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*Alandriel*
Post subject: Inspiration
Posted: Sat 11 Dec , 2004 9:32 pm
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There is so much crap out there that we can do with a bit of positive inspiration every now and then.
Sadly I'm not good at producing poetry and quotes (or lyrics for that matter) myself but there is plenty out there to share. This is what I would like this thread to be for

positive, inspiring stuff

your own or pilfered (in which case it would be fair to provide a link :wink:) for us all to :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You probably know this one - but it's still one of my favorites


DESIDERATA Max Ehrmann, 1927

GO PLACIDLY AMID THE NOISE AND THE HASTE, AND REMEMBER WHAT PEACE THERE MAY BE IN SILENCE.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they, too, have their story.Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in you own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you for what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere live is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the council of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.


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Nin
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Posted: Sun 12 Dec , 2004 10:40 am
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As usual, music is my main inspiration, and so here something I like a lot:

Old friends, old friends,
Sat on their parkbench like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes
of the high shoes of the old friends

Old friends, winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends

Can you imagine us years from today,
Sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears

_________________

Nichts Schöneres unter der Sonne als unter der Sonne zu sein.
(Ingeborg Bachmann)


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*Alandriel*
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Posted: Sun 12 Dec , 2004 11:51 am
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  • Friends Without Faces!

    Ode To The Friends We Chat With On The Internet



We sit and we type and we stare at our screens.
We all have to wonder, what this possibly means.
With our mouse we roam, through rooms in a maze
Looking for something or someone as we sit in a daze
We chat with each other, we share all our woes,
Small groups we do form and gang up on our foes.

We wait for somebody to type out our name,
We want recognition and offer the same.
We give kisses and hugs and sometimes we flirt,
In rooms we chat deeply and reveal why we hurt.

We do form some friendships - but why - we dont know,
Though some of them flounder some flourish and grow.
Why is it on screen, we can be so bold,
Telling our secrets that have never been told?

Why is it we share, the thoughts in our mind
With those we can't see, as though we were blind?
The answer is simple, it's as clear as a bell.
We all have our problems and need someone to tell.

We can't tell "real" people, but tell someone we must
So we turn to the 'puter, and to those we can trust.
Even though it is crazy, the truth still remains,
They are friends without faces and with odd little names.

~Thomas Teague~ just make sure you have the speakers not too loud


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Dindraug
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Posted: Sun 12 Dec , 2004 12:11 pm
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Not sure why, it maybe the song itself, but Birdhouse in your Soul by They Might be Giants has sustained me for something like 14 years now.

Sigh, I have to share.....


I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I'm a little glowing friend
But really I'm not actually your friend
But I am

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I have a secret to tell
From my electrical well
It's a simple message and I'm leaving out the whistles and bells
So the room must listen to me
Filibuster vigilantly
My name is blue canary one note* spelled l-i-t-e
My story's infinite
Like the Longines Symphonette it doesn't rest

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I'm a little glowing friend
But really I'm not actually your friend
But I am

There's a picture opposite me
Of my primitive ancestry
Which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck free
Though I respect that a lot
I'd be fired if that were my job
After killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts
Bluebird of friendliness
Like guardian angels its always near

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

(and while you're at it
Keep the nightlight on inside the
Birdhouse in your soul)

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you're at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you're at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

_________________

'When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from delusion, it is called Religion'.

~Robert M. Pirsig


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Dindraug
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Posted: Sun 12 Dec , 2004 7:15 pm
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IF
Rudyard Kipling


If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Just fits at the moment.

_________________

'When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from delusion, it is called Religion'.

~Robert M. Pirsig


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EdaintheRanger
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Posted: Mon 13 Dec , 2004 10:13 pm
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Now most of you have probably read this before, but it deserves a place in a house of friends I feel:

Words on Electronic Wings

Shrill song as the bit bytes,
Ethereal Hermes appears,
Afar friend greetings,
Pierces the air.

Clatter, patter Keys sending,
Bon mot responses,
Face creases in laughter,
Chuckles vie against whistle sound.

IMer friend is typing,
Their phrases you await,
Anticipating,
Breath is abate.

Winks and blinks,
Shocked eyes wide,
And much beloved of many,
The arms hugging around.

Hearts flutter and tears flow,
Emoticons wide reaching.
Minds alike commune,
In the Ethereal room.

Life’s slings and arrows,
Stories interchanging,
Building camaraderie,
On electronic wings,

Days are nights in the global way,
Time zones over reaching,
Just when it’s “Hi, good morning!”
I’m off to bed.

By Ian David MacDonald
23rd May 2004

aka Edain the Ranger

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We need courage, faith and Chocolate Cake.


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*Alandriel*
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Posted: Tue 14 Dec , 2004 10:04 am
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Nice ones people :) Thanks :hug:


O, the wind howls over the hills tonight
And wide is the lonely sky
These are our hills when the snows drift deep
When roaring freshets flow
When under the summer moon they sleep
And when the red leaves blow
And where'er we go and whatever we do
Memories will remain.

These are our hills when the snows drift deep
When roaring freshets flow
When under the summer moon they sleep
And when the red leaves blow
And where'er we go and whatever we do
Memories will remain
Of the winds that blew on the trails we knew
In snow and sun and rain.

We shall have known what the dawn wind sings
High on a lonely peak
And learned the challenge the lightning flings
And heard the thunder speak
The splendor of noon and sunset's gold
The stars shall speak their lore
And when we are old all the firelight told
We shall see in our dreams once more.

- H.P. Haile


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Leoba
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Posted: Tue 14 Dec , 2004 10:22 am
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My inspiration is in places and memories....



Skellig Michael
[ img ]


Roche Chapel, near Bodmin
[ img ]


Dartmoor
[ img ]

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Also found on Facebook - hunt me down via the MetaTORC group.

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I just adore the concept of washing Dirty Horseboys!


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*Alandriel*
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Posted: Fri 17 Dec , 2004 9:37 am
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I'm by no means a Shakespeare connaisseur - far from it actually :oops: I think I got kind of burned in school when we had to study Hamlet as part of our English language course (back when I really did not have a grip on the language yet). Yet - I have a few favorites - and one day I'll sit down I read Mcbeth properly :cool:

  • To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow
    Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
    To the last syllable of recorded time;
    And all your yesterdays have lighted fools
    The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
    Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
    That struts and rets his hour upon the stage,
    And then is heard no more: it is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing

.. and some favorite quotes....

"Security is the chief enemy of mortals."

"It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt"

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, then are dreamt of in your philosophy"

"The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream."

"Make not your thoughts you prisons."

"There is no darkness but ignorance."

"Cudgel thy brains no more about it."

"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.

"Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find."

"But words are words; I never yet did hear
That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear."


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Rodia
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Posted: Fri 17 Dec , 2004 1:02 pm
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There's a quote I particularly like. Whenever a motto is needed it often pops up...

"Don't worry, be hobbit."




:) The author being Niniel.


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Breogán
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Posted: Fri 17 Dec , 2004 1:51 pm
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Both my brother and I are quite into Buddhism. This quote was our thought for today: :D

The real world is beyond our thoughts and ideas. We see it through the web of our desires, divided into pleasure and pain, good and evil, inside and outside. To see the universe such as it is, you need to go beyond the web. This is not a hard thing to do, for the web is full of holes.


[ img ]

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*Alandriel*
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Posted: Sat 18 Dec , 2004 9:21 pm
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This is a very special song I absolutely LOVE ...
and not only because this is how I met the man in my life


She's Always A Woman - by Billy Joel

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to live
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free
She steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me

Oh, she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh, and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

She will promise you more
Than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause she's always a woman to me

She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
But she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me


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Farawen
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Posted: Mon 20 Dec , 2004 8:12 pm
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Slightly melancholy, but for me it doesn't get much more inspirational:


Solitude

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all, --
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.


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Nin
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Posted: Fri 24 Dec , 2004 12:45 pm
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Make me alive
Lay your words on my skin
And send me away
To southern shores
And northern coasts
In blossoming spring
And howling automn winds
We're on the road
And your words guide me
Through the black day
Until they grow to answer
And give the kiss of life
Back to the screen
Where all the words written
In the end turn so real
In a smile and a hope which
Make me alive.

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Nichts Schöneres unter der Sonne als unter der Sonne zu sein.
(Ingeborg Bachmann)


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Kaya
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Posted: Sat 08 Jan , 2005 12:15 am
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Some of my muse fodder....

The Garden of Proserpine

Here, where the world is quiet;
Here, where all trouble seems
Dead winds' and spent waves' riot
In doubtful dreams of dreams;
I watch the green field growing
For reaping folk and sowing
For harvest-time and mowing,
A sleepy world of streams.

I am tired of tears and laughter,
And men that laugh and weep;
Of what may come hereafter
For men that sow to reap:
I am weary of days and hours,
Blown buds of barren flowers,
Desires and dreams and powers
And everything but sleep.

Here life has death for neighbor,
And far from eye or ear
Wan waves and wet winds labor,
Weak ships and spirits steer;
They drive adrift, and whither
They wot not who make thither;
But no such winds blow hither,
And no such things grow here.

No growth of moor or coppice,
No heather-flower or vine,
But bloomless buds of poppies,
Green grapes of Proserpine,
Pale beds of blowing rushes,
Where no leaf blooms or blushes
Save this whereout she crushes
For dead men deadly wine.

Pale, without name or number,
In fruitless fields of corn,
They bow themselves and slumber
All night till light is born;
And like a soul belated,
In hell and heaven unmated,
By cloud and mist abated
Comes out of darkness morn.

Though one were strong as seven,
He too with death shall dwell,
Nor wake with wings in heaven,
Nor weep for pains in hell;
Though one were fair as roses,
His beauty clouds and closes;
And well though love reposes,
In the end it is not well.

Pale, beyond porch and portal,
Crowned with calm leaves she stands
Who gathers all things mortal
With cold immortal hands;
Her languid lips are sweeter
Than love's who fears to greet her,
To men that mix and meet her
From many times and lands.

She waits for each and other,
She waits for all men born;
Forgets the earth her mother,
The life of fruits and corn;
And spring and seed and swallow
Take wing for her and follow
Where summer song rings hollow
And flowers are put to scorn.

There go the loves that wither,
The old loves with wearier wings;
And all dead years draw thither,
And all disastrous things;
Dead dreams of days forsaken,
Blind buds that snows have shaken,
Wild leaves that winds have taken,
Red strays of ruined springs.

We are not sure of sorrow;
And joy was never sure;
To-day will die to-morrow;
Time stoops to no man's lure;
And love, grown faint and fretful,
With lips but half regretful
Sighs, and with eyes forgetful
Weeps that no loves endure.

From too much love of living,
From hope and fear set free,
We thank with brief thanksgiving
Whatever gods may be
That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea.

Then star nor sun shall waken,
Nor any change of light:
Nor sound of waters shaken,
Nor any sound or sight:
Nor wintry leaves nor vernal,
Nor days nor things diurnal;
Only the sleep eternal
In an eternal night.

by Algernon Charles Swinburne

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Be like a duck, my mother used to tell me. Remain calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath.


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Kaya
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Posted: Sun 09 Jan , 2005 4:45 pm
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Despite the title of the song being 'Sadness', I think it can very well be counted as positive/inspiring if only because it's one of the most beautiful and vulnerable songs I've heard in a long time. I post a link to the video for I have yet to find a direct link to an audio file.

Stash - sadness (video - broadband - windows media player requered)

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Be like a duck, my mother used to tell me. Remain calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath.


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Aiwe
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Posted: Mon 18 Apr , 2005 5:00 am
Birds in the Belfry
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Hope (Emily Dickinson)

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Squee! :D

Seriously, this poem, though quaint and nearly clichéd, strikes a chord with me. I find much of my hope, inspiration, and reasons to go on in birds--Especially my little Squee.

--Aiwe

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<img>TORCimg2.jpg</img>

She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.
~Mark Twain

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all...

~from Hope, by Emily Dickinson


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Holbytla
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Posted: Mon 18 Apr , 2005 5:32 am
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Inspiration?
I may have some to share.
Today is the 18th of April, and in this part of the world that means the running of the Boston Marathon. Along with countless worldclass athletes, there will be many non-world class athletes competing in this famous event. Among the many will be wheel chair ridden, cancer ridden people who will cover the 26.2 mile course. These people are truly an inspiration to us all.
As a "runner" myself, I can only dream of accomplishing what these people will accomplish tomorrow. Not only are they covering the 26+ miles, they are doing it with severe handicaps. I bow to their bravery and fortitude. I wish I could run 26+ miles, and I am totally healthy.

Another inspiration is the signs of spring that are abounding here.
No matter how severe the winter may be, there is always hope with a new spring. Like in Tolien's world, evil cannot conquer forever. So to must the winter we strive to endure fail at last. Born with new beginnings, spring is upon us and for me that means hope.
A definite sign of spring in this part of the world are the "peepers".
Click the link.
http://www.naturesound.com/frogs/pages/peeper.html


Of course spring brings the warm weather as well. A cure to the long chilled bones. And also to the long chilled hearts. This sight will melt any frozen marrow. :)





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Alatar
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Posted: Mon 18 Apr , 2005 10:36 am
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Nin,

I love Old Friends also. I class Paul Simon as one of the finest poets of this or any generation.

Have you heard/read the Dangling Conversation?

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These are my friends, see how they glisten...


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crystal_seed
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Posted: Fri 29 Apr , 2005 11:16 am
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****

Last edited by crystal_seed on Fri 10 Jun , 2005 7:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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