"Inspiration is Everywhere. Quotes from the Road."

I don't know about you but for me other's experiences, insights and wisdom really inspire me.

Inspiration is everywhere.

I've even made random comments that seem to resonate with people. They weren't pre-meditated. They just seemed to pop out of my ever-active brain.

So here are some quotes I've either heard, mentioned or read while traveling.

I hope one, some, or many resonate with you.

Enjoy!

1. "Not another hour to your life will worry add."
2. "Everyone and everything is an opportunity to serve. The filament of your destiny lies not in your awesome capacity but in your capacity to love and to sacrifice." Both quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (I read these on the wall of a cafe in Portland, Oregon)
3. "Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world." Gustav Flaubert. (From travels in France).
4. "I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met." Melody Truong (incorrectly attributed to John Green. Not sure where I read this, but I love it!)
5. "Take only memories, leave only footprints." Chief Seattle (Seen in Colorado.)
6. "If it’s all gone to shit, lets have a dance.” English singer Paloma Faith. (I heard this on the Graham Norton show. It made me think of the story below.)

The preceding quote reminded me of a poignant story I heard from the taxi driver who picked us up at the Copenhagen, Denmark airport. He was a very personable and REALLY content person. He was also a tour guide and had a million stories about his Copenhagen home.

He was born and raised in Copenhagen. He moved away for a brief time and returned home because he said there was no place as relaxed and easy to live as Copenhagen. We discussed what it was like to be a citizen and the advantages they have economically, in healthcare, for families, and financially. It was definitely enticing to fantasize about living there. The story he told, to emphasize their happiness quotient, went something like this:

"I have a friend who as an adult lost his eyesight. Regardless, he is the happiest, most easy-going person I've ever met. He has a little daughter. One day the daughter came up to her father and said 'Daddy look at me in my pretty princess dress.' Her father reminded her that he could not see her dress but said he could imagine that she looked very beautiful. He said "I can't see your dress SO let's dance!' Then they both danced around the room." No matter what your concerns and challenges - go ahead and dance!

1. "It’s not right or wrong, it’s sense and nonsense." Carl Jung Originally heard in a discussion of morals in Scandinavia. I believe it was in Stockholm, Sweden.

While staying in a Marriott hotel in Moab, Utah these are the messages that played over and over again in a video loop:

1. Make indifference a forgotten word.

2. Human being - Be good at being human.

3. Neighbors be neighborly.

4. Share! Greed is absurd.

5. Do everything you can.

6. Mankind = Kind men, kind woman.

7. "Let’s see what the universe is going to do."
   (I took this to be a message about patience.)
   "You can’t make a mistake, because you don’t have to conform."
   "Always be a tree growing a different branch."
   "An oak is an acorn’s way of becoming other acorns."
   "The chicken is one egg's way of becoming others."
   "It doesn't matter what other people think about you."
   ​From the inimitable Alan Watts. I was watching a video about him on a long train ride from Rome to Verona, Italy.

From my personal experience:

1. "The only real way to affect change is by living by example. Words are, well, words. You can influence more people by your positive, change-making actions. I admire people MORE for what they DO and how they live their lives, over what they say."

2. “Life is so...life”
   I recently wrote this to a friend in Vancouver, Canada. We were discussing some challenges we were facing in our lives. She said "That needs to be on a t-shirt." It’s kind of my mantra. Similar to the Tibetan monk who answered every statement made to him, whether it appeared to be positive or negative, with: “We’ll see.”
   (Refer to quote 14. Maybe Alan Watts got it from a Tibetan monk??)

3. "Always look for someone’s motivations and agenda."
   Yoruba Chief, Luisah Teish, when I visited her in Oakland, California.
   I don't see this as a negative or pessimistic quote. When my intuition starts to raise doubts then I refer to this quote. It's never wrong. When we follow our IMMEDIATE intuition we are always lead in the perfect direction (as long as we don't second guess it). Or at least, that's MY experience. When I ignore my intuition, I end up purchasing some TERRIBLE piece of property in a barren desert! (Metaphorically speaking.)

4. La Vida tranquilo - the peaceful or calm life. (Sign me up!!)
   "As long as you do your part, the earth is going to accept you."
   Overheard on a Peru Rail train ride from Aguas Calientes (at the foot of Machu Picchu) to Cusco, Peru. In my estimation, a peaceful and calm life is when Mother Earth is happiest. Right now I think she needs a lawyer!

​That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed this offbeat post.

As always, thanks for reading.
https://www.kazakers.com

​See you again soon!