Spring is in the air. Air is fresh and abundant. It’s always there no matter how many breaths I take. I hold my breath to see how long I can be without it. It doesn’t last long…my lungs are (real) happy when I inhale.
Sun seems excited to shower me with its soothing warmth and revitalizing energy. It brings me great joy to stand there and close my eyes. As I feel the sun on my skin, I feel thankful for what it gives me and for everything else that it offers to the entire planet.
Trees are refreshingly green. As I approach one of those green giants, I watch and smell the colorful flowers on the waking branches, among the green graceful leaves. I stand there for a few minutes, immersing myself in this tranquil beauty, feeling thankful for what it offers to me and other living creatures. One more deep breath…
I decide to take a seat on the lush green grass. Little bugs are moving around the ground, doing what they do, undisturbed by my presence. They don’t “bug” me this time. I don’t seem to bother them either. My eyes are closed. As I touch the ground beneath me, my fingers feel the gentleness and softness of various shapes of grass and flowers. The ground is soothingly cool and a little moist.
I feel calm and grounded, connected to the rhythm of the beauty around me. Aware of it all. In a park – in the middle of a hurried city. Thankful for being here. It’s here for me to see it, feel it, smell it, hear it, taste it. Connect with it. Enjoy it with passion.
There are people in our lives that we care greatly about. However, no matter how much they mean to us, we seem to take them for granted sometimes and usually don’t express how we feel about them in their presence (with excuses like “they will be around for a while” or “they know how I feel about them”).
Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, something horrible may happen. We lose them. Forever. Without a warning. This leaves us shocked – with lots of things unsaid. We may have had many questions left about their past, their feelings, thoughts, ideas, plans. But now there is just silence on the other end.
Every day presents us with a glorious opportunity to communicate with our loved ones – to express our love towards them – in words and action. But it’s too easy to get caught up in “greyness” of everyday living - so much that we can start to communicate on auto-pilot with those around us.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can start by communicating more openly with those we care about, asking more questions, listening more, being there for them, sharing our feelings with them. Every moment is an opportunity to connect. Share and appreciate. Discuss and accept. Love and be loved. But it is up to us to recognize and seize that moment – and truly acknowledge and appreciate the other person.
So when you are with the person you love - be there fully, listen to them, say “I love you” more often, and enjoy the moment. Don’t wait to say “I love you” or “I understand you.” Say it now. Treat every moment as if it was the last one. Because it just may be.
Every day we have numerous goals, tasks, assignments, ideas and responsibilities on our plate. In addition to that, we have our daily basic needs to take care of: brushing our teeth, preparing food and eating, showering, drinking liquids, going to bathroom, dressing and undressing, and so on. Some things we can choose not to do (like showering and brushing teeth) – at a very good risk of being avoided by people around us – while others are a must.
As creatures of habit, we complete most of the daily-things-to-do without much effort, simply because we are used to doing them every day. Other things – like dealing with new ideas, new responsibilities and new assignments – can be either a joy or pain to do. Why? It all depends on our attitude. If we feel that working on something will bring us joy and satisfaction, then we are excited even thinking about it. Right. On the other hand, if we see a certain task as unnecessary or uncomfortable, then it is likely that we will postpone and avoid working on it. Right again! So what can we do about it?
If we HAVE to accomplish all the things-to-do (both exciting and uncomfortable ones) without pulling our hair out, we can change our attitude towards the “problem” at hand. Here’s a “trick”: think of every (good, bad and the ugly) task as a fun (even adventurous!) activity – one that you are looking forward to. No matter how unimportant, boring or uncomfortable it may seem. Take it as a challenge. Make a decision that you will work on every such task as if it was the most important thing to do that day. Every single one. The trick is not to fool yourself, but to make a decision that working on this task has a purpose and that completing it will bring a sense of accomplishment.
While working on the task at hand, being completely present and giving your best is the way to do it. By focusing our efforts in such a creative way,we can find some satisfaction in everything we do (from completing a project at work to confronting a coworker, from doing laundry to making dinner). If we take the focus off the perceived negative labels (boring, uncomfortable) for the things we need to do and choose to recognize a value in completing them to the best of our ability – here and now, we will be able to face anything that we put on our daily plate. And brush our teeth afterwards.
Make a list of things that bring value into your life.
(Some of mine are laughing, meditation, stretching, exercising, learning, spending time with loved ones, being present in all I do, creating value in lives of others.)
Realize that doing those things brings value to you and that you deserve it. Only you can make time for yourself. Only you can allow this value into your life. Dedicate time to do the things on your list every day. No matter what. And have fun.
Unwrap the present: yourself.
Begin the year with a reflection on who you are, what you stand for, and by reviewing your accomplishments in the year that just passed. Reflect, accept, express yourself.
This is a story of Maro (a loving dog saved from Zagreb dog shelter) meeting a caring family for the first time. Video captures their first interaction: full of unexpected curiosity, warmth and joy.
I produced this video for a local animal rescue organization – to show the potential for love and caring between “strangers” and to capture Maro’s well-deserved enjoyment. When love goes both ways, it creates moments to treasure. It opens hearts to more comPASSION.
It is never too late to give and receive love.
Shelters are a great place to find a loving (and love-thirsty) dog. Keeping in mind dog’s wellbeing while adopting a dog, it is more fulfilling to create a meaningful bond.
That way, both the dog and us humans benefit greatly.
In order to be able to discover and live our passion, it’s essential to have a peaceful inner state. Trying to be passionfull while stressed out, in fear or angry, is like throwing a few drops of water on a burning flame…it won’t work. It’s essential to make time to go within and BE calm in the center of our being, while all the outer distractions of our daily modern lives burn around us. That way we become untouchable to the fire around us, and more able to focus on what we are doing with passion.
Find time for yourself today
To distress and revitalize
To go within
Go to nature
Close your eyes
Breathe in
Before you go, find a meditation that suits you here
