Best Friend
Before we can make friends with anyone else, we must first make friends with ourselves. — Eleanor Roosevelt “Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief,” said Cicero. Shakespeare wrote, “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” Jess C. Scott added, “Friends are the family you choose.” VeryWellMind says, “Friendships can enrich your life in many ways. Good friends teach you about yourself and challenge you to be better … Some research even says friendships are just as important to your well-being as eating right and exercising.” Psychology Today adds, “Friends are often soulmates. Recognizing each other on a soul level helps us spiritually … When you had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the friend of your soul.” LonerWolf suggests twelve ways to create an anam cara, a ‘soul friend’ inside, including: A random act of kindness for yourself each day and seeking solitude. LifeHack suggests: Focus on your strengths Write your success stories Read more Here are more Best Friend resources: What really constitutes an online friendship: [includes link to “4 Types of People You Should Never Friend on Facebook” Be Your Own Best Friend Worksheet. How to be a better friend Making good friends How to make friends Remember, How many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it. How many slices in a bread? Depends how thin you cut it. How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ’em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ’em. — Shel Silverstein Succeed and Soar! Four Days Left. Each November, Succeed and Soar’s readers are invited to keep these inspirations glowing and growing. Think of this once-a-year contribution as a subscription. [So far this month, $0 has been invested.] Pitch in Here. Thanks! Let’s enjoy 40 minutes sharing uplifting, enlightening Succeed and Soar conversation, Thursday, December 2nd, 7pm [US East Coast] Included can be this month’s special book. The New York Times calls Ivan Doig’s Last Bus to Wisdom, “an enchanting 1950s road-trip tale that swaps Kerouac’s Sal Paradise for a plucky 11-year-old named Donal.” See you soon! Image @ canstockphoto.com Eleanor’s Insights Succeed and Soar’s “Eleanor’s Insights” series is illustrated with photographs of ‘wild places.’ Art is available as prints, framed and on canvas as well as on journals, greeting cards, weekender bags, shower curtains, puzzles and much more. Shop Here
Love is 4: Fairytale
Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale. – Melissa Brown, Picturing Perfect Today, I’ll be soaking dry cannellini beans in spring water. After they plump, I’ll cook a hearty and creamy soup. Except, a couple beans will be planted on my windowsill. There, I’ll watch to see what kind of beanstalks grow. This holiday season has been incredibly beautiful in Pittsburgh. Record snowfalls keep creating fairytale wonderlands. In one form or another, I hope the same for you. [Keep in mind Neil Gaiman’s words from Coraline. “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”] Blessings and best wishes for a new year of sunlit and lovely places where all the good you can imagine grows. Comment below. Love Lots! “In A Heartbeat,” a first crush. Click here to view 4-minute video. Which LOVE quote is matched to the right source? “Love is a friendship set to music.” ~ Shakespeare ?? “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ?? “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.“ ~ Taylor Swift ?? “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” ~ Noah Calhoun ?? — Answers Below — ***** Five versions of my “Before All Else” Illustrated Wisdom art have been created with Adobe Photoshop. See them in upcoming posts. Support and encourage Succeed and Soar. Purchase the art as prints, ready-to-display canvas or framed from my galleries. Consider starting a journal for the new year. Check Sandra’s Card Shop. More covers will be added this week. Quiz Answers “Love is a friendship set to music.” ~ Joseph Campbell “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.“ ~ Jodi Picoult “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” ~ Noah Calhoun