The Spring and the Storm

Pierre Auguste Cot (February 17, 1837 – July 1883) was a French painter of the Academic Classicism school. He created several works of lasting popularity, including Le Printemps, featuring two young lovers sitting upon a swing, and The Storm. Both these paintings are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. (Wikipedia)

Le Printemps (1873)
by Pierre-Auguste Cot

La Tempête (1880)
by Pierre-Auguste Cot

The soul speaking with nature

Sunflower - Photo from internet

Little dandelions, what are you doing here?
–We reflect on earth the stars in the heavens.

Little pool, why is your water so muddy?
–Because of my narrow mind and depthless heart.

Coal, what makes you so black?
–I am the evil of the ages accumulated in the heart of the earth.
What is your penalty?
–I must pass through a trial by fire.
What becomes of you in the end?
–I turn into a diamond.

Earth, to the clouds:–Why did you come back after once you had deserted me?
–The heavens would not have us before we had reconciled ourselves with you.

Little rosebud, what do you hold between your hands? –The secret of my beauty.

Sunflower, what are you?
–I am the eye of the seeker who searches for the light.

Tana: The soul speaking with nature
Hazrat Inayath Khan (1882-1927)

Why you should smile more :)

A smile is one of the most simple, inexpensive and wonderful things in the world.

Here are 5 reasons why smiling as often as you can will put more positivity into your life.

1. You will get a boost of happiness – try forcing yourself to smile for thirty seconds right now. The great feelings that make you smile works in reverse too. By making yourself smile, no matter how you feel, your body will start to release all those wonderful chemicals that makes you feel happy. Try it right now and feel the difference.

2. A smile changes your state – if you feel frustrated, angry or bored a smile changes your emotional state. And a positive state is not just more fun but also opens up to other possibilities in your mind. You will see the world differently through a happier lens. And then you can start building on that to have a string of positive actions and interactions with other people throughout the day.

3. A smile changes other people’s state – walking into a room or up to the counter in a store with a smile on your face can make a world of difference. People will smile back at you and be more helpful and any social tension or awkwardness will melt away. And your interactions will be more open, relaxed and filled with fun and possibilities.

4. Well, why shouldn’t you smile? – when choosing between a frown, a blank expression or a smile the last choice seems to be the most productive and positive choice, doesn’t it? Sure, often you will forget to smile or maybe you just don’t feel like it. But if you try to remember it and use it more often you will soon develop a new habit.

5. It’s easier to smile than doing the opposite – you actually use less muscles while smiling than while frowning or making an angry face. Well, that’s probably what you have heard at least. Barbara Mikkelson over at Urban Legends Reference Pages reaches a more uncertain conclusion. But still, if you start smiling more your smiling muscles will soon become stronger than your frowning muscles. And it will become easier and easier to smile than doing the opposite.

Henrik Edberg