Thoughts to get us through COVID-19

By Bill Fox/Columnist

As we wonder about what the new normal may look like, I think we will need to keep in mind the following wise sayings to help us adjust. I want to thank Pam, an Oshawa Express reader, who sent me these and many more wonderful sayings and stories.

– If life’s a journey, then we’re all born explorers.

– Mother Earth is a source of life, not a resource.  (Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Lakota Spiritual Leader)

– Worrying is like walking around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain.

– Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

– To plant is to believe in tomorrow.

– Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are seeds.

– It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

– You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

– It only takes one person to change your life: you.

– What you seek is seeking you. (Rumi)

– Life is an echo; what you send out comes back. (Chinese proverb)

– The meaning of life is to find your gift; the purpose of life is to give it away.

– Advice from a tree: Stand tall and proud. Go out on a limb. Remember your roots. Drink plenty of water. Be content with your natural beauty. Enjoy the view.

– We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in. (Ernest Hemingway)

– You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger. (Buddha)

– Man: I want happiness.

Buddha:  First remove “I.” This is ego. Then remove “want.” This is desire. All that remains is happiness.

– Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think. (Buddha)

– Life is about being, not having.

– He who is content with the least is the richest of all.

– Man is rich in proportion to the things that he can afford to live without. (Henry David Thoreau)

– You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.

– When we are born we are crying while the world rejoices. We should live our lives in such a way that when we die, the world cries while we are rejoicing.

– A hectic schedule is a lifestyle choice. (Elaine St. James)

– The essential question is not how busy you are, but what you are busy at. (Oprah Winfrey)

– Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

– Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional

– Talking is sharing – listening is caring.

– Grudges are like hand grenades: it’s wise to release them before they destroy you.

– A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure.

– Do not educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. So when they grow up, they’ll know the value of things, not the price.

– The best things in life are not things.

– As the wallet grows, so do the needs.

– It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see. (Henry David Thoreau)

– Children are like wet cement; whatever falls on them makes an impression. (Ginott)

– A good exercise for the heart is to bend over and help another up.

– If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy.

– Live without pretending. Love without depending. Listen without defending. Speak without offending.

– The happiest people do not have the best of everything. They make the best of everything they have.

– Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.

– May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live. (Irish blessing)

– On aging – realizing that your mind and body are in different time zones.

– The more we are thankful for, the more we will find to be thankful for.  (Alan Cohen)

I’m at Bdfox@rogers.com, thankful for the many readers who email me.