DAY 68

best wishes for 2012

light, clarity and guidance aimed at living consciously, peacefully and happily the coming year

DAY 67

the farewell


This day brings us to the end of this year. So is time to take stock of it

2011 has been a challenging year. I have witnessed how my world (in the widest sense of the term ) has crashed into the evidence of a deep economic crisis that is making me changing my mind about what a safe future means 

I won´t go into this topic in depth, but it has been a sort of serendipity that my journey involves the change of  my priorities so I wasn´t so focused on material goods before all this, because I´m not sure I would have been able to face it otherwise. In fact, 2011 with its ups and downs has been the perfect year to master the art of living the present moment because it has been the only way to avoid nostalgia and uncertainty that pervade my context... yes, the present that I used to give for granted, the present that never had been more important than past and future till today

This year I have said goodbye to my cat, Malú and, also, to a strong financial stability. I have seen how my mother becomes highly fragile and dependent and how my husband has had to face up a extreme makeover of his professional career, his way of living, and the loss of his beloved cat, Missi. I´ve had to deal with unforeseeable difficulties at my work and with an occasional lack of motivation. These have been shocking experiences -yet somehow appealing and filled with wisdom- but they have helped me to see change and death in a softer (although equally painful) way. 

Regardless the sense of insecurity that these events, whose pace has been dramatic, have caused me, they have made me become gentler. So this year I have said goodbye also to my resistance to trust my life completely, to the last preconceived ideas about how my life should be and to a big part of my strictness

Sure enough, as I became familiar with the rawness of this sense of being insufficiently protected, I realized that this involved also standing in vulnerability, learning to feel exposed and this -how curious!, or maybe not- made real my word for 2011: visibility understood as a way to share my journey, my learning, to permit my inner self to emerge and lead my life 

Now I know that the main things that were preventing me from doing that were my perfectionism and my need of guarantee against failure. Once 2011 turned me into a wire-walker without a security nest, I had no option but push my past fears and enjoy the walk. From this moment on, many synchronicities occurred to allow me to be visible

This year, by chance, I have said hello to photography, I have deepened my creative world and I have started to use my true voice more frequently, not only here but also in my work, when I talk to my relatives and beloved ones and when I talk to myself

Of course, all the things I have mentioned above have required time and dedication, and must be interpreted in the context of my ongoing journey. However, 2011 have given me the chance to explore new forking paths and achieve my aims. It has been a hard and contradictory year, where sorrowful feelings have been deeply woven together with a great sense of openness and oneness. So today I only can be thankful.

DAY 66

I only can play my own music

When I teach my students how to work as a team, I always say that if we want to know what this means we must imagine a good orchestra because it sets a wonderful example by performing a single piece as a whole, even when every person is playing a different instrument. Of course, this example is meant to illustrate the great importance of appreciating differences not only when we talk about other persons but also when we talk about ourselves. So the key to achieve a good result is not homogeneity, but diversity and excellence

Despite of this is related to professional skills training, lately I´ve been thinking of the symphony of this existence and about all the players that contribute to perform it. First, I tried to analyze my own role (ego always need some kind of validation), but then I came to the following conclusion:

No matter what instrument I´m playing, what really matters is that I am here (that every one of us is here). Either if I´m playing a violin, a flute or a simple bell,  or if my life is going right or wrong at this precise moment, I´m an essential player, I´m making my music and it is an important passage of the entire piece

You may ask why? Well… because I´m highly skilled in my own uniqueness... in the art of being myself, even when I am pretending to be another person, and no one can do this as nicely as I can do it

So, what´s my choice? I can make the best of this chance and modulate my own sound being aware of world around me and inside me

DAY 65

the joyfulness path

The month of joy is almost over. I would like to say that I´ve been feeling fully joyful every single day of it but this wouldn´t be true. December is a complicated month either if you want to celebrate joy, or if you´re not able to do it, because it is surrounded by many expectations about what joy should be. And also because it is a busy, extravagant, nostalgic and wistful month… but maybe due to all the things I´ve mentioned above, it´s also a great month (the best) to deal with joy every day

Staying focused on joy all month long has made me understand that I can decide to react to my own circumstances with a joyful mood, instead of activating my fear, pain or sorrow. Sure enough, I´ve learned this year what every December has been telling me throughout my whole life: I can opt for joy

This month I´ve realized that joy is mainly a state of mind that is deeply related to our viewpoint. We can see miracles everywhere or just simple, ordinary facts that are recurrent, verifiable, and not amazing at all, but if we do so we´ll keep on bobbing in the ocean of discontent. Once again, is up to us

Is it easy? No, I still find hard feeling  nicely amazed when things don´t happen according to my plans

Must I train more? Surely, learning to see the happy side of the unexpected requires great dedication

Will I master someday the art of being authentically joyful? Hope so

Could this mean that I won´t going to be concerned by anything nevermore? ...I don´t think so

If I stay connected to the joy inside me I won´t become unworried or careless, in any case, I´ll be less disappointed if everything doesn´t go as I expect... if life follow its own way. And maybe, I´ll be able to admit its greatness and take delight in what it is

DAY 64

a peace that passes all understanding

"When you rest in quietness and your image of yourself fades, and your image of the world fades, and your ideas of others fade, what's left? A brightness, a radiant emptiness that is simply what you are"

Adyashanti

DAY 63

sometimes - a bit late in life- a delicate inner world emerges...


and suddenly, you realize that you´re just begining to live 


Now that I´m commencing my 47th year of life:

I can be in plain sight

I walk through beauty daily

I bow down to my destiny

I make haste slowly

I choose my attitude

I trust myself and trust my own process

I´m glad to be where I am

I don´t despise the ordinary things in life

I can open my heart

I celebrate my beauty

I am happy without being perfect

I dare to be different

I stay positive

I am too wise to be solemn

I don´t let comparison steal my joy

I believe in myself

I honor my story


I accept the sacredness of this existence

DAY 62

everything in its own good time

Today I am 47 years old. As my birthday coincides with Christmas Eve, I haven´t celebrated it properly since I was a child. I´ve been used to become absorbed in Christmas feasts instead of paying attention to the anniversary of the day of my birth. But since I started this journey, I became aware of the great importance of honoring the time I spend here and the inflexion point that every birthday meant, because when we celebrate it we don´t only mark a significant event, but we also praise publicly the chance for being here and be part of all this 

Indeed, being here is a miracle and a privilege, an incredible way of learning, and the most favorable set of circumstances to develop our latent qualities and abilities

So since it was my fortieth birthday (or so) I try to make a pause in the midst of Christmas Day to examine my own condition and evolution. This checking is not about goals, purposes and intentions, it´s about verifying how happy I am being in my own shoes... so it´s about growing up and involves musings (and ramblings) on memories, present challenges, past sorrows, fears... in other words, on the process of being myself, and on the stage where I am right now

I´m starting the year 47th of my life having the following successes by my side:

 a stronger feeling of being connected to my own life

 a more creative way to explore my path where visibility plays a main role

a clearer perception of its beauty

a more benevolent relationship with myself

a more confident behavior

and more awareness about my aims

But maybe the most significant learning has been that this year -for the very first time in my life- I´m saying a loud and clear YES to my own vision, which has been hidden for so long now

Of course, there has been also some failures, things that I haven´t overcome, some fears that I´ll have to face up along the coming years but according to my experience, life will give me new (and even more adequate) chances to get over them, and what is more important, I´ll keep on trying it 

Before, I used to think that I had started this path too late, that I had lost my best years without awaken to a more sane way of living... but now I know everything happens in the right moment and I truly believe that these are, indeed, the best years of my life. Celebrate with me

here: the homemade old bread pudding & golden syrup that I had instead of the typical birthday cake

DAY 61

may your heart be merry and peaceful either you´re having days of feasting or of prayer 


"(...) It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
to translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other. (...)

We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.

Peace.

We look at our world and speak the word aloud.

Peace.

We look at each other, then into ourselves,
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation:

Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul"

Maya Angelou

DAY 60

gifts of joy

a feeling of inner peace

the ability to share

a softer gaze at world

appreciation of oneself and others

the gift of going beyond appearances

a state of gratitude and compassion

be good at laugh

a sense of connection to the higher self

the need to be present

clearer perception of beauty

moments of pause


... staying anchored to the life as it is

DAY 59

musing on simplicity

DAY 58

Christmas awakes my contradiction (2)

Once I let go negative prejudices about my own wishes and dreams, and I accepted that I am a working woman who works in a very demanding field where domesticity is  totally discredited, and also finds domestic project quite appealing (even when I don´t want to be only a housekeeper) I started to feel relieved and inspired.

I settled myself into my own beliefs and I understood that I could have the best of both worlds. The only thing I had to do was to be clear about what did I want (and what I didn´t want) from each of them

Thanks to this, I discovered that I want to go outside and develop my professional skills, (indeed I think I´m a teacher at soul) and I want to come back home and find a pleasant and domestic atmosphere. I understood that this doesn´t mean to focus only on decoration or cleaning but also on other details. And last, but not least, I created my own definition of home

After thinking of it, I found out that the things I loved best are:

- hand-made things and a slightly shabby chic style

- objects that a granny can love: old fashioned patterns, embroided napkins and fine china

- cozy and inviting spaces that make me want to stay at home and enjoy homey tasks

- daily routines that allow me to weave quietness and gentle care into domestic realm

Once I realized that, I´ve had to  "translate" all this into practical recipes according to my own life experience. In other words, I´ve had to recreate my dreams of a domestic paradise according to my possibilities, my abilities, wishes and tastes

At the end, it doesn´t turn out to be made of gingerbread houses, hand-knitted socks and flowery aprons, geometric quilts, crochet glovers, hand made bread or intricate cupcakes... it mainly means makeovers, altered furniture, warm colors, craft projects, whimsy collections, vintage fabrics, soulful memories scattered all over the rooms and glimpses of my spiritual life

Now I delight in personal details and find pleasure in my own way of living... and I have smoothed out my inflexibility

Even so, when Christmas arrives, somehow it triggers my contradictions once again, I feel like I´m assuming a false identity in both fields. Maybe this happens because I´ve started to overcome them recently. Anyway, facing this season every year is helping me to be more and more aware of them and more convinced of my choices

Here: My Christmas Village it consists of porcelain pieces of Villeroy and Boch my husband gave me the first piece as a birthday present when I was 40 and now he gives me a new one each birthday

DAY 57

unstuck, but not aloof

I chose joy as the word I would like to be my reference point this month because I consider December a joyful month. But, I don´t know exactly why, my Christmas spirit is a bit downhearted this year... of course, the fact that I am overly busy with work and overly concerned by many things don´t help but I feel that is not only the lack of time. I think I´m reaching a turning point with regard to Christmas. This means that I´m ready to move toward a new, and hopefully more sensible, stage

As I have reached other turning points regard to other issues, I know that this always starts with a sense of rift between me and my feelings of attachment and a sudden need of giving a new approach to the subject

Today I awoke thinking of all the simple things that I love of this season (and not only about all the obligations and expectations it involves and are so hard to fulfill, sometimes), here are them:

the pleasant smell of spices, December means to me cinnamon, clove, vanilla, nutmeg...

the dry flavor of this season fruits: quinces, pomegranates, guavas...


scented candles which burn peacefully around the house 

the sweet sound of the most sentimental music ever, the carols

childish voices saying, Happy Christmas!

A nativity scene featured with love, where the little lambs look so tender

Red poinsettias, so common and so charming


the happy colors of Christmas decorations, wrapping papers, ribbons and bows  

Greeting cards which work as dream catchers that outline a better future


… My sweet heart so easy to please which only needs some of those things to dance and sing

here: a cut quince that I used to make jelly

DAY 56

christmas awakes my contradictions

I´ve always had the feeling that this time of the year (whose meaning is so vast and intangible at the same time) is deeply related to a sort of old fashioned domesticity. Of course, this happens because Christmas is indissolubly linked to home and family but also because, when I think of it, I have a certain kind of family and home in mind that no longer exist... or at least, that are not an exact likeness of my real family and home

Regardless what this could say about me (in other words, regardless that this is often object of harsh criticism, due to the role that women usually play in this way of thinking... a viewpoint that I can understand and -paradoxically- even share ) I´ve always loved this idea of domestic perfection (in particular when this season is around), and the idea of me being able to create a gentle nest through the traditional arts of housekeeping. ... a nest where celebrate a delightful Christmas

Of course, this is contradictory at many levels: it´s not only that this is connected to a life style that is far away from my own life style, the main problem is that I have not the chance for trying to do this... I don´t have even the time. Indeed, I can´t be at home creating fun and beauty because I have to work all day long (something that I love most of the time)... but despite all this, I´ve always  yearned for some lost pleasures of domesticity

Long ago this sort of nostalgia, made me feel rather awkward: there was nothing to suggest that I would long for domesticity after all the hard work I did to have a high demanding profession; later on, I started to feel frustrated because even so, I wanted to be one thing and the other: an academic and a domestic queen but both things seemed to be incompatible

But for some time now,  I´m developing an alternative method: instead of making my life conditional on stereotyped ideas about what a woman should be, (or struggling against my wishes), I´m building my own take on life where I can be as eccentric and creative as I want. I´m mixing joyfully whatever I like and  I am celebrating everything that is beautiful about life...   I am doing  it my own way and do you know something? It works!

PS I will talk about this in depth  on upcoming posts

DAY 55

buddhahood

"Do not pursue the past.
Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is.
The future has not yet come.
Looking deeply at life as it is
in the very here and now,
the practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom.
We must be diligent today.
To wait until tomorrow is too late.
Death comes unexpectedly.
How can we bargain with it?"

DAY 54

healing´s basis

When we think of healing either physical or psychological, we often imagine predetermined solutions rather than arduous exercises and personal routines, but healing (in the widest sense of the word) is a complex process that takes not only an important amount of time, but also efforts and dedication 

According to my experience, an  authentic healing process entails changing our mind´s frames and also, being aware of our emotions: our discomfort usually comes from an internal unease which has to do with the way we are approaching our lives, this  means that any sort  of disease (and the way it evolves) is partly related to our past and present experiences and the way we live

That´s why when we start a spiritual practice or we develop a regular inner work focusing on self-knowledge and on the cultivation of alternative thoughts and values, like gratitude, devotion, authenticity, faith, acceptance, simplicity and so on... suddenly we start to feel better (even we experience a speedy recovering from our ills) and discover  that we have new competences to deal with them 

Maybe because when we are in good terms with ourselves, things look (and turn out to be) easier to lead... we feel healed

DAY 53

goals for achieving joy

1º Just for today: I will focus on the positive side of things...  I will look at the flowers, not at the thorns 

2º Just for today: I will make the most of any chance for laughing 

3º Just for today: I will count my blessings 

4º Just for today: I will look for things that awake my passion and the sense of being connected 

5º Just for today: I will celebrate the ordinary miracle of being alive, I won´t disown my current existence. I will just rejoice at it

Today, that´s enough

DAY 52

Advent

We are living this season right now, and regardless if we are fond of its liturgical or religious dimension, we can make the most of in order to improve our inner life. Indeed, Advent has a deep metaphorical meaning from the point of view of spiritual life that is wonderfully meaningful and moving

Advent can be a time of expectant waiting and preparation for light, either we want to understand it as the natural agent that stimulates sight -which is decreasing right now but will return-, or as an ethereal quality that makes our true essence visible. However, quite often it becomes a stressful task because we turn it into a race against time to plan the perfect Christmas

I´ve been trapped on this idea for a long time and even when a perfect Christmas (according to my opinion) involves positive things like high levels of love, harmony and understanding, a happy family around the table, a warm home, nice foods and a bit of glow... I´ve ended up discovering that this sort of expectations (not always feasible), as any other expectation, causes me unease, anxiety and sorrow

Giving up this idea of Christmas has been a hard work (to tell you the truth, it still is in progress) as it was a deeply rooted dream, but, on the other hand, this has saved me wanting to control destiny and has prevented me suffering

Does it mean that I don´t want golden lights, beautiful ornaments, gifts, laugh, carols, socks awaiting to be filled, handmade sweets, an enormous Christmas tree, luxury meals and so on? No, I want them... in fact, I want them all and more, but I´ve learned that this is not going to give me what I´m looking for, since these things themselves don´t enclose the sense of connection, of being accepted and loved that I´ve always wanted to feel

So now I take it easy. And I look for those things characteristic of this time of the year that can give me peace and a feeling of self-contentment. After all Advent and Christmas should be a joyous time, not a painful time

And how I do that? I take a deep breath and take time to be in the moment and celebrate this new awakened consciousness

I still love nice recipes, but now I look for healthy foods that can nurture also my soul

I still love lighting candles, but I try also to bring light to this world

I still love congenial meetings, but I have learnt to bless all who are present (and absent) and their wonderful diversity

I still love decorating my house, but I´m much more concerned by thanking home blessings and make things that can honor this space that I´ve taken for granted most of the year

I still love that bit of glow, but I now I l also look for the glow of the spirit which is made of faith, gratitude, acceptance, hope and true joy


here: an embroidered pillowcase that my grandmother gave to my my mom as a present, it was part of my grandma´s trousseau

DAY 51

musing on stillness

DAY 50

the outcome of inner work: the need of visibility

When I let go old fears,

I made room for forgiveness,

I moved forward through my story,

I started to heal my past,

I clarified the reason why I am here,

I made my first attempts to rebuilt my self-concept,

I made an effort to honor the present moment,

I developed a daily practice,

I learn how to ask for guidance,

I started to experience some peace,

and felt the first glimpses of pure joy…

I suddenly realized that the biggest challenge was ahead. Today I fully understand that if I want to keep on moving and make the most of the previous changes, I  need to do the following:

I ought to allow my inner light shines free,

I must accept my gifts and be the person I really am

I have to be candidly visible...  indoors, outdoors, everywhere... 

and I have to expose myself openly to the world´s gaze

As simple -as complicated- as that. At the very beginning I was tempted to live this new stage as a testing time,  but I have discovered that it is just a blessing in disguise

DAY 49

the beauty of an ordinary day

Today I´m happy. Nothing new –or great- has happened: I´ve awakened soon and have worked all day long at home, I prepared a quick meal, and keep on reading e-mails and my students papers, had a tea and get a bit angry because I hadn´t updated the blog, it was thirty past nine, had a neck ache and couldn´t find a single pleasant thought or feeling inside me… and in spite of all this, I´m happy  


Because this dull day has been in fact, an awesome day.  It never will come again with all its simple grace made of soft light and warm sheets, boiling water and meowing cats, words dancing like little soldiers along the paper, chicken and cauliflower,  a warm scarf and a pair of chocolate cookies, greetings from friends, mementos scattered around the house, old plates and checked tablecloths, familiar voices, things to do, dreams that I still can achieve...


They seem to be footnotes in the book of my life but… who knows?, maybe the life lies in the margins

DAY 48

sacred connection

"When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.
When actions come from another section,
the feeling disappears"

Rumi

I have discovered that my soul speaks the language of colors and finds self-realization through ordinary moments of everyday life, the beauty of light and the contemplative mood of the simplest fragments of our existence where the only thing we have to do is breathe, see, feel...  listen  the beat of our own heart 


here: my aquarelle pencils and my dear cat, Malú, who passed away ten months ago

DAY 47

soul  whispers

There are antique loves that I have cultivated since long ago and still come to the rescue and defuse boredom, anxiety and desperation. I grew up fond of them and still have the power to make my spirit fly. Indeed, they silently have led me to the place where I am right now as they have been a sort of lifeboat during the hardest times of my life

But if I should mention only one, I would choose my love for graphic images. The way they can be created, manipulated and altered, their styles, colors, shapes, no matter what they can be: paintings, comics, photos, illustrations, collages... have always fascinated me. So much so that since I had my first pencil, I haven´t stopped creating them

My point of highest development as a young amateur artist was the discovery of scissors and glue to mix already created images and create new ones. Later on, I made new interesting discoveries (including photography) that have increased my possibilities of self-expression. But still today, collages hold an irresistible attraction for me

Not only as an artistic task, but as a seeking tool. Making collages permits me to gain access to the peaceful, silent, core of my own self. I don´t know exactly why (or how) this happens, I guess it has to do with letting my left side of my brain rest, so the right side can emerge and be in charge, but it works as a powerful therapy or soulful meditation

Quite often we long for answers to our supplications... and it is beside us, it lies in the things we love passionately and unselfishly because they bear messages from our inner self which is also, our main master

DAY 46

the healing power of the little things

When I look around and I take time to appreciate outstanding examples of grace which surround me, I wonder how can I feel unease, how can I argue with myself or others, how can I live with anger...

They are tiny and witty signs of this universe´s cleverness that usually goes unnoticed because the universe doesn´t boast about being miraculous, on the contrary it is subtle and respectful and doesn´t impose its viewpoints over ours... maybe because we come to this life to conquer light (not to be forced to accept light) and the option for realizing its mastery, it´s also a chance for awakening

But when I allow this things to come into my vision of reality, they change it dramatically... they untie all the knots of my soul and remove all the thorns that are stuck on my heart due to the simple act of living. They give me a renewed sense of pureness and naivety that many times doesn´t last much yet has a tremendous healing power

Things like for example: 

a simple seed or the shape of a leaf

the changing clouds that sail the sky

the diligence of the bees

the softness of a rose petal

the amazing design of a strawberry or the kiwi´s core

the inspiring color of a pumpkin

the sound and smell of the ocean



the rain

the first (and the last) ray of light

a simple blooming bush which show us the magnificence of nature

the radiant beauty of flowers

the splendor of wild landscape 


the savor of some spices and  aromatic herbs 

the small weeds which manage to grow up in a wall crack

the serene dignity of cats which hides a playful spirit

eyes and hands in constant motion which weave incredible stories

fragile feet that carry us far away...

the vulnerability and confidence of any life form


They are indeed, simple, ordinary things but their contemplation seems to me an act of meditation that leads me to the border of my conscious and penetrates my soul´s mysteries

here: a sage leaf

DAY 45

buddhahood

"Look within.
Be still.
Free from fear and attachment,
know the sweet joy of the way"

DAY 44

things that evoke my joy 

If I could choose my definition of joy, it wouldn´t be maybe a great feeling of happiness, it would rather be the sense of being fully lively and cheerful

This sort of joy doesn´t come from great events or achievements, it comes from everyday things, from being deeply present in our lives and not from a very analytic or intricate thought. In a sense, is a feeling that takes us by surprise

Something that happens when we go through an ordinary day and suddenly, after noticing something unique we realize how extraordinary is everything around us

According to this, and according to my own experience, joy is a kind of chain reaction: when something awakes this feeling, we start to sense new reasons to be joyful and so on

However, joy can be also elusive... maybe because it´s easy to lose the sense of connection required, the lack of thought and devotion which are indispensable. When this happens, we tend to see only those things which bother us and we move on to bitterness and resentment.

So we have to train, we have to develop a personal inner practice on daily basis to keep joy.       I´ve been trying to do so for a while now and of course, I´ve attempted different ways to do it. Perfectionist as I am, I´ve started complex practices that were hard to keep and were frustrating, and against what I was looking for. At the end, I´ve discovered that, if we talk about our inner work, it´s better to be constant than overambitious

My inner work regarding to joy is all about noticing simple, beautiful things around me. It can be a shape, a smell, a color... a sound, a taste... and quite often this is only the beginning. This simple, beautiful, thing triggers a new perception of reality which brings me back to a place where my joy freely flows from inside (where it always resides) to outside

DAY 43

this is a friendly and generous universe


"Giving is the highest expression of potency. In the very act of giving, I experience my strength, my wealth, my power. This experience of heightened vitality and potency fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing, spending, alive, hence as joyous. Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness"

Erich Fromm

DAY 42

the complex simplicity of joy

Many times we think that joy have to come from what we do or what we live. That makes our joy fluctuates depending on what happen and mainly on how can this affect our expectations. So much so that when things are not according those expectations (no matter if they are bad things or even good things), we are not able to get in touch with joy...

As we truly believe that joy must be derived from external events, and in particular from a specific quality of these events, we don´t take any responsibility for it. Indeed, regardless what we say, we don´t feel really concerned by our own joy, we see it as a consequence of our life and not as a main aim which is worth defending

This causes endless frustrations because world can´t bring us joy. In fact, true joy flows into this world from us. It comes from a feeling of inner satisfaction that has to do with serenity, peace, gratitude, compassion and the sense of being deeply connected to our lives

When we become rooted into our lives - into our wonderful, dangerous, painful and amazing lives- and we don´t hanker for other -supposedly perfect- life, we´ll discover that this other life is hidden in our current lives, we will discover the radiant joy of being here… now

DAY 41

musing on joy 

DAY 40

december month of joy

We live in a society which is extremely concerned by pleasure. So we live under the influence of many factors which move us to seek it, regardless what is happening in our lives or its consequences. This pleasure has to do mainly with sensual satisfaction and enjoyment as opposite to necessity, work or effort and quite often is mistaken for joy

It seems to be that we must have a carefree life without duties. Even when this could be pleasant, it´s not real and not even desirable because what our world calls pleasure creates most of the times, shallowness, egoism and indifference

This, so called, pleasure is often based on consumerism and individualism so it´s not something we can´t get free... something that in the medium term, give us a sense of emptiness (in the huge meaning of the word) because its effects doesn´t last

Pleasure is not itself bad, in fact it is an important part of the human experience but we must reach that place where pleasure depends on our real perception of world and not on stimulus which indeed are unconnected with us, on needs created by market, ideology or any alien interest

This means that we won´t find joy in the way to pleasure, on the contrary, we will find pleasure in the way to joy. In other words, we must reach a place where pleasure depends on what make us truly happy and not momentarily satiated

When we experiment the most satisfaction in being ourselves and not a context product, and we connect with the depth of our own beingness we can say we have reached this place. Then, joy, a feeling that arises from within, will be invoked and things around us will give us a true, lasting, pleasure

Because joy flows when we recognize who we are, when we permit ourselves to follow our inner guidance and we stay focused on our own life and our own bliss. If we are always reaching for alignment with that, we won´t disappear into the pleasure seeking and we will discover that joy is self-created… it comes from finding ecstasy in living our lives as they are and being ourselves, not anyone else

DAY 39

the thankfulness path

The month of gratitude has ended and the final assessment couldn´t be more positive. Here are some of the things I´ve realized:

gratitude is an attitude, but can be also a daily practice

gratitude is gift,  but can be also an option

gratitude is an spontaneous reaction, but can be also a way of living

gratitude is a feeling, but can be also an ethic value

gratitude is a rash act, but can be also an empowerment tool

In sort, gratitude is a possibility, a miracle, but is also a need. Therefore, gratitude must be cultivated, it must be conciously and intentionally communicated and things that make us feel grateful must become evident, visible... and not only from time to time, but every single day.

DAY 38

noticing joy as an awakening method

I´m so interested in the process through which we become the persons we are, about the way we construct our identities. We are the outcome of our experiences and learning but also of how these things interact with our inner self and a complex heredity that are previous

Being conscious of all that, helps us to keep things in perspective. It makes us understand much better ourselves and the role we play in this life and involves a sort of awakening (or many) to the reality of this existence´s nature

We may think this awakening demands a hard work and indeed, going into the different layers that shape our character and personality in depth is not easy but there are many ways to do it:

we can follow in a master´s steps, there are many around us

we can trust our intuition and follow our inner guidance

we can lean on our friends and beloved ones if they are trying to do a similar work

we can look for professional support and advice if we think we need it

we can opt for being an autodidact and build up our own learning path

... and, last but not least, we can do all the previous things at the same time. This has been my "method" and it has worked quite well. Nowadays I understand much better why I´m here and how I´ve turned into the person I am and what is more important, I´m aware of the person I really am, and the person I want to be

However, if I had to give any recipe to achieve a better knowledge of our true essence I would give this one:

pay attention to the things that make you feel connected, inspired, passionate, alive... you will recognize them because they are unequivocally linked to joy


here: me and my camera, which has helped me so much when it comes  to get in touch with joy