LIST 48 | List the quotes that inspire calm for you.
I surround myself with quotes – framed on my walls and on the desktop and windowsill. Throughout my home you will find a number of quotes as artwork by one of my most favourite Canadian artists: Kal Barteski. They are so beautiful not just visually but they contain words that are also incredibly meaningful:
You did not wake up to be mediocre
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out
The thing with stories is that not every chapter turns out the way you wanted … but in the end, every single page was essential
If there is no darkness then the light has no magic. Life can be dark and beautiful. Sad and filled by grace. Broken and filled by love. So much and so many taken … and still there is light in our hearts.
And, three big posters in my bedroom that I see first when I wake up in the morning. I’ve had them for years but they become more and more relevant as time goes by:
Hey, life is not always going to work out the way you were hoping. Sometimes it will be insanely worse and more times than that – it will be shockingly delicious. You will make it through and you’ll thrive. You will stumble. You will fail. You will cry. You will want to give up. Don’t. The secret is simple: you wake up and handle it.
If you love something love it completely, cherish it, say it, but most importantly, show it. Life is finite and fragile, and just because something is there one day it might not be there the next. Never take that for granted. Say what you need to say. Then say a little more. Say too much. Show too much. Everything is temporary but love. Love outlives us all.
An old man is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, sorrow, greed, guilt, arrogance, resentment, lies and ego.” He continued, “the other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fight is going on inside you, too.” The grandson thought for a moment and then asked, “Which wolf will win?” The old man replied, “the one you feed.”
Kal is tremendous artistically, as well as an inspiration as a person. If you have an opportunity, be sure to follow her on Instagram. Or splurge and get yourself a gift to guide you through the new year!
