terça-feira, 12 de junho de 2007

Wear sunscreen

Em forma de discurso numa cerimónia de graduação, transformado em canção, é um (longo!) conselho que vale a pena ler...


Everybody’s free (to wear sunscreen)
by Quindon Tarver



Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 97, WEAR SUNSCREEN.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice.



Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;
oh never mind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now
how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagine!

Don’t worry about the future;
or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind;
the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,
don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy;
sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind.
The race is long, and in the end, it’s only to yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults.
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives;
some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either;
your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body.
Use it every way you can; don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it.
It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own...

Dance.
Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents; you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and in lifestyle,
because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York city once, but leave before it makes you hard;
Live in northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old.
And when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you.

Maybe you have a trust fund; maybe you have a wealthy spouse;
but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven
If it didnain'd its brother:

And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea -
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

O amor rodeia-nos e a todos inspira. Se te sentes inspirado, publica aqui o teu hino ao amor.

Uma vida pobre


Por vezes, o dia-a-dia empobrece a nossa vida e não apreciamos o que é realmente importante.

LEISURE

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies (1871-1940)

Palavras para quê?

segunda-feira, 11 de junho de 2007

An ode to Love

Feelings are hard to express... we know WHAT we want to say but seldom do we know HOW to say it or WHAT words to use... Words blow in the wind and sometimes they don't seem to be enough...In a world where images rule there are still people who convey meaningful messages with meaningful words...

GOSTO

Gosto do teu ar, do teu olhar, da tua forma de andar, das tuas mãos guardadas nas minhas, gosto de te cheirar, de te sentir, de me calar para te ouvir, de me deitar ao teu lado para dormir e depois acordar, e depois espreguiçar-me e levantar-me, e rir e dançar e cantar e cada dia, outra vez, começar um novo dia a sonhar.
Gosto da tua boca certa e do teu cabelo farto, da tua voz cantada e aconchegante, dos teus beijos longos, dos teus abraços infinitos, das tuas piadas e risadas, dos teus braços à volta dos meus, as duas cabeças encostadas, os ombros em paralelo, as penas dobradas e os pés juntos. Gosto do seu sorriso aberto, da tua cabeça arejada e do teu olhar mais secreto, gosto de te ver junto ao meu peito a contar as batidas do meu coração, de sentir que estás sempre perto e sempre estarás, que vives cá dentro e mesmo na ausência, quando só te vejo com os olhos fechados, sei que és perfeito, sei que voltarás, sei que estás quase a chegar, que cada minuto que passa é só mais uma etapa na minha espera, por isso espero calada e feliz e, nas letras que transformo em palavras, imagino a cor e o sabor deste amor…
Gosto de te ver a rir e a brincar, gosto do teu cheiro e do teu olhar, gosto de te ter sempre perto e saber que tudo está certo, que um dia a paz acaba sempre por chegar, que não há esperas vãs nem dias perdidos, que todas as noites são de lua cheia e todas as manhãs estão cheias de ti, meu amor, quero-te, quero-te, quero-te…
Por isso, abre as mãos e o peito, deixa-me ficar para sempre lá dentro, guarda-me em i e espera, sem esperar, a cada dia que passar, que este meu amor imenso, imenso, doce e intemporal resista ao tempo, resista ao medo, resista ao mundo, resista a tudo e não precise de mais nada a não ser de Ti, tu que és princípio e fim, que estás no meio de tudo, que atravessas a vida de mão dada comigo, tu de quem eu gosto, gosto, gosto…
MARGARIDA REBELO PINTO

domingo, 10 de junho de 2007

What did you say?


Everyone appreciates a good listener. And our friends, above all, deserve our attention. When we are feeling frazzled and exhausted, what's some of the best medicine ever? To have someone listen to how we feel. We don't need that person to respond or offer solutions to our problems. We simply want to voice our troubles and have them received by a caring, thoughtful, attentive listener.

sexta-feira, 8 de junho de 2007

Viver


"Posso ter defeitos, viver ansioso e ficar irritado algumas vezes, mas não esqueço de que a minha vida é a maior empresa do mundo. E que posso evitar que ela vá à falência. Ser feliz e reconhecer que vale a pena viver, apesar de todos os desafios, incompreensões e períodos de crise. Ser feliz é deixar de ser vítima dos problemas e se tornar um autor da própria história. É atravessar desertos fora de si, mas ser capaz de encontrar um oásis no recôndito da sua alma. É agradecer a Deus a cada manhã pelo milagre da vida. Ser feliz é não ter medo dos próprios sentimentos. É saber falar de si mesmo. É ter coragem para ouvir um “não”. É ter segurança para receber uma crítica, mesmo que injusta. Pedras no caminho? Guardo todas, um dia vou construir um castelo..."
Fernando Pessoa