DAY 277

"Manifest plainness,  
embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires."

Lao Tzu


flower art friday,  floral friday foto  : dusk

DAY 263

"Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe
when we feel safe in ourselves" 

Thich Nhat Hanh

After my previous post, I wanted to post this quote which illustrates so well the healing power of a good walk


flower art friday: blissfully yellow

DAY 256

nuance

Leaving my mom´s house is always too hard. I use to visit her once every forty five days or so, and stay there for a few days or even a week depending on my work and the time of the year. However, no matter how long I can stay or how many things I can do, every time I have to come back to my house I feel extremely sad because I don´t live -like my siblings do- in a nearer place

This is the life we live, this is the life we have (mostly due to our own choices) and this is the life we should love, because changes are not so easy in this case and I should appreciate the moments we share instead of complaining about the moments we don´t share... and I do it, but not the first days after my departure. The first days I am prone to show resistance (I know...)

But this doesn´t do me a lot of good, so lately I am trying to change my attitude and at least, reduce the numbers of days that I usually stay feeling bad. In order to achieve this goal, I am implementing a simple, yet effective, strategy: I pay attention to all the nice things my mother has around to feed her spirit when I am away. They can be lovely plants in pots, herbal teas, a new book or pastime and so on

This makes me feel better, not only because these things make her life more pleasant, but also because I can use them to motivate my mother to be a bit busier. And having the chance of doing this while I am not with her makes me feel much more serene

Here: violet that my niece brought as a present and whose "health" will be an interesting theme of conversation the weeks ahead

DAY 242

Today, keep your eyes open to beauty

gentleness and unexpected gifts

Keep your eyes open to small moments, the subtle shades of your everyday life and also to

happy coincidences

tender gestures

friendship

sweet instants of peace

new things

challenges to let yourself slow down

tiny pauses along the day

passion

time to rest

opportunities for inner growth and renewal 

calming diversion

empty spaces in your day where be yourself

ways to go inward and to steady your mind

time with no agenda

activities that bring you joy

little islands of joy in your daily life

your own power

possible moments of prayer and meditation

life of the soul

what make you feel alive

unexpected magic

the meandering flow of events 

love

positive moods

what make you feel connected

and

nests of time that can be inhabited only by you



flower art friday: lavender dream

DAY 228

fragility

This photo has made me think about all the things that still frighten me.

About the above mentioned fragility of life, living beings and this world´s balance. But also, about

my own vulnerability

inescapable weakness linked to ageing

indifference and cruelty of those who don´t appreciate the uniqueness of life

blindness and lack of perspective that prevent us to be aware of the high impact we can have on our context

vanity and arrogance of persons who think they are the center of the universe, when indeed, it has multiple centers

lack of compassion and selfishness produced by our individualism

our ignorance in relation to the real nature of things

the repeated rejection of our interdependence

the deep-seated contempt for spiritual side of life

our banality and irresponsibility, indolence and apathy, when we should feel amazed, lucky, grateful...

And once and again, I´ve been thinking that maybe we are too good at escapism and unconcern, too good at being excessively absorbed in ourselves. In fact, we are the heir of those who survived thanks to these abilities, and sometimes I afraid we won´t be able to break off this vicious circle

But then, I have looked backwards at all my life and at the moment I took this photo and I started this unfinished reflection and I understood that no destiny is unshakeable...




flower art friday: vulnerable