LUGGAGE Lady

Contemplations about Life, Love, & the Pursuit of Meaningful Existence…

Archive for the tag “humanity”

04 Jan 2015
26 Comments

Be the Difference

BetheDifference

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius

♥ ♥ ♥

How different my days unfold when I share a kind word, carefree laughter, and positive stories. When I pause to lend a helping hand, listen to another, or support whatever causes I can. When I choose love instead of vying to be right!! With so many uplifting options, why — oh why — do I ever choose behavior that depletes my spirit?

And so…

My New Year’s Aspiration is to be:

Focused on present moment

Shunning negativity Realizing

Whatever I deem the world to be withholding

I already possess

Abundance swelling my heart

Gifting me with endless benevolence

Abandoning ego

Remaining judgement-free

Appreciating earth’s unmitigated beauty

Sincerely listening

Speaking only if my words add value

Observing more

Learning

Growing

Loving

Mindful that a smile means the same thing all around the world

Doing everything in my power to

Be the difference…

♥ ♥ ♥

Luggage Lady is off to Cuba!!!! My husband and I, along with 20 others, are participating in a “people-to-people cultural exchange” as we sail along Cuba’s gorgeous coastline, visiting Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Cayo Largo, Cabo San Antonio, and Havana. I promise to return with photos and stories. In the meantime, I wish you ALL a blissful 2015 filled with untold blessings!! 😘

(*photo from trip to End of the Road Kalapana, Hawaii*)

Posted in Adventure, Gratitude, Greater Good, Inspirational, Life, Philosophy, Photography, Poetry, Reflective, Society, Travel and tagged , , , , , , ,
11 Jul 2013
21 Comments

Life is a Painting…Enjoy the Brushstrokes

 

Hello, Flyboy

Please Welcome Luggage Lady’s First-ever Guest Blogger:  Airline captain, home remodeler, chef, adventure planner, & co-seeker of meaningful existence — my husband.

 

🌻🌻🌻

Why do we walk life’s slippery steps?

We will surely skid into the abyss

Life continues its incessant attempt at overwhelming us

Unfriendliness

Hopelessness

Sorrow

24-hour news

Day in, day out repetitiveness

Surely we must concede

Cower

Surrender

***

A bright spot in your day

A friendly gesture

A wife’s smile

A purr or lick from your family pet

A fantastic sunrise

Sunset

Your favorite song on the radio

A heartfelt laugh

A please

A thank you

Sincerity

Lifelong friends

A family that has your back

A joke you’ve heard a hundred times and still enjoy

A hero’s story

A good book

A day at the movies

Love

***

When you look at a painting

Do you study the miniscule imperfections

Or just relish the artist’s expression?

As with art, so is life

There are many more positives in this world than negatives

The question is this:

Which would you rather focus on?

Life is a Painting…Enjoy the Brushstrokes

🌻🌻🌻

Dedicated to my Dear Friend at sirenatales.wordpress.com

Posted in Art, Gratitude, Inspirational, Love, Philosophy, Photography, Poetry, Reflective and tagged , , , ,
25 Dec 2012
9 Comments

The Ultimate Gift

DSC_0063

For…

Opening your heart and providing a shoulder

Smiling through exhaustion

Listening in earnest although time is scarce

Sharing uplifting words

For…

Extending courtesies without hesitation

Complimenting a stranger

Dropping a welcome note at a new neighbor’s door

Leaving a person or place better just because you cared

For…

Appreciating each moment and never taking family, friends — or life for granted

Seeking the best in others

Giving what you can to those who struggle

Earning and extending trust

For…

Remaining silent in the absence of positive thoughts

Honoring friendship

Revering respect as the cornerstone of love

Improving our world with every gracious gesture

For…

Demonstrating the true spirit of Christmas

And being

The Ultimate Gift…


Posted in Family, Gratitude, Greater Good, Inspirational, Life, Love, Philosophy, Photography, Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
16 Dec 2012
36 Comments

We Are One

 

We-Are-One-Luggage-Lady-Blog

I have

Dreamed into a universal sky

Rife with promise of a new day

I have

Dangled foot in waters connecting us

I have

Drawn sustaining breaths from an atmosphere without borders

And I have

Realized

We experience this world

Together

Whether buoyed by blissful joy

Or

Bruised by unimaginable tragedy

Nothing separates

Hearts overlapping

We are one…

Posted in Family, Inspirational, Life, Philosophy, Photography, Poetry, Reflective, Relationships and tagged , , , , ,
25 Aug 2012
1 Comment

Travel’s Lingering Grasp

 

Travel's-Lingering-Grasp-Luggage-Lady-Blog

Wisdom and appreciation accumulate, obliterating preconceived notions and expanding one’s senses with each new venture. A foreign land brings endless unknowns, quickly leveling the playing field. Ego is stripped away. You may be a successful (fill in the blank) in your homeland, but here? Here, you are just an explorer with curiosity as your compass and the incredible opportunity to delight in the spirit of the world’s populace.

Travel has bestowed timeless gifts, the magic of each journey leaving a permanent impression on my soul. I’ve experienced unparalleled hospitality, cultural pride, generous smiles from impoverished strangers (selflessly offering the one thing they could), unwavering determination, majestic landscapes, unique sounds smells and flavors. I’ve been catapulted thousands of years backward in time, touring churches, castles, palaces, museums, and ruins. History lures me beneath her vast wing again and again, a humbling reminder that we are mere transients whose stories unfold far too fast.

 

Posted in Adventure, Inspirational, Life, Life Lessons, Photography, Reflective, Travel and tagged , , , ,
14 Aug 2012
2 Comments

The Gift

 

The-Gift-Blank-Luggage-Lady-Blog

Every day the gift awaits

Extending a hand in comfort

Sharing a genuine smile

Turning stranger to friend

Compassion

The gift that costs nothing

Yet overlooked

Time and again

Continuing the spiral of ambivalence

Humanity passing

Without touching

Preoccupied and competitive

Forgetting we are one

Every day the gift awaits

The chance to contribute

To add a sparkle to the world

Replacing indifference with caring

Supporting others

Through kind actions

Brightening life’s journey

Choosing the gift

Posted in Gratitude, Inspirational, Life, Poetry and tagged ,
31 Jul 2012
2 Comments

Heroes by Default

paradise10 (2)

Our vacation to the New England Coastline had been planned for months, our lodging prepaid and non-refundable. So it was that we boarded our flight from San Francisco to Manchester, New Hampshire on September 16, 2001.

That’s right, precisely five days after the world (as my generation knew it) changed irrevocably. Airplanes as suicide bombs? Hundred-story buildings disintegrating like those in an animated film? Fighter jets scrambling to do the unimaginable? My husband and I (pilot/flight attendant, respectively) boarded a scarcely populated aircraft and headed east.

The first breakfast held a table of twelve. As we all chattered about the basics: where are you visiting from…what do you do? The room grew quiet, all gazes drifting toward us. The rest of the guests were locals who had canceled trips to stay within driving distance of home. We’d not only traversed the continent in a “weapon,” we were part of the group that had been slaughtered before everyone else. Many rose from their chairs to hug us, offering words of praise with tears in their eyes.

We were heroes, by default, for the day…

Posted in Flight Attendant, Gratitude, Life, Military, Philosophy, Photography, Reflective, Travel and tagged , , , , ,

Post Navigation

%d bloggers like this: