"The ocean gives back what the ocean is given."

Wise words from a wise grandpa.

Born thus, I ask to be no other man than that I am.

From Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles. Wise words? Boastful words, inviting hubris? True words, at least, I think. True of me, certainly. And therefore my motto (and no - I didn't kill my father, then marry my mother!)

I found this on the Facebook page "The Write Practice," and it motivated me to work on some projects I have been procrastinating on for a while:

"The secret to being a writer is that you have to write. It's not enough to think about writing or to study literature or plan a future life as an author. You really have to lock yourself away, alone, and get to work."

- Augusten Burroughs

I've felt a lot of pain in my life. Probably no more than the average 40-something has, but my pains were real because they were mine. I could have become a sad person and moped around, that would seem totally appropriate. Or I could have pushed past it with happiness? I went the latter route but I had some help.

I grew up with the Muppets. No matter what was going on in our tumultuous house I could always rely on Kermit and crew to be on TV every Wednesday afternoon, and they'd show me the happiness laying outside my four walls. I know this was a truth, even if it was a different show, for many kids of my generation. It was the 80's...if you were there as a kid you know what I'm talking about.

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows?" I can't even write it without smiling until my cheeks hurt!

Just like Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" can conjure up tears, Kermit can spin any day into a positive one just by strumming the first couple chords.

But for me the real gem of a quote comes from the alt-rock Muppets band, The Snowths. To this day I often include "Mah-na Mah-na" within my corporate email signature. Those...are my words to live by!

Someone's mean... Mah-na Mah-na!

Something goes bad... Mah-na Mah-na!

It's raining on your picnic... Mah-na Mah-na!

Life's just made better with a simple Mah-na Mah-na.

Seize the Day!

Live in or be in this moment!

Dont live in your past, it’s already gone.

The future isn’t here yet.

Grab hold of right now because this is what you have to forge your life forward with so make the most of the moments you have Now!

I have made it a rule not to carry over the strife of yesterday into the next day. I do my best to make peace and begin the next morning as a clean slate.

First one is from a favorite movie of mine called 'All my life''

The character Jenn Carter said: The average person lives 27,375 days. That's all we get, if we're lucky. 27,375...

Second is by Edgar Allan Poe

1.Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.

2. All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.

3. The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?

4. I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind

5. Because it was my crime to have no one on Earth who cared for me, or loved me.

6. A feeling, for which I have no name, has taken possession of my soul.

7. All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.

8. Stupidity is a talent for misconception

9. It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic.

10. I need scarcely observe that a poem deserves its title only inasmuch as it excites, by elevating the soul. The value of the poem is in the ratio of this elevating excitement

Third is by chemical hearts (movie or book)

1. We were characters out of a movie. We were thoroughly alive. And we were absolutely beautiful.

2. Because I have never met anyone that I wanted in my life that way before.

But you.

I could make an exception for you.

3. Even the very best people found ways to hurt the ones they loved.

4. Why is it, I thought, that we're so willing to hurt the ones we care about the most?

5. We're all just chemical hearts. Does that make love any less brilliant? I don't think so.

"Never underestimate the power of touch."

This is my own slice of wisdom that I always share with my physical therapy students. However, this can apply to most anybody.

Why do we like getting our hair cut? Because they touch your head.

What is the best part of getting a manicure? The hand massage.

How do you get a bigger tip as a bartender? Graze their hand with yours as you exchange the money.

Society no longer condones touching other people. But people will always crave it and be comforted by it. When you are in a profession where it is essential to the delivery of the service, you are granted a gift. Not only can you touch their skin, but you can touch their heart and sometimes even their soul. This is such a wonderful honor!

Of course, misusing touch will tilt power in other obvious ways. So behind every touch there must be careful reflection and contemplation. Use it judiciously and you can make a genuine, lasting impact on others.