A Walk in the Park

Seeking a one-liner to sum up my life

I enjoy reading or hearing quotes and expressions, especially those that are humorous, insightful, clever, proverbial or all of the above.

Although not each and every one strikes a chord, many of these one-liners make good food for thought. Some even work their way into the fabric of my everyday speech patterns and vocabulary.

So many expressions hold a grain of truth that can be applied to life in general or to a particular situation in some way. I like to ponder these connections. I even sometimes find myself curious about the circumstances surrounding the quote’s origin and what caused the words to be spoken in the first place. Did the speaker have any idea at the moment that his or her words were going to be so, so quotable? Some things we’ll never know.

Another reason I like quotes and expressions is because I am always on the lookout for one that fits my life to a T — the perfect saying that could become my own personal statement or motto.

This is easier said than done, I am finding out, although I have come across a few that have come close. But we’ve all heard that “close only counts in horseshoes (and a few other things),” right? That, by the way is an expression I don’t particularly agree with. When taken literally — which it probably is not most of the time — the expression might serve to discourage attempting something when success isn’t a sure bet. It sort of works against the “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” adage which says that there’s nothing wrong with missing the intended mark as long as effort to reach it continues.

I came across a quote last year that I like quite a lot. In fact, it earned a spot on my refrigerator. It says, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” To me this one is inspirational. It says to live life to the fullest and be passionate about what you’re doing. I keep the quote handy to remind me.

Another line I like is the one that says “timing is everything.” It serves as a reminder that some things take a while to work out and it does no good to be impatient.

A longer thought on this same subject goes like this: “Life is all about timing ... the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable becomes available, the unattainable... attainable. Have patience, wait it out. It’s all about timing.” That one gives hope.

Proverbs such as the one I have in my classroom contain words of wisdom. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver,” says the plaque given to me by a friend who thought it would be quite fitting for my speech therapy room at school. I also have the following reminder, a message found in a fortune cookie, taped to my desk: “Enjoy the little things you find along your path.”

In a recent teacher workshop, the presenter encouraged us to remember the relationship-building benefits of laughing together. To further make the point, he passed along this quote: “The shortest distance between two people is humor.” I think this is a good one. Just for the fun of it — OK, pun intended — I tried to think of someone with whom I had laughed lately that I don’t feel close to. I couldn’t come up with anyone.

There are many other great expressions that are well worth quoting. I am still looking and listening for the perfect one to sum up my outlook on life in one tidy sentence. With life being the multifaceted box of chocolates that it is, I have yet to find one quote that “says it all.”

When and if that ever happens, I will buy a bumper sticker and tell the world — or least the traffic around our corner of the state. As for now, though, I will keep reading, listening and pondering those one-liners as the search continues.

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer and a speechlanguage pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by email at awalkinthepark50 @ yahoo.com.