Why or Why Not...that is the question.

I have post-it notes all over my work space. Some have been there for years, others for a day or two, but all of them have a quote scrawled on them.  Here are a just a few of my favorites and why I decided someone else's words were important to post where I could see them everyday.



"Life is not a dress rehearsal."~Rose Tremain~
My favorite quote.I saw it on a plaque at a friend's cabin and have lived by this for years. I have surprised people with changes and aspirations I follow--then surprised them again when they watch me succeed at anything I strive to do. I never regret following my dreams and making them reality. Enough said.

"Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not." ~George Bernard Shaw~ 

There is a need to dream and to ignore the question why.
 My son has autism. If I asked why and wallowed in grief, he would not be the successful young man he is today. We always live by WHY NOT?
When he could not point, we thought, why not try turning off every light and using a penlight to show him what it means to point at something? This may not be something the typical world thinks of, but imagine trying to get what you want when you cannot speak.

 When he could not speak, we asked, why not teach him sign language? He now speaks and signs for those who cannot. His teachers love this about him.

When he would press his face against the television screen I thought, Why not do the same and see what he sees?  In doing so, I gained eye-contact, because he sensed me in his world. Though that was many years ago, I will never forget it.

I've learned to ask why not at every turn. This is a quote I read to myself through tears of exhaustion, tears of hope and tears of joy.


"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." ~Khalil Gibran~

Many of us are subjected to hardships others cannot even begin to imagine. I am no exception. However, I refuse to allow anyone or anything to break my spirit.This self-imposed belief that one could surmount every single difficulty built my spirit so strong it now soars.


"You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible." ~Anton Chekhov~

My biggest obstacle is that I simply expect people to be trustworthy; to give the same as I deliver in a friendship. On a general level, people tend to disappoint me, but not always. I'm happily surprised by those who reach out with no expectations, and people who pay-it-forward. Examples of wonderful humanity inspire me to believe, to lead by example and eventually to trust. Trust does exist in my heart, I'm just very careful who to believe in. This quote helps me remember why trust is so important in life.

What quotes inspire you through life?