thinking thursday.

Every Thursday, just a few links I've discovered, things I'm thinking about. And, of course, a link somewhere to Johnny Depp.

(Where I can follow the serendipitous thread I followed to get there, I'll include a thanks to the person who surfaced it for me.)

mind :: my brain and yours

I was recently reminded of this amazing piece of writing by Pablo Casals (1876-1973):

"Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the
universe, a moment that will never be again. And what
do we teach our children? We teach them that two and
two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France.
When will we also teach them what they are?

We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that
have passed, there has never been another child like you.
Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you
move.

You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.
You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.
And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is,
like you, a marvel?

You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy
of its children." (Thanks to Juliana Cooper-Goldenberg)

body :: my place and yours

Suicide among LGBT youth is a preventable epidemic. Grow stuff in your window. (Thanks to Curt Rosengren)

If you have children in your life, you might enjoy "No Time for Flash Cards" (Thanks to Grace Bower)

soul :: my heart and yours

The first all-female rock band in Pakistan! (Thanks to Lachrista Greco)

oh, just turn up the volume. seriously.

and just because. (Thanks to Maxine "Enabler" Rothman)

I was moved by one woman's response to Eat, Pray, Love (emphases mine): "Can we plan to go and find ourselves in this way? Or does it just happen when you least expect it, when you're doing the dishes or walking through the park on a warm autumn day. I know that if i planned a trip to those three countries, my experience would probably be a lot more mundane than that of Ms Gilbert's. Maybe the book jarred with me because i've found my own revelations in the the humdrum normality of my everyday life. The idea of going to another country to find what we're looking for is so seductive, so incredibly appealing, that i can understand why this book is beloved by so many; I'm catching a flight to Canada tomorrow, and as i haven't been on a plane in two years i'm excited, hoping some travel will stretch my mind out of its day-to-day shape. But i also know that my deepest searchings, and my most excavated self, were found in the quiet moments sitting at home, journeying inside rather than outside."

A final thought :: "You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy." -Erik Hoffer (Thanks to Curt Rosengren for pointing me to that).