As I read, listen and live, I come across quotes and observations that
stick with me. Here are some that stayed with me most recently, striking a
chord, startling me or prompting insights. Maybe collecting them is a good
idea. And maybe in time I will write some responses. And maybe they will start
a conversation--with you!
One wise woman on changing the world
"I want people to know what I've learned,
which is that change starts from the bottom not the top. It's like a tree and
we have to stay connected to other."
--Gloria Steinem, talking
to Oprah on Super Soul Sunday
Climate change has new urgency
"One United Nations official described it
as 'a deafening, piercing smoke alarm going off in the kitchen' — an alarm
aimed directly at world leaders. “Frankly, we’ve delivered a message to the
governments.”
--Jim Skea, a co-chairman of the panel and a
professor at Imperial College, London." New York Times
On letting go and traveling light
"'Don’t pack your fears,' goes the slogan
in the world of ultralight hiking. On the trail, the lower your base pack
weight, the easier your life will be, the less energy you’ll expend, and the
less you’ll think about what you’re carrying."
A paddler on fear vs. being scared
"As a woman traveling alone on the inside passage I
entertained a lot of fears. My strategy with that was compartmentalizing my
fear and just constantly having a conversation with myself that there's a difference between fear and being
scared.
Fear is this unpleasant emotion in your body that's typically associated with a belief that something or someone is a threat. In other words it really hasn't happened yet. It doesn't exist. And being scared is an in the moment thing that's caused by an actual threat that really is a bear right outside my tent door or a ship is ready to mow me down. So my tactic out there when I had these fears was to acknowledge them and not dismiss them but to say he, is this just a perceived threat or is this something that's really happening that I need to deal with right here right now."
--Susan Conrad, solo kayaker who paddled 1200 miles on the
inside passage from Washington state to Alaska, Tough Girl podcast
It's the path, not the destination
--Shakespeare, quoted in The Happiness Hypothesis by
Jonathan Haidt
Travel light and go deep!
