Am I Frozen in Place?

Posted on February 22, 2021 by mitchteemley
Icicles 2-19-21
The view from my office window last week.

Thought for the Week

I spent of a good deal of time admiring these icicles outside my office window last week, while accomplishing very little–although I did capture this lovely image. Plus a rather unlovely metaphor to go with it: Has the pandemic provided me with an excuse to be frozen in place? Is my goal to accomplish something of value? Or is it merely to convince people I have?

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” ~Harry S. Truman

∇

“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.” ~Galatians 6:4 (MSG)

“You can read a hundred books on wisdom and write a hundred books on wisdom, but unless you apply what you learned then its only words on a page. Life is not lived with intentions, but action.” ~Shannon Alder

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them.” ~Galileo Galilei

          “Delusion detests focus and romance provides the veil.”              ~Suzanne Finnamore

          “I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.” ~Oscar Wilde

“If you reach for the stars, you just might land on a decently sized hill.” ~Stuart Hill

“Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish but without show, accomplish but without arrogance.” ~Lao Tzu

“You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you have to overcome to reach your goals.” ~Booker T. Washington

(The biggest one being myself.)

Δ

About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
This entry was posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

28 Responses to Am I Frozen in Place?

  1. elementhealing says:
    February 22, 2021 at 11:58 am

    Nice! ❤ Excellent quotes.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  2. revruss1220 says:
    February 22, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    I can SOOO relate! In pre-retirement life, my plate was so continually full that I am now trying to cultivate the disciplines of slowing down, breathing deeply and just BEING. At the same time, I find I am still driven to live a productive life. Somewhere there lurks a sweet spot between the two that I have yet to discover. Oh, and incidentally… my records show that you produced a unique blog post every day last week. Not exactly an example of non-productivity.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  3. henhouselady says:
    February 22, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    Fantastic quotes for a very cold day. I think we are all using the pandemic as an excuse for a lot of things. I’ve found it gave me the opportunity to jettison the stuff I didn’t want to do anyway.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  4. musingsofmanettekay says:
    February 22, 2021 at 12:35 pm

    I like your selection of quotes–very fitting.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. V.J. Knutson says:
    February 22, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    “Frozen in place” is a good description for how many of us our feeling.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  6. trE says:
    February 22, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    That is such an intense photo! And the quotes are great, Mitch! Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  7. ellie894 says:
    February 22, 2021 at 12:45 pm

    It was very much like that for me last week as well. Only I watched birds in the snow instead of icicles. A lot more being than doing. Very impromptu with a great many lessons I think that will melt like the icicles as everything goes back to normal… whatever that is. 🙃. Wonderful post. Thank you Mitch. 😊

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  8. OIKOS™-Editorial says:
    February 22, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    Thank you for these excellent quotes, Mitch! The image with the icicles is great. You could meditate on it. The only thing I heard about icicles on one of our official radio stations was that homeowners have to take care of it, so as not to be claimed for damages. These Germans, right? Lol Have a wonderful week! Michael

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  9. seekingdivineperspective says:
    February 22, 2021 at 1:10 pm

    Maybe this isn’t a time to “accomplish” but rather just draw close to God. I have always been a “Martha,” a doer, volunteering for anything and everything until I would burn out. But after my husband and I retired and the nest was empty, I went to bed one night asking God what thing(s) He wanted me to do next. I was ready to hit the ground running, whatever it was. But the next morning I woke up with a song from”Phantom of the Opera” playing clearly in my head: “Love Me, that’s all I ask of you.”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • mitchteemley says:
      February 22, 2021 at 2:38 pm

      Point taken, Annie. I would never presume to tell anyone what they’re called to accomplish, only that they’re true to their calling. That’s why I put the Galatians verse up front.

      Like

      Reply
  10. joseph elon lillie says:
    February 22, 2021 at 2:03 pm

    I think the pandemic has been a very valuable time for reflection and reevaluation. Now in this next leg of the pandemic journey it is time to reactivate those things we have discovered are really important and to begin the new things which have been introduced to our hearts during the season of discovery.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  11. Bob Teague says:
    February 22, 2021 at 2:21 pm

    Good advice always, at anytime of year.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. artsandletters9 says:
    February 22, 2021 at 2:51 pm

    The quote about avoiding arrogance by Lao Tzu reminded of a tome I am trying to write, The World’s Greatest Book on Humility. If you ever tire of the icicles, SoCal is beckoning for you to come home to enjoy the wildfires and earthquakes. Have a good week Mitch.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. Sarah Angleton says:
    February 22, 2021 at 2:58 pm

    Wow! Those are some great icicles!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Nancy Ruegg says:
    February 22, 2021 at 6:21 pm

    Especially appreciate the last two quotes from Lao Tzu and Booker T. Washington. They’re going in my quote collection! As for being frozen in place: sometimes rest and time away from a project is the best strategy. Fresh energy and enthusiasm on the return may very well accomplish more than nonstop pushing through the ice.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. Liz Gauffreau says:
    February 22, 2021 at 6:26 pm

    Perhaps it’s the day at work I’ve had, but I’m with Oscar Wilde tonight.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. the hot goddess says:
    February 24, 2021 at 8:37 am

    Lovely capture. Finding excuses is always easier than finding inspiration, so thank you for this post and sharing a selection of inspiring quotes.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  17. gpavants says:
    February 24, 2021 at 4:29 pm

    Mitch,

    These things will pass. We had a long winter, but spring is coming. Even if the world (system) wants to stay in winter, we as God’s children are on His time table.

    Have a great week!

    Gary

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Ron Bouchard says:
    February 24, 2021 at 6:18 pm

    Humility. His essence.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. Veena Hegde Bhat says:
    February 25, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    Stunning picture. Great quotes.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. fgsjr2015 says:
    February 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

    “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” ~Harry S. Truman
    ___

    Ronald Reagan may have been correct in his observation that, “Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong”; however, I have long wondered what may have historically come to fruition had the U.S. remained the sole possessor of atomic weaponry.

    There’s a presumptive, and perhaps even arrogant, concept of American governance as somehow, unless physically provoked, being morally/ethically above using nuclear weapons internationally.

    After President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur as commander of the forces warring with North Korea — for the latter’s public remarks about how he would/could use dozens of atomic bombs to promptly end the war — Americans’ approval-rating of the president dropped to 23 percent. It is still a record-breaking low, even lower than the worst approval-rating points of the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson.

    My muse is: had it not been for the formidable international pressure on Truman (and perhaps his personal morality) to relieve MacArthur as commander, would/could Truman eventually have succumbed to domestic political pressure to allow MacArthur’s command to continue?

    Liked by 1 person

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