That One Beautiful Thing – 5/21/13

Bird taking flight. Illustration: Paivatar

Sympathy – Paul Lawrence Dunbar (Poem of the Day)

You may recognize this poem more by this line, made famous by Maya Angelou, than the actual title: “I know why the caged bird sings!” I just finished reading Angelou’s book and was deeply moved by her storytelling of her childhood. She approaches her stories, many of which I can’t even imagine happening to myself, with an honest grace that is so humbling. I read the full poem shortly after finishing the book and appreciated hearing Dunbar’s words with echoes of Angelou’s in my mind.

24 Tiny Turtles Who Need a Reality Check (Huffington Post)

Ain’t nothing going to break these little guys’ strides…

That One Beautiful Thing – 5/14/13

Faith as small as a mustard seed. Photo: echoesofstars

This is the start of a new series in which I share some of the links that lifted my heart this week.

Not Just a Girl (Jaime Moore Photography)

After the Disney Princess controversy this week, it’s refreshing to see photographer Jaime Moore dressing her daughter up for her fifth birthday as “real” inspirational women.

A Moment of Happiness – A Poem by Rumi

Just smile. Photo: ~tomatokisses

I’ve been getting back into poetry again lately. It soothes my soul. The poetry of Rumi, a 13th century Persian mystic, is particularly intriguing to me. There are so many layers to his wisdom, and I’m only beginning to uncover them.

Here’s one I particularly like:

A Moment of Happiness

A moment of happiness,
you and I sitting on the verandah,
apparently two, but one in soul, you and I.
We feel the flowing water of life here,
you and I, with the garden’s beauty
and the birds singing.
The stars will be watching us,
and we will show them
what it is to be a thin crescent moon.
You and I unselfed, will be together,
indifferent to idle speculation, you and I.
The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar
as we laugh together, you and I.
In one form upon this earth,
and in another form in a timeless sweet land.

Source: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-moment-of-happiness/

Nostalgia for Simpler Times (as told through movie soundtracks)

I have a few favorite songs from classic movies that I always listen to when I’m nostalgic for simpler times.

The first is “My Favorite Things”, sung by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. Really, you can’t HELP but smile at raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. “And then I don’t feel…so bad.”

Next there’s another Julie Andrews song, this time from Mary Poppins: “Feed the Birds”.

Words for the week ahead – 5/12/13

Biblical illustration of Book of Joshua Chapter 1 (Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NIV)

Dear Disney Marketing: Don’t Photoshop the Disney Princesses

Merida – Before and After. Photo: Disney/Pixar via Yahoo! News

Disney’s marketing department broke my heart over the decision to give Merida, of Disney/Pixar’s Brave fame, a makeover prior to her induction into the Disney Princesses. This has become sort of a ugly tradition with the Princesses; when they’re added to the line-up, they’re prepped for merchandising by having the equivalent of animation Photoshopping done to them. This new image is the one that is then plastered all over lunch boxes, notebooks, and other swag that girls will clamor over during back-to-school shopping.

Merida, a spunky, free-spirited young girl who is much more comfortable riding through the countryside on her beloved horse than sitting on a throne, was given a skinnier, curvier figure, a dress with a lower neckline, eye and lip makeup, an anti-frizz treatment in her hair, and she lost her previously always-at-her-side bow and arrow.

The Internet is up in arms about this today, including a Change.org petition with the signatures of tens of thousands of Disney fans agreeing with the statement made by the petition initiator, A Mighty Girl:

The redesign of Merida in advance of her official induction to the Disney Princess collection does a tremendous disservice to the millions of children for whom Merida is an empowering role model who speaks to girls’ capacity to be change agents in the world rather than just trophies to be admired. Moreover, by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original, realistic, teenage-appearing version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value — to be recognized as true princesses — they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty.

What many don’t seem to realize is that this is just the latest manifestation of a trend that Disney marketing has been following for two decades with the Disney Princesses. And for the sake of all young girls out there, the trend must be stopped.

Opening ourselves up to what the world has to show us

Rainy Day (by Gene Wilburn)

I try to take two walks during my work day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. (My FitBit is a good encourager for that.) It’s always the same walk — once around the office building, about a half mile each time around. Sometimes I’ll be adventurous and go counterclockwise instead of clockwise to vary things up.

Over the almost three years at my current workplace, I have probably taken this walk hundreds of times. It’s stress relief. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s one of the few routines in my work life that allows me to keep some semblance of order when everything inside the building seems to be changing so often.

I’ve taken this same exact walk so many times, though, that sometimes I forget to notice what’s going on around me. I may step inside afterwards and realize that I didn’t actually see or hear or smell or touch anything outside of eighteen inches in front of my nose. That’s the nasty side of those everyday activities — they can become SO automatic that we don’t leave ourselves open to see what else there might be in this morsel of time for us to experience.

A Daddy’s Letter to His Little Girl (About Her Future Husband)

Love Shield (by laobc)

A letter from a father to a daughter after he was angered by Internet articles on “How to keep him interested”:

Little One, it is not, has never been, and never will be your job to “keep him interested.”

Little One, your only task is to know deeply in your soul — in that unshakeable place that isn’t rattled by rejection and loss and ego — that you are worthy of interest.

Lies! – 5 Famous People You Won’t Believe Didn’t Exist

This post was a bit of a shocker for me: 5 Famous People You Won’t Believe Didn’t Exist (Cracked.com)

Sun Zhu was probably the biggest shocker right up front. I had heard that Carolyn Keene (of Nancy Drew fame) was a ghostwriting conglomerate, but I had forgotten until reading this article. The story of Mavis Beacon and the company’s competitors made me crack up too:

Mister Rogers Remixed – Garden of Your Mind (PBS Digital Studios)

I was a HUGE Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fan when I was young. Mr. Rogers was the kindest person who I knew. Watching his show reminded me of the special person I was. I have Mr. Rogers to thank as an influence on the type of person I strive to be today: a person who recognizes the intrinsic value in each human being.