A Dream Blog
Desiderata.
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
Thymewarp brought this to my attention in a comment the other day. And it has wandered through my head – the words being sung out in my teenagers voice – ever since. All us girls had it memorised when I was attending Sacred Heart Convent in Napier, New Zealand.
In fact it is stuck on my head this morning blocking all other original thought so I am down loading it to you!
Max Ehrmann wrote this in the 1920’s – not the 1600’s as we were taught in school.
In fact many of the things we were taught in school have been proven to be incorrect. Though they were facts at the time. Which is an excellent education in the progression of knowledge and having to keep ones mind open to embrace the changes. (And do our own fact checking).
Tomorrow I will begin the journey back across the United States away from this warm busy home to my cold windy farm. I dream’t last night that while I was away some big company came and took over my farm and sold all my cows including Daisy. (Daisy, who has been dead for years now, is often the head cow in my dreams). I spent the whole dream looking for Daisy (you know that dream) and encountering broken gates and loose animals everywhere I went.
I wanted to start a dream blog once. Not for me alone but for as many people as wanted to join. So we could tell our dreams to the ether. However the logistics of publishing became questionable – being that no-one else wants to listen to other peoples dreams and imagine how often each day we would get other peoples dreams in our INbox!
Years and years ago I read a book about a person who bought other peoples dreams. I was a solo Mum raising way too many children on way too little money then; so it was an idea that grew in my head at the time. Imagine if I could sell my dreams to feed my children. But of course the buyer of dreams was a work of fiction. And so were my dreams.
Our last guest writer will be visiting with you tomorrow as I travel.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
75 Comments on “A Dream Blog”
Leave a Reply to The Daily Cure Cancel reply
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER:
DO A LITTLE SHOPPING:
Thank You So Much For Your Kind Help with Maintaining This Blog
thekitchensgarden 
Safe journey dear friend
Thank you Patrecia.. c
Oooh! I often have dreams of my lost animals! They are awful. These bad dreams are usually brought on by bad weather. I wake up in a sweat then lay awake listening to the wind worrying about our sweet animals until dawn. A quick trip outside usually finds them safe and happy, much to my relief.
Have a wonderful rest of your visit and a safe trip home!
I know exactly what you mean!! c
(PS~ we had babies yesterday! Yippee!)
wonderful! all well!
I am in a ruminative mood this morning & this post was right up my alley. In sinc. I hope you get back to the Farmy safely & in good time. It is going to be verrry cold, even down here in Caroline where Spring Was bustin’ out all over, alas too soon.
Oh no! And I forgot to throw the tarp over the magnolia – though the wind would have had a field day with it ! c
Me too, me too 🙂 Laura
Morning Laura! c
I hate those types of dreams…yes, I do know them. The feeling of being out of rhythm I think.
Dreams are interesting.. c
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. That’s how I found yours, and I’m glad. I’m a Boomer minimalist living in Savannah, GA, where the city has surrounded my formerly rural homestead. I admire your energy regarding organic farming, but alas, no longer have the strength or stamina to do as much as I’d like. My efforts feed the deer, racoons, mice, and birds, but they are pesticide and fertilizer-free.
I have three aging chickens, including two roosters, and they make great pets. They provide poop and feathers and eat their share of bugs, grubs, and worms. I designed and built their coop and imagine I have a future in chicken coop design, using alternative techniques, such as water and solar heating, cooling, and ventilation strategies. There’s a market waiting to happen in alternative energy design for hot, humid climates like mine.
Looking forward to following your blog.
Welcome – and your coop sounds wonderful.. c
The Desiderata was very popular as a poster back in the 1970s when I was a teenager. I dream about having to catch a plane and being in a rush to buy food at the Boqueria market (Barcelona) when I feel anxious. I always seem to be going to the same stall to look for food I’ve never seen or tasted before 🙂
Interesting – I don’t think I have ever had dreams that include food. I am trying to think. Hmm. Nope. c
Sometimes I dream I am tasting food from a spoon – when I don’t get any taste sensation I wake up!
That is even weirder..
Ha ha, it’s very disappointing!
Ohh I hate dreams like that. I find they can be caused through worry or anxiety. But who knows dreams are weird. Well mine are anyway! Safe journey home.
Yup – dreams are weird.. c
Ah your dreams are not yet fiction as your story is not over. I have loved your guest bloggers! Welcome home dear friend.
The guest bloggers have been wonderful haven’t I? c
hahaha…. what means this? Are you actually the guest bloggers incognito? 🙂 Somehow I don’t think so cuz you gave up bees sometime ago. Your reply here did tickle my funny bone though. ~ Mame 🙂
oops- typing too fast!! c
Safe travels…some lovely posts have been put up by your friends. Dreams are the things that shine light on deeply tucked away thoughts, for me…sharing them is often such a grand opening to a conversation with friends. Thank you for reminding me to read again, say again and embrace the words of the “Desiderata”…printed it out to put once again on the wall next to my writing place.
Kristin
You are so welcome – I am going to print it out too: for my summer wall – c
Reblogged this on bridgesburning and commented:
Lovely
Thank you,darling.. c
🙂
I love the Desiderata. I had it memorized back in the day, too. Thanks for reminding me of it.
On the 70’s this was on every classroom wall and every boarders wall in the convent!
Safe travels, Miss C! We in Chicago awoke to 2 inches of snow. It’s stopped now but the forecast is for 4 more between now and Tuesday. Culture Shock for us but for you especially coming from California.
Hopefully it has wandered back off from whence it came by the time I get back – but looking at the temperatures i think i will be dragging my bags through snow when I change stations in Chicago.. c
I confess that I have never read that poem. If we all followed it tho, wouldn’t the world be a nicer place to be? Those dreams…I have them too. Usually, my legs are mired in invisible quick sand, trying to scoop up the animals to rescue them from danger, dropping them, becoming even more unable to move. Safe trip home.
It is a lovely poem – so many lines in there that we can live by – I am so happy to be able to introduce you to it. c
Thank you for introducing me to Desiderata. It was completely new to me. Wonderfully profound words to live by.
I AM glad Mama. I love this piece of writing.. c
Thank you thank you thank you for that poem! I don’t care when it was written. It was written at the right time. And you blogged it on the right day.
Have a great day honey. c
Well, I tried but I wasn’t very successful. I find that when I start the day tired there is little for it. And after the bubblegum pink wore off, the flavor of the mind was something a bit less perky. I will try again tomorrow!
that is the good part about being alive – we always get a tomorrow
Lovely to be reminded of this again. And yes, Mad Dog, we all had this on a poster in the wild and crazy 60s, didn’t we! It is a good one, full of gentle common sense. Taking the counsel of the years kindly is such an inspiring thought!
Huh! Isn’t it funny how we all think we are the first ones to discover something. I love it from the seventies but OF COURSE it was already being circulated in the 60’s. Gentle common sense! So right. How are all your babies? c
Travel safe!
P.S: I love the post ❤
I hope I get to travel safely too! c
You will love 🙂
Of course you will!
Take good care ❤
I love that inspirational piece. I’ve read/heard bits of it over the years but never seen it in its entirety. Thanks for sharing. Interestingly (to me) when I dream of a lost horse, it is always Auke, who was very difficult to ride but who taught me so much. Not my favorite horse, so I find this interesting. Hmmm, maybe I should try selling that dream and see what the fictional buyer comes up with… Isnt’ the weather in NorCal perfect this week? Loving it!
The weather has been perfect for my stay. Just perfect.. c
I spent a lot of years as a transpersonal counsellor and dream work was part of what I did …..before I went mainstream and dealt with the real things of people’s lives….child abuse, domestic violence, grief etc. But I loved, still do, dream work, and have had a lovely time reading all the types of dreams here and having a little peek into your inner workings:) I remember first seeing/hearing Desidarata in the early 80s when I started Uni, it seemed to speak to me of things I knew but had forgotten. It was like seeing a familiar friend when I saw it at the top of your post. Happy trails home.
Gosh – that must have been a fascinating study – I would love to read more about dreams and feel so Sad for the people who cannot remember their dreams..
I think each of us likely is twigged by different lines in that poem. All of it, overall, of course, but particular lines will dig deeper at different times to us. The lines that hit me so strongly today are, “and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.” So often we judge others, even when we attempt not to, and it’s just not fair.
Anyway, thank you for the reminder… I never saw this poem till I was well out of school.
With the winter storm now taking place and expected to continue until well into tomorrow, you might rethink your return date and push it back an extra day… that way avoiding the awful mess and enjoying the warmth one day longer… just a thought. Whenever you do, travel safe and arrive home bright eyed and bushy tailed. ~ Mame 🙂
Yes I like that line too – at one time or the other we are all the dull and ignorant.. c
I enjoyed reading the Desiderata again. Thanks for sharing it. Loved those cute tricycles and the pink boots too. Makes me feel happy. I’m always interested in others dreams. I rarely dream anymore. Just an occasional nightmare every couple of years. It would be lovely to sell dreams to feed children. Mine would have starved for certain. Something is wrong in the world when single mothers have a hard time feeding their children. Makes my feathers ruffle and I want to start pecking at people. I hope you’ve had a wonderful time with those cute tricycles and arrive home to find all is well. It’s kind of ugly out there in some parts. I’m sure it will miss you. Fingers crossed.
The weather out there has been rubbish – I am sure there will be lots to sort out – I just hope I can get home all in one trip with no hold ups.. c
Thank you for Desiderata this morning, as I sipped coffee, fuel for my body, I read and absorbed the words slowly to feed my Self, to centre before embarking on another day in a busy week.
A dream sharing forum would be a fine thing. The enduring most popular post on my blog continues to be the ginger cat dream. Over the years many times I have had the trying to find [ ] dream, usually my cats & dog who died many years ago. I love hearing people’s dreams, and workshopping interpretations if they’re interested. Safe & happy travels ♡
interesting that the animals in our dreams are often dead.. I guess it is the missing them or something unfinished.. c
I have Desiderata hanging as a poster tacked on inside of a cupboard door here in my office. I haven’t really read it for years until just now, so thank you for reminding me. Have a safe journey back to your family in waiting.
Probably been sitting in your subconscious.. c
I never heard of the poem but downloaded it and will put it in a place I will be sure to see. Thank you for this!
You are always welcome..
“Child of the universe” – this selection was to popular when I was in college. How nice to seep back into those words again.
(And never fear – we’d blockade the farmy with our will and dreams before letting it be snatched while you were away)
Hopefully it will not be snatched! c
“Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness”. Oh yes, that one right there… Thank you for reminding me of this poem, Miss C, I like it much better without the pseudo-illuminated manuscript styling that it came with on so many posters – as if any ancient poem would be talking about careers! But it’s full of sage advice that I’m very happy to take 🙂 Safe journey home, and I hope you find everything at the Farmy as it should be on your return.
YES. It never made much sense at the time either.. c
Well, I’ve been absent from the blogosphere and have been dilatory in reading blogs of my friends. However, today I saw Chris’ reblog and so had to come to red the whole post. As Chris says, it’s a lovely post.
I’m a little worried about your dream. I’m sure when you get home all will be well. Anyway, that’s today’s wish for you.
And I seem to have dropped off your subscription list so am rejoining. BTW. We’ve had a terrible summer, in fact no summer at all and now we’re dropping into the dreary season. Enjoy fall and winter in your little corner of the world. JX
Every now and then a great chunk of readers drop off.. but it works out in the end.. c
Yes, your morning post no longer appears in my email. I have to go to Facebook and click on your website link.
I had a poster of this as a teen in the 1970’s . I have seen it resurrected a lot lately. A few folks have thought it was ‘new’ to represent what some believe to be challenging current times. How surprised they are to hear me recite it from memory. I, in turn, had believed it was written as a response to what I thought were the challenging times of the said decade. And so I am humbled and reminded that our histories are quite cyclical.
As usual. Here is me thinking I am being original!! Ah well.. c
Looking at the size of the ‘happy booties’ the family truly has grown since the last visit . . . then methinks we were at least ‘treated’ to a leg show 🙂 ! Oddly I did not dream until I reached the mid-century mark . . . now I SO look forwards to the night as the stories thru’ which I travel are funny and light and most certainly contain food: lots of it . . . . Meanwhile uneventful travels home and no snow on arrival!
There will be plenty of snow but the cold is going to be the bad one – I have to walk a ways through town between train stations. So I hope the footpaths are not too bad – there will be ice too i think – very cold. But I am used to it now – and will be moving at speed// c
The first three stanzas seem like pretty solid advice for teenagers, but then things start sounding more “adult” — phony love and resulting cynicism, “aridity and disenchantment,” “dark imaginings,” “sham, drudgery, and broken dreams” – sudden misfortune in old age, “the noisy confusion of life ” -(Whew! That’s a lot to unload on kids. But maybe not. Maybe they need to confront such things ahead of time.)
I find myself trying hard to “Take kindly the counsel of the years,” though I’m not very graceful at it, but I wonder what that means to young persons. Of course Max didn’t write this for them specifically Or did he? I’m glad to know that the positive beginning and ending of the poem meant, and still means, a lot to those of you who first read it in school. It does mean a lot to me now, the more I think about it. I can relate to the “dark imaginings” especially. (It could be I don’t remember my dreams because I have enough of that during the day.)
Perfect. You are nourishing my soul at just the right time. I dream in different languages…most bizarre!
Oh dear Celi .. thanks for sharing this