Shiny Pretty Happy Thoughts

As things is getting a little rough around the edges, I figured we could all use a little laugh. To that end, I would like to know if any of you have crazy kooky little mottos by which you live your lives. For the past few years, mine has been, "If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll laugh at you for you." It works particularly well when you say this to yourself - always makes me realize that most of the things I worry about are fundamentally unimportant, and are easily laughed away. Of course, the saying doesn't go over quite as well when you say it to other people :) It's more of a "talking to yourself" thing.

Anyone else? Anybody? Anybody?

My wife lives by a fairly basic femanine philosophy. Her favourite saying is "I may not always be right, but I am NEVER wrong". Somehow I dont seem to have energy to argue !!

El Tel

My motto is: Real life isn't for sissies.

For 20 years, my mom and I have used the line from the movie Young Frankenstein: "Well, at least it's not raining."

(If you don't get it, trust me when I say it would take too much time to explain it here; if you're really curious, my best advice is to rent the movie.)

Pisces, along the same lines, I tell my kids that if they'd laugh, I'd be laughing WITH them and not AT them....most of the time, that gets at least a grin if not a chuckle.

"Stop waiting for your ship to come in......swim out after it!"

My father always says my mothers philosophies are

1. "never underestimate the weakness of a man" and
2. "I'm not leaving anything for the second wife"

But he really is a terrible tease...they are both in their seventies and still crazy about each other!

My Dad is good for saying this one in times of trial.."When you hit rock bottom just remember one thing - theres only one place to go from there...and that's UP!"

He also said "fatigue makes cowards of us all, sometimes the only thing you really need is a good night sleep".

When I was single he used to tell me "honey, Prince Charming isn't out canvassing the neighborhood looking for Cinderella...so put on your glass slippers and get the heck out and go to the dance!" When I did get married he pulled my husband aside after our wedding and said "Son, let me tell you my store policy. No store credit, no refunds and no returns....you bought her you keep her" !!! lol!

My mother told me "think before you speak..once those words are out there no amount of wishing is ever going to pull them back in" and "Whatever you do don't ever let a man get completely comfortable with you. Always maintain some element of mystery and let him wonder once in a while what you're thinking..."

They have always had the best advice and a great sense of humor to boot which I think is the most important lesson I ever learned...

"As long as you maintain a sense of humor you'll be alright no matter what happens.

Being a woman of unbelievably fair skin, I blush at the drop of a hat (or, as has happened most recently, the wind-blown lift of a skirt - ACK!). I always try to remind myself that blushing is a GOOD thing - it makes you look more vulnerable, and everybody loves vulnerability! I think it makes people feel that, okay, this person is "real". At least that's what I TELL myself whenever something particularly embarrassing happens!

If you can't laugh at yourself, I'll laugh at you for you...

If life hands you Lemons make lemonaide...if life lands you between a rock and a hard spot...plant a rock garden...If your life is a bed of roses...I'm sorry...I cant't relate!:)

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Woohoo!! That'll get ya through any crummy day that's tossed at you.

Jennifer

The other day I got an e-mail with the tag line: "The mighty oak was once a little nut who held it's ground."

I thought that was funny.

Another favorite ditty of mine is from a Pat Benatar song "All Fired Up":

"Now I believe there comes a time
When everything just falls in line
we live and learn from our mistakes
The deepest cuts are healed by faith"

My grandmother would say 'Never trouble trouble, till trouble troubles you'.

My father used to say 'What they going to do? Kill you?.

My Mothers is 'They can only say no'.

Mine is 'Before your critisise a man, walk a mile in his shoes, because when you do critisise him, not only are you a mile away, you also have his shoes.'

But I think the most eloquent is written by the Bard himself:

A sharp knife, ill used
Doth blunt its blade

and

'If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended
That you have but slumber'd here,
While these visions did appear.'

Sorry, but one of my favorites is from Scarlet in "Gone With the Wind"..." I won't think about that today...I'll think about that tomorrow...after all, tomorrow is another day". Remember, I apologized first. But it did get her through some pretty rough weather.
Another would be "Bloom where you're planted".
And "Let sleeping dogs lie".
And from Henry Miller's "The Oranges of Hieronymous Bosch"..."if you run into a brick wall and you've tried to tear it down or walk around it or crash through it or climb over it and it won't move, sit down and wait for it to crumble"...that's not an exact quote, but the main thought.
And then there's a lot from the "I Ching" I love:
"Perserverance furthers."
"Be like water running down hill".
"If your horse runs away, do not run after it. If it truly belongs to you, it will come back."
From Shakespeare: "Do not spread compost on the weeds."

One of my favorites is from "Anne of Green Gables", the lovable girl who often found herself "in the depths of despair" finally realized that "tomorrow is a brand new day"
I sometimes tell myself this 3 times a week and it always seems to bring a little relief to the situation and to my own peace of mind.
Becky

My favorite is "Tomorrow you might get hit by a truck" which sounds gloomy, but for me it's a reminder to enjoy the moment, not put off things I want to do until 'someday' and that today's problems are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Oppps one I just remembered hearing a few years ago was:

Live life as if its just for 1 day, garden as if you will garden for 1000 years.

I think this thread is

"Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!"

And "What!? They can't throw you into debtors prison!"

That came from when I was younger and me and my friends were struggling to keep the lights on and go to college at the same time............

Live today as the last day of your life, for tomorrow may never come.
In other words live each day to the fullest and don't worry about tomorrow until tomorrow.
If you make the most of each day then you will die with no regrets.
My father in law died in his sleep this morning and he died with no regrets of wasting a day. He lived each to the fullest.

Oh, Janet, I'm so sorry for you. You're having a pretty rough week aren't you? Man, I hope at least one of these suggested mottos can help you and your family right now. If not, remember that you'll be in my thoughts tonight - as well as the thoughts of many others here, I suspect. Good vibes are coming your way from the land of fishies, darling.

Everything will be allright in the end, if it's not allright, it's not the end.
Calalily

Give "Fate" half a chance, Always do what you think is right and let God or whomever it might be take care of the rest!

Weebus- Oh if I had a nickel for every time my father said that "poke in the eye" bit LOL!

Another Dad motto-

Hey I may be ugly, but I'm behind it - I don't have to look at it....

There was this little old man that taught me a very wonderful saying this year
( It's not what you have when you leave this world
Its what you gave away)
luv nana

And my new saying is
( Snail Mail is better than no mail at all)

I was just telling myself yesterday,I said self and self said what! I said you know things will get better, and self says...you know what...your right! and I said ok. I then look around to see if anyone else heard me and start to laugh. The old man caught me and threaten to take me to the nut house. I told my doctor that I talk to myself and he said as long as I didn't answer, I was ok. I then told him that I did answer and he just started to laugh and said what ever it takes to get you through it.

Darlin', I ALWAYS talk to myself (if y'all didn't think I was kooky enough), but there's a very good reason for it: I am simply the best conversationalist I know. I always give myself openings for great one-liners, and I never disagree.

I like that one Pisces lol

"keep passing open windows..." From 'Hotel New Hampshire'

I read that book in grade nine, and have never forgotten that line.

My favorite: "I do not deal with terrorists" from the movie Air Force One.

When in doubt ask a NEWFIE, My gramma said that it may not be the answer but it may make you laugh.

My Mother used to say to me as I was growing up a line from the movie Bambie,,,"If you can't say anything nice,, don't say anything at all". And when I ask my Grandmother how she was doing she used to say,,"could be better and I could be worst".

Iantana - I love that I Ching line about water running downhill. It always makes me think of gurgling laughing happy bubbling sparkling streams, little jets of water jumping and rolling over each other in play. Yeah, that'd be a cool thing to be.

Another good one: "What's the worst that can happen? You're not going to DIE. And if you do, well, then you won't be around to worry about it...." Someone told me this years ago, when I was all freaking out over something stupid. Yup. Makes you realize how petty most of your worries really are - what IS the worst that can happen? It's usually not nearly as bad as we think it'll be.

if you can't laugh at yourself, ....

One of my favoites is "if you think you can or you think you can't you are probably right"

A friend of mine has one I love too! "don't worry about the mules going blind just load the wagon"

And my dear departed dads "you can always tell a german you just can't tell them much" but he loved us just the same.

Old rose, do you mean a german or a gentleman?

Love the one about the mules...:)

Hi Pisces,

I really did mean German. I wondered about putting on a public forum, not very politically correct. Don't get me wrong pleeeeeease I am very proud of my German heritage my mom is 100% german.
My dad always said that when my mom "won" some debate or another which was most of the time. He liked to think he was tough but was really an old softy and would do anything at all if he thought it was important to my mom or us kids. Maybe fond memories of my Dad made me think that is a cute saying when it might just be a "ya had to be there to understand it" thing.

Gotcha, old rose. I too laughingly and lovingly make fun of my Acadian heritage - "cross pas le street, tu vas te faire hitter par un car." The language is beautiful and poetic, but as far from classic french as you can imagine. I love it!

If you can't laugh at yourself,
I'll laugh at you for you.... :)

pisces,
cross the country not the street you might get hit by a bus???? am I close.?. I laugh at myself all the time but would be glad to have you laugh along with me. LOL

This message was edited Thursday, Jul 5th 8:41 PM