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Sunday, July 20, 2008

The End of the Rainbow

I originally posted this back in March.
It's one of my favorites, so I thought I'd
bring it back for a re-visiting!
"There was a cartoon in the New Yorker portraying a man running toward the end of the rainbow only to see a pot of baked beans there. Whenever I think of striving for some- thing I think of that image and realize it's time to stop, breathe, and remember there's beauty in the ordinary. Recently I visited a dear old friend. His sense of gra ciousness and ritual was as I remembered. I had men tioned that I wanted only fruit and tea for breakfast, and I arrived to a neatly set table with an orange, and apple on a plate beside a knife, a mug, and a newspaper on the same green tablecloth I had sat at 25 years before. I also saw the same bookshelves, the same tables, the same dishes, and the same couch as before. In a passing moment, a painful image flashed through my mind of the thousands of dollars I had spent on such items over the years and how little they mattered. How peaceful it was to be with him in this uncluttered home. I hold that image as I struggle to detach from wanting more things.

I went through a period of buying lots of pretty things in a compulsive way. I would buy something, and then after I had enjoyed it for a little while, I would start think ing about the next thing I would buy. One day a catalogue came in the mail with pictures of beautiful quilt covers, and I started to fill out the order form. Then a part of me said, "No, stop." And as if I were led, I walked upstairs to my bedroom and sat down on my plain, natural cotton comforter and rubbed my hand over it. I said to myself, "Isn't this beautiful? It's mine, it's paid for, and it's restful. It is enough." Again and again I need to quell my restless mind and remind myself, This is enough.

So next time you sit down to a simple supper, crawl into a cozy bed, have a warm chat with a friend ~ imagine that you are at the end of the rainbow. This is it. This is life, and it's wonderful just in this moment." ~~~~ Excerpts from Finding Joy: 101 Ways to Free Your Spirit and Dance With Life by Charlotte Davis Kasl, Ph.D Copyright 1994 paintings by Christeen Swan ~~~~ I love those last few lines!

37 comments:

  1. I love this post!! The last part so rings true for me. Thank you for sharing it with us Betsy.

    I sometimes get caught up in the need to buy all sorts of new things but for not the right reasons. It seems there are so many lovely shops these days catering to smartening up our homes and it's become very important to have the style of the moment. But... if the things we have around us are things we love, they will surely reflect who we are, and if they are still in working order, why get rid of them for this year's look? Also, as soon as we start buying into this year's look, we set up our belongings to date very quickly: this year's look dates far quicker than my odd collection of bits and pieces, however eccentric they may be.

    (Luckily, I don't have the time or the money to pander too often to these whims. A mercy!)

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  2. Hi BP ~ me, too! I love to shop....but lately I've really tried to keep it to what I really need and then get pick that particular item for it's beauty and quality! And it's always a good reminder to all of us that the simple pleasures of life really are the priceless ones!

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  3. Betsy, I love this post! I have been interested in living a simpler life for a few years now. I will have to read this book. I'm very concerned about my older children: 24 yr son & 21 yr daughter: and how caught up they are in material possessions-the newest, neatest, etc. things. "'Tis a gift to be simple...'"

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  4. Thank you. I needed this right now.
    xox

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  5. Jen ~ aaaww...I knew you would love this! I miss a cup of tea and a chat with you! :) xo

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  6. And check out my quote of the week....it's perfect with this entry! :)

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  7. oh how i needed this again...and again...keep reminding us as we as humans seems to quickly forget...

    we are in the middle of one of the most stressful financial situations of our life and had we been happy with our things that were paid for...we would not be struggling today...sigh...i am happy to be reminded that it's actually a beautiful thing not to be a consumer and instead be thankful for God's blessings...!

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  8. Oh Wow! Betsy I love both this essay and the paintings!

    I love pretty things, but I'm very sentimental too, so I don't get rid of something that is still good and functional just to replace it with something new. My home is full of furniture I bought when we were married almost 34 years ago. It's all growing antique along with me :-)

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  9. Granola ~ I think we all need to be reminded again and again! And we can all benefit from counting our blessings...material and not material...like the sunrise, or a visit with a friend.

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  10. Pat ~ good for you! I would be hard pressed to find a piece of furniture in our house that we had when we first got married. :)

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  11. I loved this... certainly beauty surrounds us in what we already have, in the moment that we are in. The key is to focus on recognizing and enjoying what is in the here and now.

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  12. MG ~ Yes, I think you are right. It's so easy to wish away the present instead of relishing in right where we are.

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  13. Betsy,
    What a wonderful post. I strive to be content more than wanting more "things." Thanks for reminding me what's important in life.

    Have a wonderful day,
    Michelle

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  14. Great post. My mother taught me by example to be select furnishings carefully and then to be content with them for a long time. I do like to decorate but I try to buy things that I will always like. When I tire of them in one room I try to think how to use them in another.

    The artwork with this post is beautiful. I love all the color the artist used. It is happy art.

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  15. Stevie ~ I like to redecorate by changing things around that I already have. Funny how something looks new and different and catches your eye when it is displayed in a new spot! Sounds like you were taught some great principles while you were younger!

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  16. Thanks for always dropping by my blog. You have the sweetest things to say. I loved this essay and the watercolors were great. I pray to get my priorities straight and stop craving for things I don't need, but only want. God has already given me so much. I need to learn to be content. Thanks for the reminder.

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  17. Excellent post. I'm glad you ran it again....it is a jewel. How true, if we will stop and look around, we are truly at the rainbows end. Thanks again.

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  18. Thank you so much for posting this. Sometimes it's words like these that pop up right when you need them, and you didn't even know it at the time. It is the simple things, the smallest things, the most quiet of moments that count the most.
    ~Em~

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  19. Nanatrish~ I agree. I'm not sure why it's hard to be content...we all have so much and live in luxury compared to most of the world.

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  20. Strider ~ thanks, and I posted it mostly for myself, but it seems to be a good reminder to everyone. We should count our blessing more often...just to reset our thinking and appreciate what's most important.

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  21. Em ~ yes, I love your last line here...."It is the simple things, the smallest things, the most quiet of moments that count the most."

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  22. Hey, Bet, there's an award waiting for you over at the Manor, you lucky girl, you! :)

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  23. Found your blog and this is the post I read, WOW!
    Thank you for that.

    Amy

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  24. Amy ~ Hi...thanks for stopping by! I always welome new people and comments...great to 'meet' you. I'll come by your blog for a visit!

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  25. Separating the wants from the needs is key, I think. Stores and store displays are so tempting. I conciously try to detach myself from the feeling that there is anything there that I would like or need to possess. A very important post here today!

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  26. I need to be reminded of this often I posted today about finding enjoyment in the simple things. I want to find that place of true contentment. My children are so good to remind me when I don't have what I think might make our home more beautiful, that they love our home just the way it is. Mostly I want it to be warm and inivting and loving.

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  27. Empty nest ~ thanks for the visit and comment. I'll have to come over and check out your thoughts on simplicity. :)

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  28. Thanks for this post, Betsy!! I loved it before but needed it today.
    You are such an encouragement to me in so many ways. :)

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  29. Thanks, Marcia ~ you're a sweetie yourself! ;)

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  30. This is so poignant, Betsy..We certainly live in a "more is better" society these days. Perhaps that's why I treasure things that have been in my family for so long that others might replace with " newer models"..No, thank you...I'll take the one with a history any day of the week...I like this revisiting posts from the past...Very nice...

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  31. That's funy you quote from this book. I've read it many times from the library. It's one of my faves.I will have to come back here with another book on simplicity that is also very good..

    wonderful, refreshing paintings, btw.

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  32. Rebecca ~ yes, I love things with a history to them! It just makes them so much more interesting.

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  33. Mmm~ yes, you will have to post something more about this book. I'll be looking forward to it! :)

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  34. Betsy...this is an absolutely beautiful post...I'm so glad you posted it again...thank you sweet friend.

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  35. wonderful post!!! the story is so touching and i love the artwork!! this year i made a vow to stop acquiring things, live simply, give more and expect less.

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  36. Julie ~ live simply, give more and expect less....wise words! I love how you put that!

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  37. Nice post and as I was looking at the beautiful art I realized it was painted by someone I had visited their blog before and then you mentioned Christeen Swan. What a small blog world. I love her art!!

    I really enjoyed your post.

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