“You see the woman across the room, you think, She’s so poised; she’s so together. But she looks at you and you are the woman across the room for her.” – Diane von Furstenberg
“Identity is not found, the way Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses in the bulrushes. Identify is built.” Margaret Halsey

Life is full of both beauty and thorns. I'm thankful for the words of others that have helped me past the prickly patches. -- Photo by Pat Bean
Still Finding My Way
I found the two above quotes this morning on Story Circle Network’s weekly offering of wise words and writing prompts. They touched me.
I know that next year they may be words with no meaning to me. It’s often that way with the quotes I write down in my journals.
Perhaps tomorrow, or the next day or the next day, I will be more secure within myself. The loss of two pets within eight days took a toll on me. I know I still have a way to go to get back to feeling like the gutsy, daring old-broad that I’ve worked hard to create.
Perhaps tomorrow it will be Tolkien’s quote: “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him,” that is most meaningful to me. That was actually a quote that meant a lot to me during one exciting, but difficult year.
Other people’s words have helped me through life. They’ve let me know that I’m not as alone as I feel, that others have walked my same path.
Their words make me glad to call myself a writer. I can only hope that my words have occasionally touched others as I have been touched.
Bean’s Pat: The Blood Red Pencil http://tinyurl.com/6selj7b Simply a good blog for writers to follow
I’m terribly sorry to hear of your pets’ passing. That can be so very hard. My heart is with you! Oh, and I “liked” your post quite much!
Thanks for the kind words.
Tolkien, one of my all time favourites.
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
I think this is the one that stays with me.
Take care Pat,
Jim
I copied it into my journal. It fits me. Thanks for sharing Jim
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com
Thnx Pat for the post. I like words also, and they find me when I need answers. Sorry to hear of the loss of your pets. The grief is beyond hard.
Sorry to hear about your pets Pat. I know how difficult that loss can be. Smile knowing their existence in your life helped towards being who you are today and in that sense they will always be with you.
As for words, they are indeed very powerful. One of my personal favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein : ‘The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.’
I love the first quote. I am the same way with my quote collection, finding that words which meant so much when I wrote them down are now merely words I can no longer relate to the way I did when I first discovered them.
I’m so glad you’re finding comfort in words and with others through your loss.
Thanks Robin. I am healing, although slowly. Maggie was my sole companion on the road for eight years, and then losing her replacement just four days after I got her was just too much for me. But life goes on and the words have helped, as has Mother Nature. Your beautiful blog is part of her. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.