DAY 365+84

invictus

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

William Ernest Henley 

Thinking of (and praying for) Nelson Mandela, today

DAY 365+83

me (an updated list)

introvert but not shy
teacher by profession (and by vocation)
perfectionist who is learning acceptance
lover of details

unpunctual
achievement oriented
advocate of the connection between all things, beings and events
accidental academic with a creative nature

increasingly convinced that I have to focus on the bright side of things
prone to anger
learning to be visible
stubborn when not centered

joyful
amateur photographer
sensitive (and sometimes even hyper-sensitive)
believer of the healing power of art, prayers and silence

exploring my inner world through the spiritual practice
setting boundaries
learning respect (and self-respect)
professing the belief in kindness and compassion

starting to be less rigid
in favor of authenticity
cat person
grateful

cultivating mindfulness and serenity
looking for ways to love myself more (much more)
letting go preconceived ideas about life and happiness
in search of clarity

no expecting approval anymore
devotee of reading (and writing)
tenacious
tidy but not very organized

embracing my gifts and universe guidance
trying to reach peace through the little things
analytic with a bohemian heart
paying attention to my soul voice

passionate (and a bit obsessive from time to time)
procrastinator
currently celebrating the beauty of my path (my own beauty)
and perhaps, finally satisfied, appeased

DAY 365+82

true friends come in all forms
can be found in every context, 
in any moment of your life

They make you feel important, wise, 
they offer support, sense of belonging, 
unconditional help that makes you grow, 
a shoulder to cry on quietly 

They comfort you even without speaking,  
stay with you along bad days 
and sad day, and good days,
and go with you without complaining 

They are a source of joy,
a wonderful reason to live for,
an accidental gift, an unexpected privilege

They open a gateway to life, 
make you go deeper into yourself 
and always are there for you 

That´s why I have to say 
true friends come in all forms, 
can be found in every context, 
in any moment of your life

Indeed a true friend can be 
a person, a tree, a book, 
a sweet orange and white cat 
who has accompanied you, loved you,
for a very long, long time 

She knows well how to wait, 
and masters the art of restfulness 
she also knows how to play, 
and masters the art of acceptance 


A sweet orange and white cat 
that has been walking with me 
during the last fifteen long years 

my cat, my teacher, my friend



Six Words Fridays: Joy

365+81

emergence of consciousness 

This is my May´s Photo-Heart Connection

May has been a busy -and somehow chaotic- month. It has taught me some hard lessons that surely will lead me to make some important decisions about the way I am living. It has given me a new -and keen- perception of some important things, and for that I am happy and grateful, but most of the days I felt exhausted and overwhelmed. This made me think that I had been neglecting my inner work... or that I thought, till I found a group of photos of this plant and its flowers

I had forgotten it till I went through my files a week ago or so, and the mauve and green tones caught my eye. And then I remembered: I captured them along a cloudy afternoon.  I wanted to take a break from my work and recharge my batteries, so I went to the park next to my house,  and these beauties were blooming gracefully next to the fountain

I stayed there for a long time. I observed the spherical umbels on single stalks which I have seen so many times but always manage to amaze me again

I stayed there and breathed, and danced around the flowers the same as the bees, fascinated, feeling blessed, thrilled. The closed buds contrasted sharply with the showy flower heads, in wide range of sizes and shades of blue, purple, white and yellow. And I took one photo and another. But what I liked best was the way that the star-shaped flowers were opening themselves up to the world

After the walk I felt much more relaxed, but I was not aware of having proceeded with my inner work. That´s why when I discovered the photos of the Alliums I realized that I have reached a decisive stage in my journey because I have started to incorporate my inner work into my everyday life sometimes without even noticing it

I have dreamt of developing my practice easily, smoothly, elegantly many times. But I thought this wouldn´t be that effortless. Indeed, I thought this could be a bit solemn, I expected the observance of some formality. I didn´t expect my practice to be so spontaneous, unaffected, so simple and uncomplicated

But I have found out that consciousness can develop at ease just as life does, without making great fuss, silently, through the extraordinary in the ordinary

DAY 365+80

backstage

Every single day of our lives we wake up thinking of achieving something. We have a clear image of what we want in our minds, ideas about what we expect, about how things should be, about what we deserve. Ideas about the final result of our actions according to our linear and logical reasoning which often forgets that change can happen 

We wake up thinking of taking a couple of photos, we plan our actions and even we anticipate how beautiful the photo will look

But life has a different plan for us. A phone call and our whole existence is suddenly in a mess. An accidental conversation brings disappointment to our heart a makes crack in an old friendship. We fix our gaze on our house, our good soul mate, our dearest books and we fall in love again and again

We start to take our photos and we change this or that. A lazy cat comes to nose about and wants to enjoy the sun ray and continue her nap

We can feel annoyed, displeased. We can fight reality, and weaken along useless battles against fate. We can get upset about the circumstances, and grumble and complain. We can embitter the mood of those who are around us, but this won´t change things a bit

Or we can deal with them, accept when possible, enjoy as much as one can. We can even see the appeal of this new situation and take advantage of the opportunity that comes our way

We can take a step back, forget expectations, look at the whole situation with new eyes, and capture it in all its splendor: 

the hard shadows, the soft tummy, the not very clean windows, the precarious balance of the cup, the notebook which shouldn´t be visible, the careless posture, the atmosphere of a simple day, the evidence of the unforeseeable nature of events... 

That´s what I did, friends, I stepped back and took pleasure in the fanciful (though wise) way that life unfolds. I stepped back and revelled in this glimpse of the rear of my life, the place where magic happens