Welcome to my
Perfectly Imperfect Life..........

Monday, February 28, 2011

Desiderata



Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy

written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s


XOXOXOXOXO

The Confused History of "Desiderata"


The author is Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who lived from 1872 to 1945. It has been reported that Desiderata was inspired by an urge that Ehrmann wrote about in his diary:

"I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift -- a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods."

Around 1959, the Rev. Frederick Kates, the rector of St. Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of devotional materials he compiled for his congregation. (Some years earlier he had come across a copy of Desiderata.) At the top of the handout was the notation, "Old St. Paul's Church, Baltimore A.C. 1692." The church was founded in 1692.

As the material was handed from one friend to another, the authorship became clouded. Copies with the "Old St. Paul's Church" notation were printed and distributed liberally in the years that followed. It is perhaps understandable that a later publisher would interpret this notation as meaning that the poem itself was found in Old St. Paul's Church, dated 1692. This notation no doubt added to the charm and historic appeal of the poem, despite the fact that the actual language in the poem suggests a more modern origin. The poem was popular prose for the "make peace, not war" movement of the 1960s.

When Adlai Stevenson died in 1965, a guest in his home found a copy of Desiderata near his bedside and discovered that Stevenson had planned to use it in his Christmas cards. The publicity that followed gave widespread fame to the poem as well as the mistaken relationship to St. Paul's Church.

As of 1977, the rector of St. Paul's Church was not amused by the confusion. Having dealt with the confusion "40 times a week for 15 years," he was sick of it.

This misinterpretation has only added to the confusion concerning whether or not the poem is in the public domain.

By the way, Desiderata is Latin for "Things to be Desired."
 

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Santa Cruz...part 2, The Lighthouse

The Santa Cruz Lighthouse has been through many difficulties, changes
and moves over the last 140+ years.


It's much smaller than the Monterey Lighthouse we toured last year.


But it still has a lot of interesting history.




It now serves as the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum 


The only part of the Lighthouse you can see in the main floor.
All else is closed off.




This lighthouse was built as a Memorial  when in 1965 eighteen-year-old Mark Abbott drowned while surfing near the point. His parents used the insurance money to build a brick lighthouse near the site of the old light. "Our family had always loved lighthouses, so we decided it was the best thing to do."  The lighthouse was completed in 1967.


It is crammed to the rafters and beyond with Surfing Memorabilia.

"Shark Attacks"


Old photos and signs



Surfing Champions


All types and sizes of surf boards.






''Surfing 1930's and '40's''




''The 1950's''


''The 1960's''


''The 1970's''


''The 1980's''


''The 1990's''


It has a beautiful area for sitting and watching the ocean.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Santa Cruz...part 1, The Boardwalk

The next thing we wanted to do was to go see the Santa Cruz Lighthouse.
Remember Dawn loves Lighthouses

We hit the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk first.
Since it was Becci, Zander and Wrenee's first time to Cali
they had never seen the ocean before or felt the sand on the beach.
There's not much of that in Wyoming ;)


Their first experience with sand...
ewww!


I don't want to move Grandma!


Zander loved it...Wrenee not so much... 


Yay, we took a step!


They eventually made it to the water.


a view of the coast line



Coming back..
now she doesn't want to leave!


looking for shells...


Hi Zander!


Off to catch Zander!


Sorry no snacks for you today :(


Got'em both!


We walked along the Boardwalk,
which is mostly geared for older children.


But was still fun to experience.


Til next time Boardwalk ♥

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Always Check Your Child's Homework


(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day)


Dear Mrs. Jones,



I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.


I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.


From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.


Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Casa de Fruta

On the way home from Monterey
another place we always stop is Casa de Fruta.


It was dark this trip so we didn't get to wander around the grounds
 but did check out the produce and gift shops.

Brussels Sprouts anyone?
Still on the stalk!


They've got the funniest magnets


Another reason I love to stop here...
all the old things they use to for display,
like these 2 old washers ♥♥ 


Lovin' this oven♥


and the faucet handles for the storage cabinets
 that have galvanized inserts


The doors are too sweet!
So are all the yummy candies they make!


It's such a fun place with many, many things to see and do.
So if your ever in the Pacheco Pass area be sure to drop in.
 It's located Two miles east of the junction of Highway 152 and Highway 156.

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