J.B. Sommerset

  "Trillium" (Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) My last quote of the week was about how mankind fails at happiness because he destroys it to find more. Part of the reason for this is that we also have no gratitude, instead we have anger, and a lot of it. So, here's your quote of the week: "It's a shame so many people prioritize anger over gratitude, no wonder there is so much pain in the world- that's what we have made a priority..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

  "Shroom Twins" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) Sometimes it's good to reflect on the state of happiness in the world. Sometimes it's good to take a blook around and see who is and who isn't happen and why. No matter the reason chances are the problem is one of personal view points. This one is mine, I might have posted this back in the 2023s, but I think it deserves a repost today. So here it is, your quote of the day: "Mankind seems to be the only animal on the planet that will ruin his happiness and wellbeing in the pursuit of more happiness and wellbeing..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!  

"Foggy Birch" (Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset) This time, I thought I would get all profound and philosophical with my quote of the week. For the most part I am a minimalist, and don't like a lot of extraneous detail when it comes to my writing and my art. However, occasionally I go out on a limb and post something complicated and "floral". This one is from one of my many works in progress. Hope you all like it. "Let it be said that we are all children; age is an assumption, it is relative to those who have aged. There are always older, wiser and more adult things in this world, and when we are among them, we are without the insights of maturation. In those times, we are children, no matter how old we are." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Sun on the Tracks" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 ) Sometimes we need a reminder that the only thing that keeps us from being ourselves is the fear that there will be a fair amount of judgement with that endeavor. If there were no fear in the becoming than there would be no value in it's lessons and self actualization would mean nothing. So, here's a good quote in that vein... "I'll be here waiting, just the other side of your fear. So, are you going to come find me? Who am I you ask? Well, I am you, the you that is waiting for you to become." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Mud and Snow" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset ) Sometimes it pays to have a "down to Earth quote" one that's really note sophisticated or complex, one that is simple, but makes since in ways that the common man can understand. I have a whole section in my notebooks dedicated to this kind of quote. I call it "the simple man section". Given that this is another election year, I thought this one fit the bill, enjoy.  "If you are going to be lazy and cut corners, you probably shouldn't do it while wiping your ass." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Mushrooms on the Mountain" (Photo credit J.B. Sommerset 2023) Have you ever meant one of those people who is always stressed out and suffers from anxiety? It seems no matter how good they have it they will burn the village down because they don't feel like happiness is enough. Like there is something better and more important than being happy and content with things. I am not saying there is an issue with wanting more, I am saying, why would you destroy happiness to have more? Anyway, I thought this quote is apropos- "There are a lot of people who hate happiness despite what they might tell you, the majority of 'happy' people will gladly burry it under something else- anxiety, stress, disappointment. It can be irritating to watch these people. It's like they are trying to save their happiness and keep it locked away under all that bullshit, not even realizing that experiencing happiness is the point."  J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"The Ocean of Cotton" (Photo Credit J.B. Sommerset 2023) Here's a literary quote for all you writers out there. For a while most of the things I was writing had a fair amount of satire in them. I don't put as much satire in my work any more, it's still there, but it has been toned down quite a bit and here's why... "The problem with satire is that the people whom it is intended for rarely understand it..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"The Dying Light" (Photo Credit J.B. Sommerset 2023) Sometimes it helps to remember that our habits and behaviors become us. It's hard to see it happening but we can become the things we hate in such a way. "Do not practice a thing that doesn't bring joy to your heart, for you might just become good at it..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers! 

"Golden Tipped" (Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset 2024) This one is an oldie but goodie. It's a healthy reminder that happiness doesn't come from some outside thing, it is not to be purchased and it cannot be owned- only experienced. Lastly, that it is in fact a personal responsibility. "One of the secrets to happiness is not in the getting somewhere, or completeing something, it's in the being somewhere and doing something."  J.B. Sommerset (The Last of those who Walk) Cheers!

"The Glow at the end of the World" (Photo Credit J.B. Sommerset 2024) Sometimes people are so reoccupied with doing something that they do not take the time to ask themselves if they should do something. Like playing in "gods toolbox", it's a bad idea. But people just keep doing it, and usually for all the wrong reasons. The quote this week kind of reflects that.  "Did we ever stop to consider that maybe the stars were put so high in the heavens so that man could not reach them..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Mist in the Valley" (Photo Credit: JB Sommerset 2024) This one is one from "the way back", it's one I'd like to think was given to me by mother nature herself, but I think it came to me because at the time I lived in Idaho- and that's a weird place to be.  "When looking at our compassion, we should use some common sense- sometimes a person should come to realize, that a rabid raccoon stuck in a trap because of it's own stupidity should be put down rather than set free. J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"The Breach in the Sky" (Photo Credit JB Sommerset 2024 ) I dug back only a couple of years for this one. And it's oh so perfect for 2024- being that we are going into an election year here in the states. I not usually one to take sides on this matter, but this year is super important. If we have another 4 years with the "terrible tangerine" I am pretty sure all is lost and the apocalypse has begun. Well, anyway, here is the quote of the week. "The thing about treason and sedition is that it only really works out if you are the victor, not some bumbling idiot who just wants their own way." J.B. Sommerset Cheers! 

Rising Clouds on the Mountain- Photo credit to J.B. Sommerset (2023) Here's another great quote from my former life. One that has stuck with me for all these years. This one has a spiritual message in it's heart, a lesson I learned from long ago, in the "way back" of my child hood. I might have mentioned here in the past, sometimes I forget to check these things off as I input them. So I hope this one is fresh to all those readers out there and that it isn't a repeat, I am feeling this one today, but not for me, for a close friend.  "It seems to me, largely, that religion is a support group for those who lack faith. And like other support groups it's corruptible in ways a person doesn't see without the wisdom of spirituality." J.B. Sommerset Cheers! 

Art Credit: JB Sommerset (c) (2023) Here is a little number from the time in my life when I thought I was all wise and understood everthing, still, I kind of like this one. This quote has merit. It's from one of my old journals, I revisit them often to see if I am, any wiser and not just a lot older.  "There is a sadness in the action of change and transformation that can only truly be understood when viewed through the lens of hindsight, time, and the accompanied context of history. All things change, its an immutable fact, understanding them is all we can hope for." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

(Photo credit: J.B. Sommerset (2024)- Winter is here) I was review some of my old work and I came across this little ditty back from when I still lived in Idaho. Yeah, that was a number of decades ago, but I thought that this quote was still applicable in a number of ways.  "It's better to dig yourself out than to dig yourself further in, your the one who bought the shovel, make sure it's a good investment..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

I was rooting around in my old coffee shop notebooks and this little gem stood out from well over two decades ago. I am a firm believer that everyone must be responsible for their own happiness, that's why this one resonated so well. "Aim for happiness because it is the only self sustaining thing a person can experience in this world." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

(Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset- All in a Winter Afternoon) As I grow older and wiser, hopefully, I have come to realize that context is far more important than people give it credit for. For years I have been answering people on social media and for a good deal of that time I always felt part of the message was missing. I think, social media, that is to say digital communication is missing all kinds of context. I wrote this in my note book a year or two ago and still feel it holds wieght, more today than ever. "Context is perhaps the single most informative part of a message, and language, more specifically, the words we choose to represent that context will sway the entire meaning of the message. If executed incorrectly, our words misrepresent that context and our message is lost..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

(Photo Credit: J.B. Sommerset (2023)- Into the October Woods) I was reading an article about physics a while back and this little gem came to me. I laughed aloud at the thought of it. I had to write it down before moving on to the next article. I amuse my self so much. I hope you find it amusing too.  "Is the glass half full, or is it half empty? Well, that all depends on the quantum superposition of the glass and its contents. It is what it is, until it is observed by a Debbie downer or a Sally Sunshine. Until then you will have to excuse me, I am thirsty and there is a glass in front of me..."  J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

(Photo by J.B. Sommerset- Sunset on the Mountain, December 2023) Here's one for the upcoming months, this on is for those of you seeking some empowerment along the way to 2025. Let's face it, we could all use a little bit of empowerment, especially those of us who have bullies in our lives.  "Empowerment is the awareness and recognition that personal choice is the only thing we really have control over, it is as valuable as our time in this world, we should use that power to make our time worth the while..." J.B. Sommerset. Cheers!

Here it is, the first quote of the week for 2024, I hope this one adds some wisdom to get us running. Hope it can be applied by someone out there. It goes a little something like this: "The greatest changes are brought about by a multitude of small actions over much time and consideration..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!