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Respect, understanding and encouragement
transform hearts.
Even ones of many years.
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Every Thursday
we OCCUPY this space.
We give this planet a shot of
fun, support and positive energy.
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Share something you’ve been wanting to tell the world.
or
Do an Occupy of your own and add a link in comments.
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This space thrives on positive material. Soul Dipper reserves the right to decline any submission that is presented with a flair for the negative, deemed to be derogatory or could be surmised as slanderous.
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Α – Ω
Soul Dipper 
Hi Folks,
Came July and I had been off on my customary Bharat darshan. I realise vacations are so much better in our anticipatory minds, as we count down to it. And when we do get into it, the days become blurred with “To Do” lists.
Bottom line remained that my jaunts through the parched lands ( hardly saw any rains!) of Mumbai Lavalle IndoreDelhi Gurgaon Kolkata kept me away from blogging. And I did miss out on my mid-month post.
So here I am back……
http://esgeemusings.com/2012/08/02/what-is-out-of-harmony-and-how-do-i-restore-it/
Should you find it worth your while, you may wish to share it or comment back.
Bless you and your Harmony.
Shakti Ghosal
Your title looks appealing. I will be over there today, Shakti.
Love the photo Amy.
Yes, it caught my eye, too. In our busy world, we can forget…
‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’…… how wrong that old saying is! Cruel words, an off-hand remark or even forbidding silence, can cause unseen, long~term damage to our sense of worth, our ability to show compassion and our self~respect. And that must surely impact on humanity, as a whole. On the flip side, I see my grandchildren blossom visibly, when given praise and it makes me proud to watch them grow into confident little beings. By choosing our words with care, we can do our bit to nurture global confidence and respect. Great ‘Occupy’ post, Amy! 🙂
Thank you Jacqueline – I can imagine you are one terrific grandmother. The Guides repeadedly reassure that what we do in our lives affects the world. I see that more and more.
Interesting – we used to say “but names will never hurt me.” That was false as well. My older siblings had lots of names for each other and me…though never nick names. Mom would not allow them.
At a workshop for the Virtues Project, one of the first exercises was to write down nicknames we’d been given. Then we talked about the feelings they elicited. Amazing – very few felt positive about them.
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This is my contribution Amy. Thanks for the love you share 🙂
http://nadirafromkannur.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/671/
Nadira, what a fabulous message you unfold. You are such a good writer and your wisdom must be celebrated.
Beautiful words of truth, Amy. It would do us well to remember this.
Hopefully all who love writing understand the power of words, Suzicate. We can use them with many different purposes.
having grown up in a home where hateful, hurting words were the norm, I never understood the expression “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” Words can destroy a person. Let’s not stop there, however. Words have the power to heal, to restore hope, to bring awareness of the beauty we each are.
Here’s my contribution to today’s Occupy – not nearly as powerful as yours, more along the lines of fun and recycling. http://crowingcronebewell.com/2012/08/02/occupy-blogosphere-august-2/
When you show that glimpse from your past, Joss, I marvel at the positive place to which you have brought yourself. I know it’s been long and hard, but having some peace in spite of it means everything, I suspect.
Well, we each are given a foundation upon which to build our life. Some build a tar paper shack on a foundation of granite, others shore up a foundation of sand and build a castle!
Ah haaaaaw, Joss, LOL! That’s a take I hadn’t considered!
Pretty powerful image. I say let our words be show and show who we are through action. The tongue can be a dangerous weapon.
We, young especially but also older folk, can not work smoothly with another who speaks one thing and does another. The phrase that seems most fitting for those situations is “crazy-making”.
This is the right link ~ dated the day I started writing it: http://wightrabbit.wordpress.com/2012/07/27
This Occupy is timeless, Jacqueline. Thanks for sharing your favourite painting. I’ve been very moved by it…again. Your written descriptions are so good…especially about the heart having to be opened from inside. Phew!
So true, Amy. I’m sure most of us carry the influence of words that have hurt or helped us that were uttered when we were children.
I’ve seen wounds carried for decades, Victoria. As we age, we can learn to shield ourselves, but children absorb. I’ve had women tell me they felt guilty for being alive – the fallout of being put down and criticized too many times.
I wonder sometimes about that old saying “Sticks and Stones may break my bones…but words will never hurt me.”…seems to be something that is not true in these days of global communication.
Surely it would only be true if the good Lord forget to put a heart in that body, Charles.
Enjoy your day Amy. So good to see that you are doing well.
I really am doing well – it helps to routinely do things that are good for my body, mind and soul. It’s just as you say in your post, Healthy Warrior. (You live up to your name! 😀 )
The photo itself hurt my heart……
There’s a bit of poster hanging in my office which speaks “It is easier to build up a child than to repair an adult….choose your words wisely…..”
I know the truth in that. From both sides of the fence.
((((((((((( Amy )))))))))))) Peace be with you…….
I used to hear a man say to his family (not mine) – “Don’t just listen to my words, do what I want you to do!” I would shudder and gladly go home.
Thank goodness for people like you, Mel. The countless things that you do to make lives healthier!
The look on that child’s face stopped me in my tracks, Amy. I hate to see children hurt by words: yet everything starts with Me, and I shall keep a special watch on my words today. Thank you.
It’s people like you, Kate, who respond so positively to self-observation. Sadly, the ones whose words hurt the most pooh pooh the most.
—–I can’t think of ANYTHING more POWERFUL than words.
They can change the Universe, they can offer great beauty, they can transform lives……
…. Yet they can shatter and crush souls.
xxx
I agree, Inner Chick. And some people have black belt tongues.
That picture should be permanently implanted in every parent’s mind. In every adult’s mind. Words are so powerful, and children so impressionable …
Yes, it’s amazing how carelessly we spew darts and denigration, PiedType. Hmmm…I’m off to see your blog. Thanks for your visit.
Certain words were banned in our household as I grew up. Should was not used. That was fence sitting. “You should” was the sin of all sins. In fact, “you” was not allowed during disagreements. We had a tough time fighting and staying in the rules! 😀
Amy aunty it was such a beautiful coincidence that, I need this and I visited your blog. Thank you! I love this picture. I too believe words do have power; we do not need to use them to hurt someone rather than we need to use them to spread smiles and encouragement.
It’s been my observation, Arindam, that when we use words to spread goodness, we’re zapped with that goodness as much as the other person.
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