die.

There he was on his knees
Begging, pleading
For those who he took as his friends
Used him, hurt him
Then let their friendship come to an end

“Why?” he asked,
“Why?” he cried.
“How had the bond been broken
Hadn’t it been made by chains of love so strong?
Or was it of mere selfishness
A weak thread, a token”

“A proof, a mark, deep inside
To scorn me of my foolish pride
So sharp the tongue
That hurt my soul
I cannot run
I cannot hide”

No more could he stand the pain
A laugh, a cry, a blend of both.
But none could work
None to ease the pain
None to ease the hurt.

Blinded by the tears
Of shame, of fury
He then struck a blow
A fist came down on him later
And then there were more

Blow by blow came down upon him
Those very hands
Those very hands
One’s which had calmed the hurt he got
Were opening those wounds
With added salt.

Thus he fainted
Bloodless, lifeless
Calm and still
Writhing insides now empty, now void
Still not a soul moved
Still not a soul moved

“Why is it dark?
Has the night set in?
Or am I dead,
And gone to heaven
Maybe hell for such a sin.”

“Nay my friend,
You still reside on earth
You have your soul
Your body is healing.
But, forgive me my friend
To hurt you and torment your mind
For I have to tell you
That your vision has gone friend
That you are blind.”

A tear falls and then another
For yet the burden was augmented
The voice was known
Too known to ignore
For to ignore was what he wanted

The voice was familiar
The tone was not
Yet how could it be so?
His friends had turned evil
His friends had turned bad
And the voice….

The voice was of a foe


Found at: http://insatiablemelody.blogspot.com/2007/06/choices-we-all-live-small-lifemuch.html

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.



If you don't send this to at least 8 people…..Who cares?

George Carlin

Types of Women Guys Want to Date!

We had heard that only women are choosy when it comes to dating men, here you will discover that men are equally choosy when it comes to choosing the right girl. Here are the types of women men would give their right hand for.

MISS SWEET
Miss Sweet is a genuine person without a bitchy bone in her body. Men find themselves looking forward to spending time with her. Miss Sweets are pretty rare. But if men do find one, they've real treasure on their hands.

MISS STRAIGHTFORWARD
With Miss Straightforward, there are no games, no behaviour based on ridiculous, female-biased advice. Miss Straightforward will pick up the phone and ask you out. Although she may be blunt at times, at least you'll know where you stand.

MISS INDEPENDENT
This is a good woman to find if you don't have a lot of time to invest in a relationship or you're the type of guy who needs a lot of space. She's the type who wants a man in her life, but doesn't need a man in her life. And she certainly isn't looking for men to solve all her problems or blame when things don't go her way.

MISS SEXUAL
Men feel lucky to encounter one of these! Miss Sexual loves men and loves sex and makes no bones about it. She's not selling it, she's not using it as a tool to manipulate men, she just naturally craves it. Men love her because she's a free spirit who's actually honest about her sex drive.

MISS SECURE
Miss Secure accepts herself as she is and is comfortable with her good points, as well as her bad ones. And she feels the same about you. She doesn't need constant attention to shore up a sagging ego and has tons of self esteem. What's more, she'll help boost your ego too.

MISS BEST FRIEND
She's the kind of woman you're totally in sync with, you like the same things, watch the same TV shows, enjoy going to the same places. A word of warning: You have to make your sexual interest known from day one because if she gets it into her head that you are going to be just friends,' it's almost impossible to change her mind.

MISS LOW MAINTENANCE
The rarest of the rare, Miss Low Maintenance is the most atypical of modern women. She really doesn't care about how much money you have. She just likes you for yourself and not for what she can take from you. She's likely to be a true feminist, and will gladly pay her share of the dating expenses. If you can find her, hang on to her for dear life!

Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed.

i didnt get a chance to say....

"i didnt get a chance to say....
that i love you. after all was said and done, i still wanted 2 tell you that. im sorry i hurt you. so sorry. but im more sorry that i didn show you how much i love you..... "
Found at: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/mis/550941001.html


"Thank you for having something real to say. It's refreshing to read something so simple, yet which evokes such depth of feeling. It's never too late to tell someone how much you love them, even if your lives are heading down different paths. If your special person knew how much you love him/her, it could make a huge difference to how that person moves on, and makes decisions. Maybe you could be the inspiration for that person to do great things, or bring happiness that he/she didn't know was missing. Maybe by telling that person, it could also bring hope for a different future than what is being traveled towards now. You never know. I think it takes a great deal of courage to tell someone how much you love them, and by doing so you can elevate yourself to a higher level no matter if it is reciprocated or not. A weight will be lifted from you, and if you express and give your love without expectation then you have done all you can, and maybe, just maybe you would have made a difference. Best of luck."
Found at: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/mis/551408890.html

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These posts show a situation that happens far too often.. The second post is excellent advice. Better to regret playing a fool and trying again than to always wonder "what if"..

In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

— Viktor E. Frankl

You must forgive those who hurt you

"You must forgive those who hurt you, even if whatever they did to you is unforgivable in your mind. You will forgive them not because they deserve to be forgiven, but because you don't want to suffer and hurt yourself every time you remember what they did to you. It doesn't matter what others did to you. You are going to forgive them because you don't want to feel sick all the time. Forgiveness is for your own mental healing. You will forgive because you feel compassion for yourself. Forgiveness is an act of self-love."

-- Don Miguel Ruiz, The Mastery of Love

A master...

"A master teaches us to accept everything,
to be thankful for good and bad, right and wrong,
friend and enemy, helper and abuser, liberator and oppressor.

A master helps us to forget the dark past
and the future bright with a thousand promises,
and live in the fullness of the present moment.

A master shows us how all of Nature,
every being, every thing - even our enemy -
helps us evolve and attain perfection."


~Amma~

Do You Realize Your Potential?

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.

-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There is no difficulty that enough Love will not conquer

"There is no difficulty that enough Love will not conquer; no disease that enough Love will not heal; no door that enough Love will not open; no gulf that enough Love will not bridge; no wall that enough Love will not throw down; no sin that enough Love will not redeem.

It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble, how hopeless the outlook, how muddled the tangle; how great the mistake. A sufficient realization of Love will dissolve it all. If only you could Love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world."

-- Emmet Fox

RELATIONSHIPS

http://www.livelifehappy.com

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RELATIONSHIPS | Article by Roy Biancalan


Chemistry, though essential, isn't enough. Romance can survive on chemistry, a relationship can't. So one day I sat down at my computer and I got clear on what I wanted, beyond chemistry, in a woman and in the relationship I had with her. I embarked on what I call a conscious way of choosing my life partner. Instead of dating dozens of women hoping to find someone by the sheer law of averages, I stopped dating and got crystal clear on what I wanted. With in a month I met her, and one year later we became engaged!

I'm not promising that if you get clear on who and what you want, that you'll meet "The One" in such a short period of time. Then again, if you go into a restaurant and just sit there, merely looking at the menu, and never communicate to your server what you want, I can promise you that you'll go hungry!

Question 1: Am I compromising any significant desire, dream or direction in my life to be with her?

"There are two questions every man must ask himself. First, 'where am I going?' And secondly, 'who do I want to go with me?' And don't ever get them
reversed!" For a time, I did.

Are you giving up anything really important to you—a life long dream, a core purpose, in order to be with this person? Maybe they don't want children and you

do. But you're madly in love, the chemistry is off the charts!, and so you're trying to convince yourself that having kids isn't that important to you. Or maybe you always wanted to go back to school or start a business or move to the beach, but you're hesitating because following those dreams might be trouble for your relationship.

One of the ways you know that he or she is "The One," is that there is nothing of importance that you are giving up in exchange for being in the relationship. Healthy relationships support the pursuit of dreams. They don't ask, "what's best for the relationship," but rather, "what brings the greatest

aliveness to the individuals in the relationship." Many people believe that compromise is a good thing in a relationship. That's a total lie. Compromise is a red flag. You don't have to abandon your dreams to be with someone. If you do, it's a sign you're with the wrong person!

Question 2: Does she have all, absolutely all of my "deal makers" and none of my "deal breakers"?

This question comes from my favorite relationship authors, Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks. That day at my computer, I got clear on a couple of basics I had to have and would not stand for in a partner. The Hendrick's call them their "Absolute Yes-es" and "Absolute No-s". I think of them as "deal makers" and "deal breakers."

For instance, my primary "deal maker" is having a woman who is completely devoted to her spiritual growth, above all else. Her aliveness is more important than me, her kids, her job—everything. Secondly, I want a woman who takes 100% responsibility for her experiences, problems and emotions. I'm not interested in relating intimately with a blamer or a victim. Thirdly, I want an open woman, one who reveals her thoughts, fears, wants and feelings. And lastly, I want someone committed to a healthy lifestyle. Those were my "deal makers."

My "deal breakers" were easy to identify. One of the benefits of having an ex or two is that you get really clear on what you don't want! My "deal breakers" were women who smoked, even occasionally; women that were sexually disinterested, workaholics, and lastly, women with children under the age of ten. I have no judgment about those issues, they're just not what I want in my life. Again, if any of those things were true, I would end the relationship immediately. That was my new commitment.

With my ex-fiancée, I was fudging on a couple of them. Why? Well, as I've said, there was chemistry. But also, beneath the surface I had a scarcity mindset. Like many people, I thought there was a shortage of women perfectly suited for me. And if you hold that belief, you'll likely overlook something significant, especially if the physical attraction is high. The truth is that there are many men and women that embody what you are looking for. And the universe will bring them to you if you truly want to find "The One" and refuse to settle. It's happened for me. My fiancée meets all, absolutely all of my "deal makers," and none of my "deal breakers."

So, here's the challenging part of this question. You can't fudge on any of your "deal makers" or "deal breakers." Not even one. These are the basics and they are non-negotiable. If he's George Clooney, but snores, if that's a "deal breaker" for you, you have got to cut him loose. If she's Faith Hill and

smokes, again, if that's a "deal breaker," end it immediately.


Question 3: Does the physical intimacy between us have a spiritual quality unlike anything I have ever experienced before?

This is a tricky question and it's very easy to misunderstand. I'm not talking about his or her looks or love-making techniques. This question is about what happens in of each of you—spiritually, when you're with the other. I believe that one of the ways you know someone is "The One" is that your intimate moments feel spiritual not merely physical. Of course sex with your partner may be ravishing or erotic or playful or tenderly romantic. But even in a variety of moods, you sense something spiritual is happening. Your experience is deeper than your body, it touches your core, your essence. Your intimacy opens a kind of spiritual presence in you, a place of openness, oneness and love.

David Deida writes beautifully of the spiritual potential of our sexuality. "As your loving penetrates your partner's depth, and his or her resistances melt, your love meets your partner's. Your openness merges with his or her openness. Together, your loving becomes one. In moments like this, love is beholding love through the eyes of you and your partner. There is no difference, just one love, expressed through two bodies. This is enlightened sex."

All of us are at different points on our spiritual journeys'. So our ability to experience what Deida writes about, the very presence of God through sexual union, will vary depending on our intentions and life-long practices. Yet, sex with "The One," no matter where you are on your spiritual journey, will be

unlike anything you have encountered in your life. Maybe your love making doesn't yet take you to the ends of the universe where you're able to feel oneness with God, but you know that something special is happening between the two of you, something bigger than you, something wonderfully and spiritually unexplainable. If so, he or she is "The One."

Question 4: Does this person, and the relationship I have with them, inspire me to be a better man?

Remember the scene in the movie, As Good As It Gets where Helen Hunt is asking Jack Nicholson for a compliment? Jack plays a character who is an obsessive compulsive moron and he can't seem to come up with anything positive to say about her. She gets frustrated and is about to walk out of the restaurant, when he suddenly blurts out, "You make me want to be a better man." She was breathless, dumbfounded and floored by what he said. Being in a relationship was having an incredible impact on him. If there was ever a phrase that screams, "You're the one for me!" it is this one: "You make me want to be a better man"—or woman.

Since I used to be a professional golfer, I call this the "Tiger Woods" effect. I imagine that if I was to play golf with Tiger (I've played in tournaments with him, but never in the same group), I would really want to be at my best. I would really want to "show up." He would make me want to be a better golfer.

Does being in a relationship with your partner have the "Tiger Woods" effect on you? Is the relationship good for your overall development as a person and as a spiritual being? Are you growing, not as a result of the relationship, but in the midst of it? Your relationship is a kind of "soil" in which both of you are planted. Is the "soil" of your relationship producing growth and life? I notice that since being with my fiancée, I have made some incredible shifts in my life and career. I'm committed to my spiritual path like never before. My purpose is clear. I'm taking risks in my life that are challenging me and bringing incredible aliveness to my spirit. The bottom line is that good things are happening in me while I'm around her.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that it's our partner's job to bring about our personal evolution. That's your job and it's my job. I'm not advocating co-dependence. My point is that being around my fiancée makes me want to be my best, she makes me want to be a better man. Since you've been dating, do you notice yourself dreaming, growing, expanding and becoming the person you know you can be?

Question 5: Would I be completely happy, if from this moment on, nothing about her or our relationship would ever change?

I've saved the most critical question for last. What if nothing ever changes about your partner? What if, in say, five years, he or she is exactly the same? What if he never gets better at communicating his feelings? What if she never loses weight? What if his work habits never change? What if he never makes more money? What if she never becomes more disciplined with credit cards? What if he never drinks less? Just for a moment, ask yourself, what if he or she never changes? Is your current reality something you authentically celebrate?

If you are in love with someone's potential, you have got problems. First of all, to think that they should be different is arrogant on your part. They are perfect the way they are. They may not be perfect for you, but they're perfect nonetheless. Second, people never change because others want them to. You

can't be in love with fantasy. You must be in love with reality, the person they are now.

The primary reason I know my fiancée is "The One," is that for the first time in my relational life, I am not in love with who I hope my woman will become. I'm in love with her, now. I love who she is and everything about her, right now. (This may be because I'm finally in love with myself and not my own

potential, but that's a different article!) It's not easy to admit this, but in all my previous relationships, I loved conditionally. I was always hoping or wanting something to change about them. In past relationships, I was hoping the woman in my life would become more interested in sex, or lose weight or take an interest in spiritual things. I didn't really love them. I loved who I thought they should be.

Are you in love with your partner or their potential? Do you celebrate at the thought of nothing changing? Let go of hoping your partner will get thinner, smarter, richer, sexier, happier, or cheaper than they are right now. Assume they won't. Assume nothing will change. Are they still "The One?"

Conclusion


I hear a voice inside me that says it shouldn't be this hard to identify "The One." Shouldn't we just know? Don't you just know when you've found the right person? Well, the high number of divorces that take place within the first three years of marriage says "NO." And in my personal experience, the answer is absolutely "NO!" Chemistry can cloud your thinking and it is not a solid foundation for a long term relationship. But if you get past passion, personality and pheromones and commit to a conscious approach to finding your life partner, by asking yourself these five questions, you'll not only end up with an incredible relationship, but you'll also save yourself a lot of heartbreak and misery.

To dream anything that you want to dream. That is the beauty of the human mind.

"To dream anything that you want to dream. That is the
beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want
to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust
yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to
succeed."

-- Bernard Edmonds

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."

-- Joseph Campbell

The purpose of a written constitution is

"[The purpose of a written constitution is] to bind up the several branches of government by certain laws, which, when they transgress, their acts shall become nullities; to render unnecessary an appeal to the people, or in other words a rebellion, on every infraction of their rights, on the peril that their acquiescence shall be construed into an intention to surrender those rights."

-- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia [1782]