QUOTATIONS

Romain Gary was a successful author and man of mystery and intrigue.  He even tricked the nation of France into awarding him two of the same award, normally only given to a person once in a lifetime.  His autobiography is seen to be somewhat inflated and enhanced, but his observations on the value of humor to our lives is profound.  

In the final episode of this 5-part series on David Whyte’s book Consolations. This week, we discuss disappointment, an integral part of any journey of self improvement. We need not reject it or avoid it, but instead embrace it as a catalyst to our transformation. It reveals the potential future us, perhaps beyond what we could have imagined.

In this, the 4th of 5 episodes on David Whyte's book Consolations, we examine confession.  Not the religious form, but the broadly applicable form.  It is a type of self-aware rejection of the old ways and an adoption of the new, even at the expense of image or prestige.  

In this, the 3rd of 5 episodes on David Whyte's Consolations, we explore love and closeness.  They are not without risk, but the potential beauty in the act of laying down our arms and dropping our defenses can be incredible.  

In the 2nd episode of this 5 part series, we examine anger through author David Whyte's words, both its origins and its impacts to identify that which we hold most dear.  It's an important lesson as life is full of opportunities to be angry and therefore opportunities to grow and to learn.  

David Whyte is an author and poet and his book Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words is one of my very favorite books.  In this series we will explore his words and seek deeper meaning.  We begin the new year with, appropriately, a quote on Courage.  

Bill Whitaker is a host of the critically acclaimed 60 Minutes broadcast and has covered many challenging stories for years.  He has seen the best and worst of humanity through the lens of a camera and at the end of a microphone.  His message from a 2021 episode of the show is as accurate and encouraging today as it was then.  

Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived around the turn of the 20th century and was a strong advocate for social change.  She edited and published a magazine entitle The Forerunner and in it she explored a wide range of topics.  She challenged the status quo for parents and children and the world took note.  Her quote on a young person's duty to society is the topic of today's episode.  

Former first lady Barbara Bush had both influence and wealth, yet one of her most quoted lines is about giving.  As we are amid the holiday season, it is useful for us to remember that giving does more than make us feel good...it takes us out of ourselves and makes us aware of others.  This is a lesson worth remembering year-round.  

Austin von Letkemann is the creator of Mandatory Fun Day, a comedy/satire social media page that pokes fun at the military and all its quirks.  He also drops some very profound and challenging thoughts on leadership.  Today's quote is one such thought.  Austin challenges us to challenge our subordinates but not waste their time, to be stable for them and not inject more friction than already exists in their lives.