Evaluating our relationships

 "There comes a time in all our lives when we may need to evaluate our relationships, making sure that they are having a positive effect on us, rather than dragging us down. Without realizing it, we may be spending precious time and energy engaging in friendships that let us down, rather than cultivating ones that support and nourish us along our path. Life, with its many twists, turns, and challenges, is difficult enough without us entertaining people in our inner circle who drain our energy. We can do so much more in this world when we are surrounded by people who understand what we're trying to do and who positively support our efforts to walk our path". (The Daily Om)

I read this and understood how true this is regarding the relationship we keep with our friends and acquaintances. Normally, when we think about our friends, we start by seeing if an old friend keeps on carrying negative ideas that do not let him/ her move forward and drag us along. It could also happen that we have a friend who has a habit of letting us down any time we need his/her support. I am not sure if we should just let them go or should we try to talk to them in an open conversation telling them how we feel about the state of our friendship. Perhaps it may be better if we evaluate the kind of friend we are to them and this will help all of us to become the type of friend we need and expect to have. 

Five minutes of happiness

Cultivating a happy heart takes no more than five minutes. Alone, we can enjoy an aromatic cup of our favourite tea, take a stroll through the garden we have created, write about the day's events in a journal, doodle while daydreaming, or breathe deeply while we listen to the silence around us or you can sing at the top of your voice as my friends and I used to do at Karaoke.

In the company of a good friend or treasured relative, we can share a few silly jokes, enjoy a dance around the room (as I did this morning dancing a “bolero moruno” or whatever it was that I danced) , play a fast-paced hand of cards, or reconnect through lighthearted conversation via phone or whatsApp.

 The key is to first identify what makes us dizzyingly happy. Let´s allow ourselves the freedom to do whatever brings us pleasure, five minutes out of  24 hours can brighten our lives, give us a good reason to smile about and put us in the right mood to face the challenges of everyday life.

Cultivar un corazón feliz no debe tomar mas de cinco minutos. Solos, podemos disfrutar un cafecito caliente o una taza de un aromático té, caminar por el jardín o el parque, escribir algo en nuestro diario (blog, celu, etc.), respirar hondo disfrutando el silencio a nuestro alrededor o cantar a voz en cuello... aunque desafines (como hacíamos en la foto en el karaoke con dos grandes amigas hace muuuuuuchos años).

En compañía, podemos intercambiar chistes, disfrutar un baile en la sala (hoy disfruté mucho bailando un “bolero moruno”, si es que hay algo que se llame así y que coincida con mis pasos de baile), escuchar canciones de la “nueva ola” (vieja en verdad) o reconectar por teléfono o WhatsApp con algún amigo (Eric, you made my day!!).

Lo que importa es identificar qué nos hace feliz y tomarnos la libertad de hacerlo, de este modo, estos cinco minutos diarios de las 24 horas que tiene cada día nos darán siempre un buen motivo para sonreír y nos pondrán de buen humor para enfrentar las tensiones que se presenten.

Teacher´s Day

"Doors open when the time is right for us to enter a new space, metaphorically speaking, and we can have faith that walking through is the right thing to do. Sometimes we linger in the threshold because we are afraid of leaving our old life for a life we know nothing about. We may have voices inside of our heads that try to hold us back or people in our lives saying discouraging things. These voices, internal and external, are known as threshold spirits, and they express all the fears and doubts that arise at the beginning of a new life. Nevertheless, none of these voices can hold us back, and they will fall silent as soon as we cross the threshold."

(Extracted from The Daily Om)

 "Our relationship with our father will often affect our relationships with the other men who will come into our lives. You may have learned to behave and think in certain ways because those were the ways that your father acted and thought. Certain talents that you possess may have been passed down to you by your father. There also may be personal issues that you inherited by virtue of who your father is. Understanding how your relationship with your father has influenced you can help you better understand yourself and the life that you have created.
In a time when mothers, the sacred feminine, and female energy are being honoured, it is important not to forget the importance of fathers. Father energy and mother energy are the two complementary energies necessary to bring a healthy human being to fruition in the world. Many of the ideas surrounding fathers are changing in the wake of more modern parenting styles and the more egalitarian roles that are evolving between the sexes. More men are embodying the mother energy these days, and a woman can provide father energy for her children. Either way, we can all benefit from thinking about our fathers and how they have influenced who we've become and the ways that we walk through this world.

 Let us remember to honour our fathers".

(Taken from The Daily Om)

Oración por el Perú

 

Do you enjoy your job?

Enjoying your job

"A job that you enjoy that lets you meet your needs and allows you to live in accordance with your values will always be more gratifying than a high-status job that you dislike. But while experiencing professional satisfaction can be a vital part of being fulfilled by your work, it is important to remember that it is possible to find happiness in any job. This is because what you do is often less important than how you do it. Your attitude and intention can turn a mediocre job into work that fulfills you because of the way you approach it. If you do your job well and what you do benefits others, then you are doing work that is making this world a better place.

If you are happy in your current line of work and feel that it allows you to be yourself and live authentically while meeting your emotional and physical needs, allowing time for you to enjoy the fruits of your labor, then you have found a job that adds value to your life. If you are a waitress, then be the best waitress you can. Take pride in your work and others will notice your passion. You can contribute your talents and skills to this world while doing any job. It is not the kind of work you do that allows you to be of service. It is you who must choose to be of service through the work that you do."

The Daily Om

Mother´s Day

Last Sunday, May 9th, we celebrated Mother´s Day in Peru, the second one after the pandemic stroke. to say we celebrated is an euphemism since it is difficult to celebrate when the person who is the reason for the celebration is not present. However, we managed to do something special that day: Zoom meeting, a phone call, a visit the day before (we are prohibited to leave home on Sundays) ignoring all recommendations, you name it.

Sadly, there are mothers who have nothing to celebrate because they lost their children in the pandemic or in an incident brought up by the insecurity and delinquency that reigns in several districts of the city.. and in the whole country. And there are sons, daughters and grandchildren who have lost their mothers and grannies... sometimes because they couldn´t help visiting them, hugging them ... and passing on the virus. 

Will the vaccine end with this new way of living? I am not sure, sometimes it is as if people do not care anymore and do not feel any more. It is as if we are all dumb and unable to react. Still, I want to feel that we cannot lose hope. I hope we will thrive in this new world if we learn how to care for ourselves and each other, our next door neighbour, our friend who ended up alone because all his nuclear family died. Perhaps now that we have lockdowns and curfews it is the time for caring for others and helping others. 

I sent WhatsApp messages to the mothers of my family and sent a prayer to my Mum who died last year and I did celebrate with a nice meal and thanked God because I was blessed with a wonderful Mum and now I am still enjoying the best gift she could give me: Life!