Blog Of Good Cheer » Poems

I Dwell in Possibility by Emily Dickinson

felix — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:08:30 +0000

I came across this poem by Emily Dickinson in a book I’m currently re-reading called the The Art Of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.

I liked it so much I thought I’d share it with you.

I dwell in Possibility—

A fairer House than Prose—

More numerous of Windows—

Superior—for Doors—

Of Chambers as the Cedars—

Impregnable of Eye—

And for an Everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky—

Of Visitors—the fairest—

For Occupation—This—

The spreading wide of narrow Hands

To gather Paradise—

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I Dwell in Possibility by Emily Dickinson

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Gratitude is Good for You – Go Thank Someone Today

felix — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:41:35 +0000

Let’s start with a poem.

Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess’d,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

In this wonderful work by Shakespeare a man in disgrace, despair and envious of his peers is lifted out of his depression by someone he holds dear. If ever there was a reason to express gratitude and say “thank you” I think Shakespeare certainly nailed it. He did it with a poem, and in writing the poem he felt renewed and adamant that he wouldn’t consider swapping his world for that of a king. Truly magical stuff.

Gratitude is good for you. Believe it or not scientific studies support the conclusion that you feel better if you recognise reasons to be grateful.

I’ve posted on this subject before in Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life and You want to be a nicer person? Then stop being a jerk!

In Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life you’ll find these tips

Count your blessings. One way to do this is with a “gratitude journal” in which you write down 3 to 5 things for which you are currently thankful – from the mundane (your peonies are in bloom) to the magnificent (a child’s first steps). Do this once a week, say, on Sunday night. Keep it fresh by varying your entries as much as possible.
Thank a mentor. If there’s someone whom you owe a debt of gratitude for guiding you at one of life’s crossroads, don’t wait to express your appreciation – in detail and, if possible, in person.

In You want to be a nicer person? Then stop being a jerk! you’ll find the following suggestion

When someone makes a helpful suggestion, don’t remind them that you already knew that. Thank them and say nothing.

So where am I going with this?

Today I was given a wonderful present, The Thank You Book.

From The Thank You Project website:

“The Thank You Book” is modelled on the popular gratitude journals in the US. It provides an opportunity for individuals to capture their reflections and thoughts or simply things they feel grateful for. The book includes inspiring messages of thanks from celebrities and the general public. No one is mentioning material things. It is full of thanks for relationships, health, family, pets, mountain walks and other wonderful things! The journal is edited by Roisin Ingle and Marie Murray the psychologist has a short piece about the art of practising gratitude and how it can benefit us in everyday life.

Scientific research has shown that people who express their gratitude daily are 25% happier and significantly healthier than those who don’t—and doing so takes as little as a minute a day! So the Irish Hospice Foundation hopes to get the whole country saying Thank You for all that is good in their lives.

The Thank You Book is available in book shops across Ireland and it can be bought online or directly from the Irish Hospice Foundation.

That’s where I found Shakespeare’s sonnet.

I think the book is fabulous and I’m very grateful for receiving it.

Actually I’m thrilled to bits!

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Gratitude is Good for You – Go Thank Someone Today

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Time for a poem by Emily Dickinson

felix — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:54:44 +0000

Emily Dickinson’s Hope is the Thing With Feathers is part of a larger work called Life. It was written in 1861.

“HOPE” is the thing with feathers–
That perches in the soul–
And sings the tune without the words–
And never stops–at all–

And sweetest–in the Gale–is heard–
And sore must be the storm–
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm–

I’ve heard it in the chillest land–
And on the strangest Sea–
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb–Of Me.

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Time for a poem by Emily Dickinson

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A fly and a flea in a flue

felix — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:21:09 +0000

I was on holiday recently (hence the pause in service) and while trying to deal with bites from small flying things a friend of mine from Switzerland thought me this limerick:

A fly and a flea in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
Said the fly, “Let us flee!”
“Let us fly!”, said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

It doesn’t take away the annoying itch caused by those midges and mosquitoes, but it does make me laugh.

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A fly and a flea in a flue

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