Integrity

Resilience calls on 

integrity, self control 

and strength

when in the face of 

a cold, blustery wind.

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.”

~ Bob Marley

Refreshed

Integrity will tell us

when to take a gentle day,

to refresh mind and spirit

after the joy and fullness of family.

“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

Which is Special? - SPECIAL - August 2023 Theme

Which is Special?

Stories spin themselves….

People come to us ….

Each of us share ….

Can each of us be ….

Integrity will tell us .…

Acting on what we know.…

Laughing and playing ….

“Every day is a part of life, so make it special.”

~ Siddhant R. Shinde

(goodreads.com)

Sun Shade

        Integrity, 

like sun-dappled shade,

      saves us from

the brilliance of our gifts.

“A quiet conscience makes one strong!”

~ Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Bright Shadows - HUMILITY - Theme for July 2022

Higher than …….

Under the bridge…….

Mother Nature just is……

Integrity, like a…..

Larger than life……

Intuition lives……

Temptation ~ …….

Yellow-gold……..

“On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.”

~ Michel de Montaigne, The Complete Essays

It's Only a Dollar

Integrity held fast. It was only a dollar. Easy enough to just slip it in his pocket and keep quiet. Mason felt bad enough shivering on the cold wet pavement, a paper coffee cup sitting empty in front of him. People only tossed him a coin and kept walking without saying anything. Once in awhile some man or woman would greet him with a smile. This woman looked like she could afford losing a dollar. Not rich, but when she stood at her car, Mason knew she was better off than him.

“Ma’am? Excuse me please. This fell out of your purse when you pulled out your keys.” Mason held the dollar out to her. She turned abruptly. “What?!” Mason stepped back. “Your dollar ma’am.” Her face softened. “I’m sorry. You just surprised me. I didn’t know there was anyone else on the sidewalk. Not in such a good mood, the bank’s closed…… but then you don’t need to hear my troubles. Keep the dollar and here…no I have a better idea. That diner across the street is open.” The woman hesitated. “That is, if you’ll come with me.”

“Conduct reveals character, and we best understand integrity 

when we see it lived out in a person’s life.”

~ Charles H. Dyer, Character Counts

Unless

Integrity...

~ not part of a larger story

Unless within our hearts

Integrity...

~ not part of a larger story

Unless united heart to heart

Integrity...

~ Not part of a larger story

Unless we look within for emptiness.

Integrity...

~ Not part of a larger story

Unless we learn that it is not a commodity.

Integrity...

~ not part of of a larger story

Unless it is to restore integrity.

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters

 cannot be trusted with important matters”

~ Albert Einstein

Flight # 2021 ~ OPTIMISM ~ Theme for January, 2021

“Overblown optimism is annoying and frustrating.”

Potential for ……..

Trusting that………

Intuition, or more plainly, gut feelings…….

Morals and ethics…….

Integrity…….

Sunshine or cloud

Morning comes…..

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

~ Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan

Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’!

Integrity shines except 

when I drop the ball letting it

roll through sunshine and artworks then on to celebrate a life well lived, until it abruptly stopped today with no ideas swirling up from the murky depths of my imagination.

Only then did I realize that I had simply tossed the colourful ball away until this morning when I went looking

to my magical muse for inspiration: Simply pick up where I left off!

“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Through the Cracks ~ QUALITY 2 ~ Theme for May 2019

Quite necessary……

Usually a goal….

Acting from within…..

Listening to…

Integrity shines…..

Tip-Toeing through…..

Yesterday began…….

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”

~ Aristotle

Time Sensitive

Confronting unpleasantness ~ 

virtual monsters to shrink from 

demanding action despite 

inside confusing clamour

what will others think, 

desperate to run away 

while standing firm amid 

swirls and crash of a tsunami of 

voices like discordant cymbals

until time demands an answer and 

acceptance of responsibility pushes through 

helplessness to bravery full of knowing.

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

~ Anaïs Nin

A Box

Originality could be a problem 

 when focus demands 

     standards

          rules

              regulations

in short: a box

  with flexibility only

       if it fits

colouring inside the lines

  with colours dictated by protocols

living with integrity

  inside a box requires 

     belief in oneself

  faith in the goodness of others

and hope for original, creative thought and action.

“A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.”

~ J.R.R.Tolkien

Follow the Leader

Leadership sets the bar high

…….or low.  

Front and center

In sound bytes and photo shoots

The batons of ‘follow me’ flashing principled messages to all of us

Blinding us and getting our attention

On a quieter note

Leadership sets the bar high….or low

From behind the scenes

In principled memos and newsletters

No flash, no dash

Assuming the front line attention

Leadership sets the bar high…..or low

Each of us leads in our own sphere

From our own beliefs and integrity

In principled word and deed

With passion or apathy

While getting the work done.

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. 

It is about one life influencing another.”

~ John C. Maxwell

Keep Watch

Possibilities are filled with honesty
When grounded in facts, reality and integrity.

If facts have been twisted or bent
Possibilities become limited

If reality has been polished with pretty words
Possibilities become narrow

If integrity has gone up in smoke
Possibities are seen through the haze.

Possibilities are filled with honesty
When accompanied by healthy principles

“Right time, right place, right people equals success. Wrong time, 

wrong place, wrong people equals most of the real human history.”

~ Idries Shah, Reflections

Ready

Integrity challenges the status quo ~

Yet status quo is so comfortable!

Like favourite sloppy old slippers 

Soft and warm

Kept under the bed

Integrity challenges the status quo

Standing ready in sensible shoes

Always out of style yet

Polished and unapologetic

Kept ready at the door.

Integrity challenges the status quo

Well worn and worn well

Becomes a principled norm

Never completely comfortable

Always ready to step from the heart.

“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.”

~ Lillian Hellman

A Principle Design ~ PRINCIPLES ~ Theme for January 2017

At this beginning of 2017, and given all the changes and losses of 2016, principles have come to mind - the principles of those that we have lost, and the principles of those of us that remain on this earth.

Progress comes at great expense

Respect changes attitudes and behaviour
Intuition whispers goals and dreams
Natural resources are deep within
Conscience settles in each moment
Integrity challenges the status quo
Possiblities are filled with honesty
Leadership sets the bar high…..or low
Ethics shapes decisions
Standards, based in belief, create direction

“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Following My Feet

“Stay where your feet are”
Four words recommended
Grounding for worries and anxieties

‘Practice what you preach’
Four more words recommended
Action for integrity and ethics

I followed my feet today. From the time I stepped on the carpet in the morning til now when they are up on a pillow. My actions became more thoughtful, my steps paced more calmly and I felt the earth solid beneath my feet. Although my feet carry me into thousands of situations filled with possibilities, my words and deeds set the scene. Whatever tasks are asked of our feet, whether they have shoes or not, whether they are cared for or not, our feet continue to carry us through each day.

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”

~ Leonardo da Vinci