Desiderata is Latin for ’desired things’. I first heard this famous piece on the radio in the early seventies, read aloud as a spoken song. Back then, we all thought it had been found in Old St Paul’s Church, Baltimore, but we now know it was written by Max Ehrman. I bought the poster, framed it and hung it on my wall. I’ve carried a version around with me since then, too.
There are always passages that stand out a bit more brightly for me when I need guidance, lines that resonate with my needs. Try letting this beautiful piece of work guide you the next time you feel overwhelmed or need answers. Just read it silently to your soul and listen for the answers.
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and 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 and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your 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 to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life 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 counsel 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 whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Which spiritual words of wisdom and guidance seem to send you a different message to inspire you, every time you read them? Which quote is displayed most prominantly in your home or work place?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you know, I like Spreading Link Love on Fridays in case you have more time to catch up, read and listen to music and podcasts at weekends. Please give Adam Lambert and Fleet Foxes a listen if you haven’t had a chance to.
What was your last ‘must have’ music buy?
Marc, over at Welshscribe has a great post showcasing the talents of the Welsh phenomenon, Rhydian Roberts which highlights the importance of artistic hard work and openess to all kinds of inspiration in our lives.
Which piece of music always inspires you?
If you’re a fiction writer, Sean and Dave over at Collective Inkwell, their new site, are having a competition with a great prize - a customised Thesis theme.
Do competitions raise your game?
Interested in all aspects of creativity and genius? Award winning Coach Michael Bungay Stanier, author of Find Your Great Work (no, I’m not an affiliate – he just does great stuff!) has an intriguing podcast interview with David Galenson who ” investigates two ways in which genius (or Great Work) comes into play: a Picasso-esque way, where genius bursts immediately into bloom; and a Cezanne-esqe way, where genius is found incrementally, step by step.”
Which kind of genius do you resonate with?
Thanks to everyone for being here this week and for making blogging fun! If there’s anything you’d like to see me doing more or less of, please let me know in the comments. It’s early days and I’m just getting started, but I’m always open to suggestions. This is your ‘Bistro’, too!
Have a great weekend,
janice
PS. I’ve just been sent this link. Meet Susan Boyle, a fellow Scot with a dream.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
In an online world where the term Zen is passed about far too frequently and with complete disregard to its actual meaning, you Janice have renewed my faith in the word with that poem/quote.
One of the quotes that has stuck with me the longest, but ashamedly I haven’t always followed is one by Bruce Lee:
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”
It’s not stuck on any wall (the poster I had as a teenager has long since gone) or sticky noted to any desk or appliance other than my mind.
That’s a brilliant one – and small enough to remember and carry around in your heart. I have got so many quotes posts lined up, I hope you’ll remind folk of that one later.
I had five unsuccessful attempts at publishing that post today; things kept going wrong. Then these words ‘glowed’:
I then took a deep breath, had a break and then did a really good proof read. There’s always some good reason for an enforced delay.
I love being welcomed to, and enjoying, your/our Bistro, Janice!
Rereading “Desiderata” brought about a reunion with an old, valued friend. Thank you for that! What rich expression and, dare I say, for me it registers more viscerally than other statements of similar values and truths frequently do.
Currently nothing posted in sight, and on the inner scroll a recurring one for me is “what do I need right now?” Coming into the present for the present.
Thank you to for leaving us with some of your goodies for weekend surfing.
Toasting your genius,
Connie
Thank you, Connie! It gives me a quiet strength knowing that you enjoy the wee breaks you take here.
“What do I need right now?” is another one of those deceptively short but immensely powerful questions to have on our inner screens. It’s a perfect way to nurture ourselves as well as to stay open and present to a constantly flowing universe. It also helps us understand why we’re reacting to others in certain ways, especially if we haven’t told them what exactly we need from them.
I hope you’ll keep sharing gems like this with us. (For those of you who haven’t checked out Connie’s link, she’s a creativity coach and has helped many folk take their self-expression and creative talents to undreamed of places.)
@Connie @ Janice
When my friend gave me a reading a short while ago the question she said I should ask before drawing the cards was “What do I need to know right now?”
This was immediately before I started WelshScribe…
@ Marc
Isn’t it spookily wonderful when synchronicity works like that! If you love that feeling, then Connie’s actual coaching would blow you away with the Aha! moments you’d get! What’s given me a tingle about this comments box is the serene, spiritual strength that’s radiating from the folk in it. I mean, there are two Martial Arts black belts and a brown belt in it already! And even spookier, you mentioned how you love authentic Zen, and there’s Mary… a Zen Master!!
@ Mary,
I love Basho!! Spooky thing is, this was originally going to be a haiku kind of a week – I’ve been writing again – but the music flowed right in and took me in a different direction so I flowed with it. Please, please visit again and share your knowledge and passion with us when I do go for it! Until then, here’s one I sense you may like; I’m planning on using it in a post, but it feels right to share it now. It sums up my life, my work… and right now? – the wonderful depth and energy people are generously colouring this ‘meeting place of spirits’ with :
Long conversations
beside blooming irises—
joys of life on the road
@Nadia,
This one’s for you!
Come out to view
the truth of flowers blooming
in poverty
@Randi,
So happy to see you over here! It’s one of my day’s simple pleasures bumping into people I ‘know’ in other people’s comments boxes, but it’s especially nice to have you here – a fellow teacher, writer and mum – in what I like to visualise as a wee soulfood bistro where interesting people drop in and share and have a break from what they’re doing! Isn’t it weird to think that we were listening to that guy speak those words and those women singing “You are a child of the universe…” at the same time!!
Two of the most useful pieces in the Desiderata for me, this month, have been
The second one is very important to me; those two henchmen can floor even the humblest of dreams if we let them, but the key is definitely to be gentle with ourselves, to love ourselves like we love all the children in our lives.
Hi Janice,
This was absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing Desiderata with all of us. I had the day off from work so I am running late and have so much on my mind. The message of the piece really resonated with me. I love it when stuff like that happens.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Nadia – Happy Lotus´s last blog post..How To Go From Being a Type A(nxious) to a Type P(eaceful) Person
Lovely post, Janice!
I think spiritual words of guidance are especially potent if they resonate with our deepest aspiration. I have always loved this poem by Zen poet Basho’s:
Shell of a cicada -
it sang it self away
completely
Yeah! That’s how I aspire to life my life: to sing myself away completely!
Thanks, Janice! I needed to be reminded about Desiderata. When I read it here on your site, I couldn’t help but hear it in the same style that the guy on the radio used to read it in. I could even hear the background singers–”you are a child… of the universe…no less than the trees and the stars…you have a right to be here.”
The two pieces that have stuck with me over the years are:
” …listen to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.” I have heard that running through my mind when I would be in a conversation with someone I found less than charming. It would bring me back to reality.
“If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” That sentence still pops in my mind when I start the comparison game.
I have been going through some of your posts here, Janice and I love your site! You are just as intriguing on our own blog as you are in the comments sections of others’. I love reading what you have to say. Very insightful.
Randi´s last blog post..Parenting Teens Effectively
I love your blog and what a great post!
It was so inspiring to read it.
Positively Present´s last blog post..laugh it off
Thank you! It’s lovely to have you over here – I’ve read your comments on other blogs so I appreciate you taking the time to visit and say hello!