Who's to Say...

Some pics we took in China. Here's a thought. Are they similar, or are they very different within each picture?

Who's to say?

Are they one

Or are they many

Are they individulas

with unique ideas

Or are they followers

who cannot think on their own

Who really knows

what this really shows

Is the answer in the eyes of one

Or in the eyes of all to decide?

Dinner is served......Come and get it.....

A lovely creative visual. Compliments of the chefs along the streets in Beijing China. I did not muster up the guts to try any.

Yum Yum

Yummy yummy
In my tummy
Wondering if
They might taste gummy???
My guess would be
From what I see
They would appear to be
just not for me!!!

poem and photo by Laura Vanderwill

Additional Comments on Communication:

This was posted on blogit.com by Bhaskar.ing . It is right in line with my post on communication today.

"The more thoughtful the man, the more complicated will be the streets in his brain, and the more easily he will be receptive to newer ideas and understand them"

Thoughts on Communication:

I'm sure we have all been there at some point; where someone near or dear (and you really care about) listens, but has no clue what you are saying. I know I have been there many many times. Maybe it's because they don't want to understand, or maybe they are just too lazy to try to understand, or maybe they are the selfish type who only view their own agenda, and is so tunnel visioned that they believe their way is the only way, and no other logic or explanation makes sense or matters to them....only you can see the reasons when it happens to you. Love and other personal relationships are not supposed to be so selfish that only one person's life or feelings matter. Both should matter. If you really honestly love someone, then their feelings, their point of view, and everything about them should matter to you. That's all part of knowing and truly loving that person. Love is not selfish. Love is unconditional. You accept your partner, respect them - (their feelings and their thoughts) for who and what they are.
Note the following relationship helpers paraphrased from some online sources:

- " Most people really do listen but they don't understand. The reason they don't understand is that many people listen from their own agenda. You have to listen with the intention of understanding the other person. Unless you listen to other people with the intention to connect and to understand, there will always be distance and conflict".

- Communicating well at work does NOT equate to being a good communicator in a relationship. These are two very different things. At work it's communicating to get a job done, or sell something. Communicating with the intention to influence or communicating with the intention to be efficient or effective may lead to more sales and higher productivity in the workplace. But, if you try to use either of those two strategies in a relationship that you want to be close and connected, you'll quickly find out how easy it is to destroy it in almost no time at all. A close connected relationship with another person isn't created by efficiency or influence. It's created by connection, love, balance, harmony and partnership"

Here's to Happy, Healthy, Successful Relationships for everyone!

A Little On The Wild Side Today...

This just popped into my head for some reason this morning. I remembered these pics and thought everyone would get a bit of a laugh out of them. Great way to start off the weekend with a good laugh anyway!

These were in the bathroom (WC) at a nice 'artsie' type of restaurant in Beijing, China. At first, and being a woman, I wasn't quite sure what to think or do!!!! For the gentlemen out there wondering what to do...I am told that the closer you stand to that pretty little sink, the better it works. Now don't quote me on this, but that is what I heard.

The Wild Things You Encounter While Traveling!

Sexy
Intriguing
Naughty
Kinky

photos and poem by Laura Vanderwill

"The Little Ones"

The Little Ones

Oh the little one
Forever searching for some fun
Pitter or patter
Doesn't really matter
They're here
They're there
They're everywhere
Screaming
Crying
Laughing
Trying
Some tears
Some fears
Make these the best years

poem and photo by Laura Vanderwill

Which will it be?

So, which will it be
Paris or Italy
These are the choices
We have only two voices
You pick
No, I pick
Let's both pick together
Also depends on the upcoming weather
I'm open
I'm free
Wherever it may be
Picking and choosing
And no way of losing
It's up in the air
I just shrug with a stare
I'm speechless - in awe
That we might see it all

Laura Vanderwill

Which Way Do I Go?

Which way do I go
I don't always know
It's hard to see
What is meant to be
Even at times
When it's right in front of me
I wish I could read
Right through it all
To see the seed
Through a crystal ball

poem and phto by Laura Vanderwill

Look at me
So wild and free
I'm light on my feet
And I don't miss a beat

I'm pretty
I'm sweet
I'm easy to meet
My colors are bright
Blue and white

I was sent to you
So you get a clue

Anything in life

You can do

Laura Vanderwill

"Feast of Love"

"Feast of Love" is more for the adult audience. There is a little bit of nudity, and a lot of adult life situations and content that children probably would just not understand yet. So, this one is for the adults to watch (for a change) after the kids have gone to bed and you just want to see a good movie with some good acting. Starring a couple of my favorites - Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear. Who doesn't just LOVE Morgan Freeman. I would love to meet him some day. Well, I'll tell you that this role he played was spectacular. I said to myself during the movie, Morgan is just the wise ol owl isn't he!!! He is the best supporting actor I have seen in quite some time. He supports everyone in this film. If you like Morgan Freeman, you will absolutely love him in Feast of Love! He is so warm, in touch with everyone, and just plain wonderful.
As if you couldn't figure out what the movie was about by the title.....well.....it's a feast of love all right. There is a lot to learn from the events of this film. It's about love, life, death, friends, family, God, happiness, sadness, making decisions, knowing the future, and everything else you can encounter in life, all combined! There are a lot of very powerful emotions running around this film, and Morgan Freeman tries to anchor everyone back down to reality without actually telling them what they really should do.
As for Greg Kinnear. He is really great in this film too. He is such a natural in my mind, and in this movie, he is down to earth, subtle and honest. So, of course that means he is always the one to get hurt. Throughout the movie, he learns to change his perspective on marriage and a lot of other things. He begins to understand that you cannot keep someone from who or what they really love in their heart. He also eventually comes to terms with the fact that his wife left him for another woman. Yes, another woman!
The movie was rather well done in my opinion. I have to admit too that I shed a few tears, but it was worth it! I would even like to see it again. The ending really touches your heart!

One very important line of advice is:

If you're going to "JUMP", "Jump with your eyes open"!!!

In other words, make sure you see what you are jumping into.

I DARE YOU...

I DARE YOU
No, I double dare you...

to be different
to love yourself
to love what is inside of you
to NOT follow the crowd
to inspire someone who needs it today
to feel good
to BE good
to do the right thing
to 'hang' with the right crowd
be productive
be yourself
to watch an inspirational movie
to live every day to the fullest
to help an elderly person cross the street
believe with all your heart
LOVE with all your heart!

Laura Vanderwill

A Flower from China (photos by Laura Vanderwill)

Simply beautiful no matter how you look at it!

How many ways can the same thing look so beautiful?

Photos taken in Wuhu China - Sept/Oct 2007!

What could be more beautiful & RELAXING! (photos by Laura Vanderwill)

Learn to look past the surface of things!

See the inner Beauty!

The smallest things can be simply stunning!

Sometimes it's the single lonley (but unique) qualities that really count & make a difference!

It doesn't get much better than this. A long walk through a beautiful park in Koln Germany at the beginning of Spring. What could be more beautiful and relaxing? I took these last weekend while my mind was just simply wandering through all the trees that had blossomed, the tulips were up, and the grass was green.....

Great Quotes:

1) "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters
compared to what lies within us"............. Ralph Waldo Emerson

2) "The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been".......... Alan Ashley-Pitt

3) "Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirelydifferent person, filled with love and understanding, ready with anoutstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed"............ Eileen Caddy

4) "Not many people are willing to give failure a second opportunity. They fail once and it is all over. The bitter pill of failure is often more than most people can handle. If you are willing to accept failure and learn from it, if you are willing to consider failure as a blessing in disguise and bounce back, you have got the essential of harnessing one of the most powerful success forces"........... Joseph Sugarman

"Game Plan"

"Game Plan" is just plain fun. I had to share my thoughts. This is one of those movies that is good clean fun for everyone. Big kids, little kids, old kids, young kids. Whichever you are, you can enjoy this one. The main character Dwayne Johnson aka "The Rock", is great in his role as a star football player trying to figure out how the heck to raise a little girl that just shows up on his door step one day. Well, you can imagine the fun twists this movie takes, as he develops from his single wild life to loving father providing the family home life. At first a daughter seems to be quite overwhelming to him, but eventually, he does get the drift of what is most important to him in his life. Of course it's his daughter - that he didn't even know he had!!!
We definitely need more movies like this

So, there is the question to ask yourselves....."What is most important to you in life?" -

"Don't lose track of what's important to you!"

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - What fun it is...

At first I thought, oh no, this might be a really boring film, or one of those that is only for the kids...but just as I said it, things started making me laugh a little. Then I saw the bond between Dustin Hoffman and the girl who ran his toy store, and then add the unique little boy who nobody wanted to play with, because he was different. All of a sudden there are some great messages. You now have a boy who's mother just wishes for her son to make some friends. There is a 200+ year old man (Dustin Hoffman) who wishes well for his employee and friend, and so on. The toy store is simply MAGICAL, and the people are wonderful and fun.

The two most important messages I took away from this film are:
1) What you need to believe in is "YOU"
2) Your life is an occasion, rise to it! (I love this one)

It's a good viewing for all ages. In some ways it reminded me of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but on a different level. This one is about a toy story instead of a candy factory.
ENJOY!

A short laugh for today - For those who love to eat!

Today's enlightening quote is inspired by the man in my life who just cannot stop eating all of the German food and baked goods. He LOVES them all.....

.......and he says I have a lot of "junk" in my kitchen drawer.......ha

"My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people."
---Orson Wells

Sydney White

Sydney White - played by Amanda Bynes is s fun story about people who do / or don't "FIT IN". This is a pretty good movie for teens, and adults to watch. Eventually, towards the end of the film, people start to fess up, so to speak, and admit that they are a "DORK". I think all of us have a dorky side to us whether it's that we are shy, or incredibly smart, or silly, or unbalanced, or whatever it might be. This movie brings out the "REAL" you in a group of college students, who didn't really believe in themselves too much. I think it's all part of just being yourself, and making the most of it. One cannot just sit in a corner and watch life pass by. We should stand up for what we believe, and who we are, and if someone has an issue with that, well...so be it, that's thier problem.....

Do you have a winning attitude?

Four fundamental winning attitude strategies
1. Always be excited.
2. Stop making excuses.
3. Always be up.
4. Make a total commitment.

"More than 90% of winning is being excited!"
A. L. Williams

"Into the Wild"

"Into the Wild" is the story of a young man who is trying to avoid the materialistic world of his wealthy parents. I think he is also still trying to find himself in many ways. He does so by removing himself from the world he has been living all his life, and making his own new world in the wilderness. He has just graduated college with all A's, and decides to take some time out for himself. Though it is a good idea to take some time for yourself, the question is do we remove ourselves completely from our 'real' life of family and friends to do so (Do we totally leave behind the people who really love and care about us?). These are some very important things to consider in the road we choose and the decisions we make throughout life. I think it is okay to want some time off from EVERYTHING, but we should try not to hurt the people that we love, or the people who love us in the process - knowing that they really love us too. In this film, the main character does exactly that....leaves everything, and tells no one of his location, or his journey. I will not tell you the outcome of this man or the movie, you will have to see it. The one thing that really stands out in my mind after watching this film is what he writes towards the end of the movie.

Sad but true...

"Happiness is real when shared"

"Laughing Matters"

I read that some studies have shown laughing does really matter. "This is especially true when taken with a healthy dose of optimism." This piece today actually comes from my health booklet mailing (Wise Woman), and does not give the author of the write up for the article. I wish it did so that I could reference it, or book mark it to read more on the topic. So, I will quote it. Here it is...

- "We feel better after a good laugh
- It relaxes our muscles, reduces tension and boosts our immune system
Optimistic, humorous outlook helps persevere in the face of adversity (pessimistic attitude, by contrast leads to feeling helpless)
- We generally become optimists or pessimists in childhood and carry those attitudes through life (these attitudes shape us and even influence our physical health and longevity)
- Our bodies healing systems respond to positive attitudes and emotions"

Now, question is, can you change from pessimist to optimist? The answer is YES!!! It will take a lot of practice and positive self-talk, but it can be done.

I believe where there is will there is a way!

"Defining things that happen to you:
If it's good...
1) Give yourself credit. Identify what you did to make that happen.
2) Think how your strengths can also influence other areas of your life.
3) Consider it a sign of more good things to come.

If it's bad...
1) Recognize it's not your fault and has no bearing on future events.
2) Work to find the humor.
3) Pop in a funny movie.
4) Remember you can do better next time.

The more you practice healthy thought patterns, the more automatic they will become"

Health & Happiness - Inspire Yourself & Laugh Today

I was reading through my HAP Health Wise booklet that comes out every so often in the mail. Thought this might give some of you a short laugh today. It was a comic type / cartoon picture of a woman holding a phone to her ear, and it reads:

"Welcome to the Ego Repair Hotline!
Press 1 for 'Hey, you look great today!'
Press 2 for 'How did you get to be so smart?
Press 3 for 'I wish I was more like you' "

(was written by Randy Glasbergen - http://www.glasbergen.com/)

Perception & Behavior

Here's a good bit of info to consider. It comes from the book of Teaching with Love & Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk. Though this is from a book about teaching to students, I think we can all gain from understanding this concept:

"Perception is the driving force of behavior"

"A significant danger we all face is to interpret another person's behavior based on our own perceptions"

Advertisement for the day

I just came across an advertisement this morning and had to share the laugh. The add reads:

"Stupidity is always on sale"

Keep your chin up &Have a Great Day!