Proverbial Thursday – Global Wisdom

I find there to be profound wisdom in proverbs, sayings and quotes and I marvel at the way they are so succinct in communicating messages to the reader. Mostly anonymous, they come to us from past generations and from across cultures. They speak of the experiences of lives lived and lessons learned. Quotes, like proverbs, make us think more deeply about something.

Each Thursday, I post a Proverb or Saying and a Quote that I find thought-provoking. 

I hope you think so too.

This week’s proverb comes from my beloved homeland of Danmark, yes it is spelt that way, over there!

There are many possible interpretations of this proverb and so, many possible layers. I see the proverb referring to the fact that fear might make us pro-active and desperate enough that it would motivate us when motivation is hard to find. It could also refer to escapism, an ability to avoid and remove ourselves from facing up to a responsibility or a challenge. Either in a positive or negative way. We find a way out of a difficult situation, or we procrastinate about a difficult or boring task.  Some of us might even delegate that task to avoid having to do it ourselves.

He who fears finds a way out.

What layer do you read in this Danish proverb?

He who fears finds a way out.

– Danish Proverb

The following quote resonated with me this week:-

“Sufficient  are the worries of today.”

– The Bible

Whether one is religious or not, this quote refers to living in the present, and I do wonder what  it is we will worry about in the future.

Will we look back at our old worries and think how trivial, futile or ridiculous?

Or will, in decades to come, even  regard with horror, the worries of now.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Join in the discussion.

Something to Ponder About

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Something to Ponder About

A Lingering Look at Architecture: April ~ Yellow Houses!

Yet another fun challenge. Yellow houses…. now this did attract my eye. Is there a ‘love’ button, as I could not just ‘like’ this post by  The Day After.

This is week three of the month’s theme : “Your Favorite Color Homes” in which we are encouraged to share some of the colorful homes captured on our travels or our neighborhood.

You won’t find many yellow houses in the Australian neighbourhood,

but in Denmark: this special yellow is known in some parts as “Skagen Yellow” and my family’s ancestral home “Faergebo” was – yellow!

Isn’t it a beautiful home?

and there’s more in the Dutch – Danish fishing town of Dragør:

and still more, in many villages from Christiansfeld to Odense:

But you will find some yellow architecture in old time Sweden too, like here:

Gamla Stan

More often, you find red houses in Norway, but then again if you look closely, you will find the Danes had a bit of an influence there too:

Join in here

Something Yellow to Ponder About

Still in My Heart

 

Still in My Heart

Home Sweet Home afar from me,
At least 20 hours over sky and sea,

A fairy tale land of red and white,
of rain, and wind, and winter nights.

Yet still you send my heart a flutter,
And here, I can but get your butter.

Cos’ when I’m sad and feeling down,
You can lift my spirits like a children’s clown.

What is this strange longing and connection,
I feel for such warm and fuzzy introspection?

Of land and family long dead and passed,
Would they think me to be completely daft?

Yet I am of them, and they are of me,
This continual spreading of the family tree.

The branches are the ancient Birch
Resilient, pervasive til one drops off the Perch.

If only I could stay or visit more often,
But my responsibilities and circumstances rarely soften.

So I must dream, wish and be ever so frugal,
And if I can’t afford to travel there, there is always Google!

Something to Ponder About

Ese’s Weekly Shoot; Quote Challenge – Desire

Ese’s challenge is to post a photo you have taken and a quote, attributed to its author, and of course related to your image. Every week on Sunday she posts a new prompt.

Prompt 6 – DESIRE

These sweets in a Zurich shop window at Christmas, certainly initiate a feeling of desire: for sweetness.

But then, my desire is to return to Denmark one day, and thus my second photo. However, as a H. C. Andersen story reminded us, I must also remember:

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
―Epicurus

The house Færgebo, which our family owned, in Sønder Felding, Denmark, dating back to 1801. The oldest house in the village.

If you would like to join in with the challenge, click here.