The Rijksmuseum in Holland had an idea: Let’s bring the art to the people and then, hopefully, they will come to see more – at the museum. They took one painting of Rembrandt’s from 1642, “Night Watch” and brought to life the characters in it, placed them in a busy mall and the rest you can see for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/a6W2ZMpsxhg?feature=player_embedded

Here’s a link to the actual painting:

www.rembrandtpainting.net/rembrandt%27s_night_watch.htm

A husband and wife were driving down a country lane on their way to visit some friends. They came to a muddy patch in the road and the car became bogged. After a few minutes of trying to get the car out by themselves, they saw a young farmer coming down the lane, driving some oxen before him.

The farmer stopped when he saw the couple in trouble and offered to pull the car out of the mud for $50. The husband accepted and minutes later the car was free. The farmer turned to the husband and said, “You know, you’re the tenth car I’ve helped out of the mud today.”

The husband looks around at the fields incredulously and asks the farmer, “When do you have time to plough your land? At night?”

“No,” the young farmer replied seriously, “Night is when I put the water in the hole.”

“A firm resolve to succeed seems to shine out of those rare individuals who are able to move well-nigh impossible barriers to potential. This resolve carries them through a multitude of situations and people challenges that to the ordinary person does not seem possible or worthwhile attempting. These rare individuals seem to have entered into a contract with destiny, because they simply refuse to lie down and give up their search for excellence …”

Magic is making deliberate, calculated actions seem random. – Gus Silber

Without a script a magician is just doing a trick and not performing magic. Without a script there is no respect for the process. Like a comedian who is unprepared on stage … you can only fake it for a few seconds. Without a script there is no magic – there is no soulful laughter – there is no comedy.

“In one of the scenes of Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven”, a young blacksmith is given the opportunity to join his estranged father on a journey to Jerusalem in the Holy Land.  Although Balian (the blacksmith) decides not to take up the invitation, his father gives him simple instructions on how to join them on the journey if he later decides to do so:  “If you ever want to find Jerusalem, go to where the men speak Italian, then continue until they speak something else.”

“Humankind is given the divine power to decide on the direction of his or her feelings and thoughts.  We call that freedom of choice. We may not have control over all situations in life, but we have control of the direction of our feelings and thoughts.  Our choices determine our characters and ultimately our destinies.” 

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.  – George Bernard Shaw

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.

He would miss the pay cheque, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter, he said, “my gift to you”. The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realise we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over we’d do it much differently. But we cannot go back.

You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall.

“Life is a do-it-yourself project, “someone has said : Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the “house” you live in tomorrow.

Build wisely! Work as if you don’t need the money. Learn as if you will live forever. Love as if you’ve never been hurt. Dance as if nobody is watching.