Hey TKB Fam,

How’ve you been? I was teaching at a summer camp in Tracy when I decided to jot down a quote by Anne Frank on the whiteboard.

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

I love this quote for a few reasons.

First off, you should know, this quote is printed on the front hardcover of my journal, which was given to me by an executive at my last job. She thought it would be useful to me since I told her that writing was one of my hobbies. So Doreen bought me a journal. Isn’t that sweet? Love her!
Anywho . . . this quote entered my world with love, despite the depth it already offers.

There’s a lot a person can do with quotes by famous, important or successful people. I like to inspire my children (students) and acknowledge all of their talents. I like to compliment them, listen to their dreams and motivate them in the right direction. I usually talk about the icon who quoted it and give my students a brief bio about the quoter.

My students are in grade school and many of them didn’t even know Anne Frank yet. I was happy to tell them everything I know, but most importantly I wanted to analyze the quote. I asked my students to find the message in it. What do they think it means and what do they think this icon is trying to reveal to us?

I love the way their minds are full of possibilities. I love the way they think and challenge everything. They can usually invent their own explanation for whatever they don’t know. Adults still do that too, come to think of it.

Yet and still, the quote means a lot to me.

Think of all the beauty: That part of the quote reminds me that Frank developed some sort of mind control while she was in hiding. She had to think of all the beauty in the world to maintain her sanity. She had to recall the good things in life and maybe she had to use all her willpower to see it. She had to try to remember the beauty.

. . . Still left in the world: Many times, I find myself focused on the bad. All the craziness that’s going on in the world, the pain, the suffering, the overvalue of materialism vs humanism. The people who think their more valuable than others in regards to the power they hold. All of the bullshit!

However, this quote is a challenge remember all the beauty still left out here. Not the bad, but the beautiful things that make life worth living. I had to think of all the good times, the wholesomeness and the natural existence of everything living. Then I had to be alive in the moment. Push myself into a state of mental wealth.

Be happy about something!

The quote reminds me to be mindful during hard times (particularly depression because it can even distort the perception of reality. Colors that were once vibrant can become dull in my vision).

It reminds me that the world is big and full of all kinds of different things or possibilities.

The quote reminds me that I’m not struggling to stay alive by hiding in a confined space for a very long period of time (days or years) at this time in my life.

Overall it reminds me to be grateful for life or living.

So the next time you want to be upset, angery, sad or feeling like the whole world is on your shoulders try to be happy about something. No matter what!

 

Well . . . this has been another inspiring blog by Truly K. Bradley. Blog to you next time.