Happiness is not a state to
arrive at,
but a manner of traveling.
- Margaret Lee Runbeck
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Friday 31 May 2013
Wednesday 29 May 2013
Interests
People with many interests
live,
not only longest, but happiest.
- George Matthew Allen
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Monday 27 May 2013
Start
Your present circumstances
don't determine where you can go;
they merely determine where you start.
- Nido
Qubein
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Friday 24 May 2013
Others
To be happy,
we must not be
too concerned
with others.
- Albert
Camus
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Wednesday 22 May 2013
One
No matter how long
your
journey appears to be,
there is never more than this:
one step, one breath,
one
moment - Now.
– Eckhart Tolle
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Monday 20 May 2013
Friday 17 May 2013
May 17, 2013 Chautauqua
From the Editor's Computer
Putting puzzles together requires a fixed
goal, and if a single piece of the puzzle is missing, you aren't able to
succeed. On the other hand, making a
quilt is an open-ended process in which you can quickly change direction based
upon the pieces you have on hand. And no
matter what materials you are given, you are able to complete the quilt...There
are many people who are blinded by the challenges they face, believing that
they don't have all the pieces they need to complete their
"puzzle." They are unable to
see the endless opportunities in their midst. - Tina Seelig
In the past when people asked me how I put
the paper together, I answered that it was like putting together a jigsaw
puzzle. However, as per the quote above,
it really is more like putting a quilt together.
The many pieces can go fit in virtually any
spot. While I have a basic framework,
I’m often required to change direction based on what pieces I’m given. Sometimes the item I plan as the focal point
ends up in a different spot, or eliminated all together. Just when I think I have it all laid out, I
sometimes find out that I’m short a piece or more and then I scramble to find
something to fill that spot.
Our lives too are like piecing together a
quilt. While we may think that we have a
certain complex pattern in mind, often we are piecing together something that
resembles a colourful rag quilt.
A piece of friendship here made add some
much needed colour to our quilts. Or we
may find we have to remove a dark frayed piece of an activity that no longer
excites us, or takes up too much of our time.
We may think we have the borders of our lives in place, only to find out
that we’re coming up short and must search through the remnants for a scrap or
two that will fit the bill and help us out.
The best part of piecing and stitching the quilt
of your life together is that you are not confined to any one pattern, piece,
or colour scheme if it doesn't fit your concept of how your quilt should
look. You are able to pick and choose
the pieces of your quilt, and create new patterns and colour combinations at
will if you desire.
Beth
To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.
Wednesday 15 May 2013
Obstructed
I have not obstructed water
when it should flow.
– ancient Egyptian
saying
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Monday 13 May 2013
Focus
One must never live
in the
thick of thin things.
Focus only on your
priorities,
those activities that are truly meaningful.
Your life will be uncluttered, rewarding,
and
exceptionally peaceful.
– Robin Sharma
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Friday 10 May 2013
Joy
Joy does not come from what
you do,
it flows into what you do
and thus into this world
from deep within
you.
– Eckhart Tolle
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Wednesday 8 May 2013
Thankful
Let us rise up and be thankful,
for it we didn’t learn a lot today,
at least we learned a little,
and if we
didn’t learn a little,
at least we didn’t get sick,
and if we got sick,
at
least we didn’t die;
so, let us all be thankful.
– Buddha
email: thechautauqua@gmail.com
Monday 6 May 2013
Friday 3 May 2013
May 3, 2013 Chautauqua
From the Editor's Computer
By
the time you read this, I’ll have celebrated a milestone birthday. However, it doesn’t really feel like much of
a milestone in the sense of an achievement such as earning my Master degree or
celebrating the 11th anniversary of the Chautauqua. I didn’t have to take a
class or learn anything special. All I
had to do to accomplish this was to wake up each morning and keep breathing
throughout the day! Additionally, it is
just a number, and not a number that I happen to feel. In fact, I feel a good decade younger (not a
decade older as my younger sister may try to convince you is so).
On the other hand, I do have another special
milestone coming up shortly. May
12, 2013
will mark my 15th anniversary of employment at the Alix Public Library. Since I was never (never say never)
ever going to work in Alix, and was not even supposed to be hired for this job,
marking 15 years is a major accomplishment!
A lot has changed in those mere 15
years. We went from no computers to
staff and public access computers which connected to the internet via dial-up
then fibre, then wi-fi. From card
catalogues to online catalogues. From
print books to eBooks. From books on
cassette tapes to books on CDs, MP3s, and now eAudiobooks. From VHS to DVDs and Blue-Ray. Just to name a few of the innovations.
Daily processes too have changed. For example, requesting a book required
looking through the monstrous tomes of books in print. Then we had to fill out a form in
triplicate. If the item existed in the
Parkland System, a copy of the request would be sent to a library. If they had it on the shelf, and were willing
to lend it, it was sent out. If not,
their refusal was returned to Parkland and the next library would be contacted. The
entire process could take months! Now, a quick search of the online catalogue
will instantly tell you which library has the item and how many people are
waiting for it. A few keystrokes are all
that is required to request the item, with arrival times measured in days and
weeks.
While doom-and-gloomers will tell you that
libraries are passé, rest assured there will always be a need to connect people
with information.
Beth
To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.
Wednesday 1 May 2013
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