From the desk of... Mary Robinson Reynolds
Re: Know somebody who is Living a Life of Quiet Desperation?
Do you know the poem Richard Cory?
I remember it still, with a shiver down my spine, though it is many years since we studied it in high school English class.
Richard Cory is a narrative poem written by Edwin Arlington Robinson. It was first published in 1897, as part of The Children of the Night, having been completed in July of that year, and remains one of Robinson's most popular and anthologized poems.
The poem describes a person who is wealthy, well educated, mannerly, and admired by the people in his town. Despite all this, he takes his own life.
Whenever Richard Cory went to town
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown
Clean shaven, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed
And he was always gentle when he talked
Yet still, he fluttered pulses when he said
"Good morning" - and he glittered as he walked
So on we toiled, and waited for the light
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night
Went home - and put a bullet through his head.
It was Henry David Thoreau who once said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."
What Thoreau means should be - in this day and age - quite clear: that there are millions of men and women who get on with life, seem to be coping well, but are inwardly living "lives of quiet desperation."
For many it is a quiet desperation of little compromises over time that lead to a numbing of the soul, a loss of passion, a "settling" for whatever life throws their way rather than taking the occasional risk to be uncomfortable, if even only for the brief moment it takes to reach out to acknowledge someone.
The act of acknowledging someone else who has made a difference in your life is one of the very most empowering and invigorating things anyone can do, and it only takes a moment, but it can feel awkward at first.
I have made this video to visit with you about dealing successfully with what is sometimes "The Uncomfortable Factor" of Acknowledgment. So take a couple of minutes and come spend a little time with me as I explain how to flow through...
Reaching out ...
Mary Robinson Reynolds
Author & Founder, Heart Productions & Publishing
makeadifference.com/Acknowledgment
PS ... Invest in Make A Difference with the Power of Acknowledgment UTrain® Program and receive 85% Discount on up to 1400 'I Make A Difference' Wristbands!
ORDER Your "I Make A Difference" Wristbands Now to assure timely arrival for energizing through the Early Spring Doldrums, Spring Award & Recognition Banquets, Rite of Passage & Graduation Ceremonies, Summer Retreats and Bootcamps for your Teams!
makeadifference.com/Wristbands
*Please note that we accept Purchase Orders from schools, businesses, churches and all non-profit organizations at: www.makeadiff.us?BuyWithPO
PPS... JOIN ME IN MY 2013 MOVEMENT and let's Make A Positive Difference NOW!
|
Heart Productions & Publishing, Greater Boston Area, 800-639-8191