Tolerate

The other day while taking a long walk in the park, I was pondering about why sometimes we feel uncomfortable with the way our life is going.

I remember thinking that as long as I was feeling fine, my life and everything around me were supposed to be alright and I should not move anything whatsoever to change it.

I am not saying, that you should feel uneasy with your life all the time, that is not the real reason to be here.  But once you notice that “nothing changes” that things are just the same, as usual, and you begin to feel that you are not “advancing” in your life path, then it is time to listen to that little voice in your head that is trying to tell you something very important.

Something that perhaps you are pretending to ignore.

The storm

When I was a child I hated when the rain ruined my afternoon. I was not allowed to go out and play while raining.

So, during the rainy season I was doomed to stay at home watching TV or reading, that was not a bad thing since I fell in love with many wonderful books back then.

But I remember many times watching great plans with friends being cancelled because of the rain.

That made me feel very frustrated and sometimes even angry with Mother Nature.

Years had to pass before I was able to really appreciate the blessings of a good storm and the cleansing and purifying effects on the whole planet.

Satisfaction guaranteed

 

For many years I believed in the standard model of happiness, you know, what everybody tells you that you need to have, wear and live to be a real happy person.

Of course, I was never able to reach those standards, therefore I believed I was not a good person.

If I was not able to accomplish all those requirements, then I should be a loser. After all I was able to see many achievers around me. And if I was the only one who was living in mediocrity then something should be wrong with me.

Those where very difficult years for me.

I couldn’t understand quite well, how was it possible that many of my friends and acquaintances were leaving a perfect life, while I was really struggling to keep my pieces together.

Wordless

 

You do not need to “share” all your experiences with the rest of the world.

Most of the things we really enjoy are things we cannot punt into words.

I know nowadays it is more important for many people to upload photos of their last trip to their social networks than taking the time to enjoy the moment for themselves.

The other day I was talking with a friend who told me that he had not taken any videos or photographs of his trip because I felt he lost a lot of time taking the photo instead of filling his mind and soul with that moment.  

That obstacle

I was in a hurry, I was walking faster than usual, and that means very fast because I always walk rapidly, when suddenly right after turning to the right on a corner, I found a huge tyre with a tree branch in the middle blocking the pavement.

Who had dared to leave that hindrance in the middle of the pavement??

“Someone might get hurt, didn´t you think of that when you left these things here?” I said in loud voice, in case the culprit was still around waiting to have a laugh when someone bumped into it.” But there was no one there.

I tried to move that big branch to clear the way, and when I began pulling it out I could see a big hole on the floor.  It looked like someone had fallen into it previously and then, in order to avoid someone else to fall again, they moved a big tyre and a tree branch to cover it and that way prevent more accidents.

I stood still there for a while.

This is Life

 

The morning Sun started to shine upon the river Thames as London was awakening to a new day.

The activity in Oxford St. was chaotic as usual, and a walk in Hyde Park was the best medicine for my exhausted soul.  That, and something good to eat. Body and soul are connected and good food is something that I enjoy very much.

I arrived at a very popular place in the area, the owner takes care of the kitchen since he is an excellent chef. I was happy to be there that day.

Watching him work was a real pleasure, he has the gift to make regular food look like a masterpiece.

You are the best!

Sometimes we look up at other people thinking their lives are really great and worth imitating.  We see just what they allow us, great houses, cars, expensive gadgets, etc.

We believe they have a wonderful life and we wish we could be as lucky as they are.

We see people we call achievers and read about their great success in business, sports, politics etc.  We would love to do things as good as they do.

We tend to idealise those people and really believe that we are very far from those overachievers.  We wouldn’t dream to compare with them and sometimes we even feel happy if we could do a quarter of what they can do.  And actually that is the real problem.

Your mental image

 

They say that we should be clear where are we heading to, in order to get to the place, we wish to reach. And that is true.

I am sure, most of the time you leave your home with a destination in your mind. When you take the underground, a cab or get into your car, you have a definite end point in your mind. Otherwise you will make you and other people mad very easily. Especially cab drivers, they like to know where they will take you to, instead of driving around like lost ants.

In life, it is considered a good practice to have goals to accomplish, places to go and people to love. And that is good as well.

The real problem comes when you have a “fixed mental image” of how things should happen.

Your strength is…

 

She felt really down that morning. She had been trying to be strong for too long and that takes a lot of effort. Her strength was beginning to fade away and the despair was more than evident in her eyes.

She looked at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen in my life.  Her voice projected her inner state and after saying hello in a taciturn voice, she told me that she felt she could not bear it anymore.

Life had treated her unkindly and she has been going through a difficult period in all areas of her life.

She knew quite well, that she needed to change her attitude, thoughts and feelings so she could jump back on her feet once more.  But this time she felt that was just too much for her to accomplish.

She asked me to give her just one aspect of her that could give her hope for the future.

“Tell me just one thing to make me feel strong once more” She said with a desperate voice.

Contrasting

 

I was not aware of the root of his anger.  He had always been a very nice person, always smiling and joking with everyone around him.

They had been friends since their early childhood. They had been together in many battles and in many celebrations as well.

But then one day his friend left the country to begin his quest to find his “real self”. Many new paths and experiences awaited him ahead.

They lost contact for many years until, one day, he returned home.