A little inspiration.

Recently I watched 20/20 and it was about Siegfried and Roy. It was quite inspirational to see this show, which I will get into more. I thought that I'd make this a positive blog and share some of the people that have inspired me. I am easily moved so there's a lot of things I could post about but I'm going to just post a few. :)



Back to Siegfried and Roy. 20/20 did an hour long interview with them ending with their last performance. In 2003, during a performance, Roy was attacked by one of the tigers in their show. In the show, Roy explains that he does not think that the tiger was meaning to hurt him. He had fallen over and he believes that the tiger was trying to help him by picking him up. Anyway, he was taken to the hospital and was told by doctors that he would never be able to walk or talk again. Well, he can do both. He and Siegfried, who dealt with a terrible depression during this time, was even able to do one final show. They wanted to do a final goodbye and to thank all their fans. It was a charity event in which benefits the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Centre for Brain Health.



I think that it was amazing that they were able to do this. A man, who was told that he wouldn't even be able to walk or talk, can now do both and on top of that was able to do one final show. I think that this says a lot about a person's determination and attitude about things.

This next video is of Randy Pausch. This was taken on Oprah before he passed away from pancreatic summer last year. Another person who refuses to let the circumstances get the best of him.



The Sunscreen Song
By Baz Luhrmann

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 now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have 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 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day 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 with 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 your 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 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'll 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.


And a few quotes to end with :)

We enjoy the warmth because we have been cold. We appreciate light because we have been in darkness. By the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sorrow.

What the caterpillar thinks is the end of the world, the butterfly knows is only the beginning.

Often times of crisis are times of discovery, periods when we cannot maintain our old ways of doing things and enter into a steep learning curve. Sometimes it takes crisis to initiate growth.

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. Dr Seuss.

Twenty years from now, you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain