YaYa Princess

I worked with a local photographer for a show in Philadelphia.  Every year he sends out a print that he’s taken and sends it to all of his clients, something that speaks to him.   Honestly, it’s one of the best ideas out there–I remember him and look forward to seeing what he has done.  This year was no different.  When I opened the photo, there was a note attached.  The basic jist is that he happened upon a group of tourists at the Rocky statue and snapped them all doing the “Rocky Pose”.  The photo inspired a quote from Rocky himself that is printed below the photo of about a dozen tourists, fists in air, and is as follows:

“…it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward.  That’s how winning is done!”

-Rocky Balboa

The idea behind this, of course, was the craptastically crappy year a lot of use had in 2009.  But the quote, to me, goes much further than just last year’s poor economic status.

It’s about all of the times  that you just want to give up, to say “to hell with this” but instead you put your chin up and press onward.  Sometimes it’s so painful that you literally have to hold your breath and you get up and go on with it.  It’s about choosing to learn from even the worst situations, when it would be just as easy to speak of excuses, place blame and lament about how unfair life is.

It is no secret if you know me that my work life in 2009 was…a bit painful.  One of my coworkers was telling me about a challenge she recently faced, one that was I’m sure very painful.  I kept saying to her “I just wish you knew how awesome you are”, because she is.  Because I know that regardless of everything, I have no doubt that she gave her all and she’s an amazing planner.  And then it occurred to me that perhaps I should look in a mirror and not only remind myself of the same thing, but listen when others remind me.

Because at the end of the day, you gotta “keep moving forward, that’s how winning is done”.  And sometimes winning just means making it to the end of the day :

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In line with the last post, here’s another little tid bit you may don’t know about me-I love a good quote.  I love the feelings they evoke and the inspiration they can give.  A good quote can center or, or rock you to the core.

For our 2nd ‘dating’ anniversary, knowing that I love to journal, the boy gave me a small leatherbound book with the words “carpe diem” embossed on the front.  The book is a bit too small for a journal (particularly for a gal with as much to say as I do) so instead I created long desired compilation of quotes.

Though still in it’s infancy, there are already a variety of quotes. Everything from classic novels, to quotes found embroidered on tea towels.  Anything that speaks to me.

The following is a quote that was in a Christmas card we received this year.  I love the sentiment of it as much as the cadence.  I also love the fact that the author is Ralph Waldo Emmerson.  I learned this summer that my paternal grandfather, whose name was Ralph, held the middle name Emmerson after the great poet.  Who would have known that this farmer family of mine had a love of poetry.

At any rate, without further ado:

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

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