Let's Talk About Words

    "Be gentle with the young," according to Juvenal. It is a difficult ask raising children . I am often unsure of whether I am making the right decisions in their upbringing since I want to raise them to be kind and competent people. They can test my patience more than every child that I have ever babysat for or more than any of the infants that I have been a teacher to. Taking care of the infants is important, but I am not alone in that job; those babies have their own mom and dad. Raising my  children  is the most important job that I will ever have. I know that as a parent, it is important to be gentle . Read my words and see my quotes  at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com or follow my page at                                              https://www.facebook.com/susanmarie.schulhof.7?ref=hl   ...

     Injustice by definition is an act that inflicts undeserved harm . I have been a single working mother since 2001. Throughout these 12 years, I have struggled to work hard yet be there for my daughters . What I learned years ago was that I can never be the best at both. I have had to understand that doing as much as I can as a mother as well as doing as much as I can at work would have to be enough. I also realized that if I did not find time for myself in between these work and parenting commitments, that I could not even be enough at work or with my children. Often when I neglected my needs I would end up ill or sad and sometimes both. I had to learn to balance all of the areas of my life so that I did not inflict undeserved harm to others nor to myself. An unbalanced life does  truly lead to injustice. Read my words and see my quotes http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

       "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."                                                                      -Albert Camus      What does Albert Camus mean by this quote? Flowers are perceived to be beautiful, therefore my simplified interpretation would be that the color changes of the leaves in the fall are as the flowers are in the spring. Spring is thought of as a renewal and rebirth of nature; whereas Autumn is a breaking down and preparation for the dark, cold winter.  To look deeper into the comparisons to life,  t here are different seasons in one's lives as there are changes of seasons in weather, although not near as predictable. There are the wonderful times in life when everything is new and fresh and life is pa...

         My quote , "Get lost in doing what you love to do" couldn't be more fitting for me when I am being creative. There are times when all of the babies are healthy and happy that time flies by in my work playing, teaching and taking care of them, but usually my days at work go by more slowly.   I love to draw and paint, and reading books has always been a time thief, but I enjoy writing more than I ever thought possible.   Writing is when I get lost.  Many of you know that I started a fiction book more than 10 years ago, but that I put that one  aside to begin a new book called Riding Waves last year. So far, I don't lack for ideas but instead there is not enough time in my days to write.  When I had the idea to write every day for a year in this blog, I never imagined the joy that it would bring to me. I am continually looking for pictures that I could take for  my quotes,  taking and editing the pictures and thinking ...

     Ralph Waldo Emerson was quoted as saying, "Earth laughs in flowers." My sister, Amy, and I went hiking yesterday at Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills. As we walked, I took picture after picture of all of the beauty that I saw. I have lived in this area for 12 years and never even knew that this place was nearby. I am grateful that others before me had the wisdom to preserve these parts of our planet for us and for future generations to enjoy. People blame others for the destructive of our planet. They accuse construction companies for all of the new buildings and the clearing away of the trees or condemn big businesses for the destruction of our ozone layer with pollution. It is easy to cast blame on others, but what is our role in taking care of our planet Earth? We can be involved in our government if we choose, but we can also use these forest preserves and nature centers that were kept for us. It was a beautiful day, and many schools had the...

     Carl Reiner's quote is, "The absolute truth is the thing that makes people laugh." He is a comedian, writer, actor and Emmy winner. Humor is interjected into some of the more difficult situations in television shows, movies and books. Those are the ones that I can relate to because even as I cry, I can also laugh. I laugh with, not at, the mistakes of others. I smile as a way of understanding, sharing and connecting because we all have hardships and struggles in our lives. My first fiction book that I am writing  Riding Waves is about a young woman trying to find her way in life, balancing her needs with the challenges of a new relationship. It has dark moments, but even during those times, there is humor. There is laughter to her story just like in life. Often while sharing a story with someone about something bad that happened to me, I instantly feel better and can even begin to see the humor. Sometimes when the day just keeps getting wor...

                                       How do you approach life? My quote today asks if you take chances or do you play it safe? If you are like me, some areas of my life I play it safe whereas others times I do take chances. I am pretty safe in my parenting choices, my career path and my financial decisions. Traveling is the one area that I love to take chances in. My daughters and I have went on short trips over their spring breaks, and I think that it even surprises them when I say that we have a destination but we will "fly by the seat of our pants" to arrive there. I love that feeling of freedom.  My dream would be to just get in the car and drive with a vague destination like California or Yellowstone in mind. I would drive until I see something that interests me and stop. I have a deep yearning to see the world, and would want the freedom to explore it all. I almo...

     It seems backwards to say, "When ambition ends, happiness begins", in a society where ambition is thought to bring happiness, but that is the quote from a Hungarian Proverb. I don't believe that the proverb means that we would be happier if we had no ambition. I think the meaning is similar to the phrase about enjoying the drive as much as the destination. I feel that sometimes the paths to my goals were just as rewarding as actually reaching them. Even though I was happy when my book was published and selling, I enjoyed the process of writing and editing  it. We had fun in the cities we visited, but I loved the road trips that I took with my daughters to get there just as much. I think that we should pursue our gifts and passions with as much ambition that we have, but we should remember to enjoy the way there too. Read my words and see my quotes at: http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

      Zig Ziglar said, "winning is not everything, but the effort is." How true that is. I remember how great I felt when I was training for a marathon a few years ago. I was in good shape; I felt disciplined getting up in the morning to train, and my daughters were proud of me. I even blogged about my training for the marathon, and I felt a sense of pride every time I ran a little bit farther than the last time. I ran slow and even got injured and had to stop at mile 18 of the marathon, but it still felt like quite an accomplishment. Even though I wish that I had run all 26.2 miles and finished, the effort of training was well worth it. It is something I will never regret trying. I know that if I had not trained and tried, I would have looked back with regret. What do you want to try in life that you would regret not going after? Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

         Today's topic in The Daily Book of Positive Quotations is about taking responsibility for your life. Linda Picone explains that many people think that their life would be different if only they were given the opportunity. I agree with Linda that the chances are that those people were given opportunities that they did not take. As I reflect on my life, there were many paths I could have taken, some that I did take and others I did not. It was a big decision for me when I chose to self publish my  book  Fun4Babies . I also made a conscious choice to take on more responsibility at work that ultimately led to the opportunity of mentoring and training other teachers. Opportunities may present themselves, but they do require action. If you spoke to most athletes, writers, singers or CEO's of companies, you will hear of a long list of choices they made to get to where they are. Rarely would you hear a story of success without work on their part....

     The dictionary defines courage as the ability to something that you know is dangerous or difficult. Everyone would agree that a person is courageous if they cliff dive or race cars, but what about opening a business that you are not sure will succeed? What about talking to your loved one about your insecurities? What about trying out for a sport? It is sometimes easier for me to go on a roller coaster or wish that I could skydive rather than face my fears of failure if I try something new, or face my fear of rejection if I tell my loved ones what I need from them. In the book Divergent, there is a faction called dauntless that go into simulations to learn to face their fears. The idea behind it is that repeated exposure will not remove the fear, but it will help them to not let their fears control them. Others will not be able to manipulate them due to these fears nor use them against them. I choose to be courageous.   By facing my fears, I can reduce the p...

            What did James Lowell mean when he said, "A weed is no more than a flower in disguise"? A weed is a weed because we call it that. To a little child, a sow thistle is a pretty flower. Even to adults, a field of dandelions can look as beautiful as a garden of flowers. All that one needs is a change of perspective to change a weed into a flower. Have you ever been frustrated by a car driving too slow, until you realized that is a new student driver or even an older person? You now longer feel angry; you maybe feel compassionate and understanding. The person is still driving too slow, but what changes is your perspective. How many things in life could we look at or classify differently if we only changed our attitude? If we could look at a problem or situation from another point of view? Can we change the weeds of our life into flowers? Read my words and see my quote at  http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

               Love is what we desire from when we are young, but what is love? Love is usually based on need fulfillment and how another person makes you feel. I love him because he makes me feel special. I love her because I feel happy when I am around her. I love him because he is funny. I love her because she is beautiful. I love them because they have always been there for me. Can we love one another free from those feelings and needs? Giving and receiving unconditional love is exactly that. Some needs may still be met based on giving and receiving love with no conditions, but this love is based on truth. It is loving someone for their positive as well as their negative traits. That doesn't mean you like that trait or ignore their negative behavior, but you love them anyway. If couples, families, and friends could love one another unconditionally with an open mind and heart and a willingness to look within themselves, then this relat...

           "When a friend is in trouble...Think of something appropriate and do it." said E.W. Howe. He was a novelist that passed away in 1937 yet that advice stands the test of time. Instead of asking others how you can help, spend some time in thought and decide what you can do to help whatever the circumstance is. This can be applied to helping people that you don't know as well. I have always wanted to help others yet I never felt that I had enough money to make a difference. After some soul searching, I realized that I could help others with my time. I volunteered at a women's shelter helping clean and organize their recreational space, in addition to watching the children so that the mothers could attend meetings. That was an appropriate way for me to help others in need. What is your way? Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

           Today's post in The Book of Positive Quotations quotes Charles De Gaulle as saying," Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back on himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own". After reading this, my first thought is that it is wrong, that people need others in times of crisis. How is it that to be a "person of character" one must handle it alone? After much contemplation, I have come to realize that although you can rely on family and friends to help you through a crisis, only you can truly understand what you feel and what would be the best response. A person's reaction could be talking it over with friends, accepting help from family members, but those responses still fall back on oneself. One must, on their own, accept the help if they choose after thought and consideration. My choice would be to read book after book about our soul and our purpose for living as a means of facing...

         What can you learn from difficult situations? Can you learn to be empathetic, sympathetic, caring? Can you learn about yourself that you are strong, you are capable, you are competent? I have encountered many arduous situations in this lifetime. I was in a difficult  marriage; my father fought and died from brain cancer at 55, and I have struggled financially for many years as a single mother of three to name a few. What have I learned from these? I gained much knowledge from how I responded to each and every one of these times. I discovered about myself that I am indeed, strong, loving, capable, empathetic, sympathetic, caring, competent and so much more. Think back on the situations of your life. Remember how you responded. That will show your true essence.

         Reality by definition is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. What is each of our realities? Is it how life actually exists or rather as they appear to us? When we interact with others on a personal or professional level, we must understand that each of us sees our own behavior and the circumstances with our own view or filter of life. This perception comes from the life we have lived, all of our circumstances and experiences. Years ago, there was a movie called He Said, She Said which showed various situations of a couple happening, but from each of their point of view. It was an interesting concept that each has their perception of what was happening. I would like to believe that the events of my life would not make me see a person or situation different than anyone else would; yet life has proved that I do. Think also about before the microscope was invented or be...

          When faced with conflict, many people choose to stay neutral and not get involved. In my life when their has been disagreements among family, friends or at work, I have tried to stay out of it so that others do not get mad at me. I have realized though that not choosing sides does not prevent the issue from affecting my life. In addition, since I do not like conflict and have always abhorred fighting, I will push my own feelings down. That choice usually backfires as well, when my feelings come out with too much emotion at a later date. As I get older, I have come to realize that there are times that I must make a stand or pick a side. I just need to learn how to do that in the moment. Over the next year one of my goals is to make changes in how I live my life. One of those changes is that I choose to express my beliefs with love and consideration. Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

       What can we learn about the changing seasons? With the first day of Autumn tomorrow, I look forward to the changing seasons, but I await this weather the most. There are many changes in the weather throughout the year living in Chicago. I get too hot in the summer and look forward to the cooler weather; then in the middle of winter, I pine for a warm summer breeze. The difference in each one makes me appreciate the other as does all of life. I can appreciate love more when I encounter hate. I value peace more when I encounter turmoil. I long for wealth when I experience lack of money. At times when I am experiencing the negative aspect, I forget that everything changes, and I lose touch with what "lacking" gives me. Then life, like the seasons, change, and I remember once more that the rough times enable me to appreciate the good times even more. Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

        How true are Mark Twain's words, "I can live for two months on a good compliment"? When I started out as an early childhood educator in 2001, my Director was very knowledgeable and taught me well. In fact, I often hear her words in my head as I perform my job of taking care of infants. Like I said, she really knew her stuff, but she never complimented me. She felt that as working adults we should not need to hear praise from her. Fast forward a few years, to another Director I worked for. She would leave notes occasionally in the room complimenting something we did, or put a note in my mailbox saying she appreciated how hard I worked. She even now, keeps me in her thoughts when new opportunities for growth in this field come up because she knows and acknowledges how dedicated I am to Bright Horizons. Of course, I was a hard worker with the first Director, but which Director helped me to grow and be all that I can be? Which Director made me ...