Service announcement for those who miss me ;)

Mind, body and soul sessions (#7)

Focus on the Good – part II

Every story has two sides. This goes for the stories we are told but also for the stories we tell ourselves. When you are on a diet, you’ll probably weigh yourself every week. At the weigh in you expect weight loss (duh!), but there will be weeks when you haven’t lost/gained a single gram. The famous weight plateau! Now, you can hit yourself over the head, because you haven’t lost any or you can say to yourself “well, at least I didn’t gain any weight!!” Other example: When you look in the mirror, you can focus on the lines on your faces and think “I am getting really old now!” But you can also say “Wow I’ve laugh lines around my eyes and mouth. Every line represents plenty of laughter. Hurrah!” Technically they are all true, but the last one in each case is clearly going to make you feel better.

So the next step to a happier life: Make a determined effort to tell the positive side of the story. Pay close attention to the things you tell yourself. Look for the positive, focus on the good! Ask yourself little questions like: How does this meal taste? What’s the weather like? How does the coffee taste? When you can answer these questions (in a positive way) with ease, it’s time to focus your positive spin to other people. Notice something you love in your partner, friends, kids, family or strangers. And when you are up for a real challenge…..try to find something good in a person you really dislike.

Still, this all relatively easy. The real test comes when you are out in the real world. Notice your first reaction when – you get an annoying negative email from a coworker, - you encounter a rude salesperson or waiter, - someone cut you off in traffic, - someone jumps the queue. Pay attention, and then look for the other side of the story. Make an effort to find something good to say about every situation. This can be tough, but it is achievable. Maybe you can admire the coworker’s dedication, or say to yourself “well, I don’t have to spend a lifetime with this salesperson/waiter”, or be grateful for the opportunity the driver/queue jumper gives you to practice your new way of thinking. Like I said this way of thinking can be tough, but it also can be very helpful.

The downside of this step is that you notice how many times you say negative things to yourself or others. Did you know you had so many negative thoughts? Probably not, but that’s okay. Don’t reprimand yourself! This step is about focusing on the good, noticing the positive. You can’t change what you can’t acknowledge. You can’t break the habit you don’t know you have. Paying attention is the first part of the transformation.

“Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.” Greg Anderson

Mind, body and soul sessions (#6)

Focus on the good in your life!

We all, occasionally get them, negative thoughts and feelings. One day the glass is half full, the next it is half empty and on really bad days it might have spilled completely. Relationship problems, people, pressure at work, money worries, stress, a sense of desperation, hopelessness and boredom all affect our attitudes and feelings. It's easy to believe that we're completely at the mercy of our feelings, but in fact we're not…..hurrah :) To some degree the way you feel is dictated by your thinking pattern (or style).

People tend to make sense of the world in two thinking styles. Thinking styles are the way you look at life and explain situations in your life or the world. The first style is more optimistic, the second is the more pessimistic view. Bad feelings often are the result of bad, pessimistic and unhelpful thinking patterns. If you spend all the day, every day, thinking about problems and negative stuff, as some people do, you're unlikely to feel very happy. Optimistic thinking styles are linked with happiness, good health and success. Now you might think that if you are born with one predominant style (the pessimistic one for instance), you can never change but research suggests that you can!

This is obviously easier said than done because people can’t simply decide to think positively and change their lives overnight, it’s not that simple. There are, however, steps you can take if you want to be happier. You can make a start by looking for the good in your life. Everyone has things in their life for which they can be grateful. Spend more time thinking about these and I promise you you'll feel a lot better.

Count your blessings

Start a new ritual: reflect on at least five things you're grateful for, things you appreciate, things that make you happy or just things that made you smile. (hmm…that sounds kind of familiar ;)) Maybe you enjoyed the nap you stole after nights of barely any sleep at all. Or you relished that glass of beer in the heat. Or you're grateful that you and your friends spend some quality time together.
How and when you conduct this ritual is totally up to you. Some say you must write down your five things before you go to bed, so you can drift off feeling happy. Others suggest you take stock when you are in the shower, or when you have breakfast, so you can start the day feeling great. But like I said…. How, when and where is totally up to you.
You can make a new list every day or you can focus on the same five things every day. Again, this is up to you! There are no strict rules here. Oh hold on, there is one rule (bummer ;)). You need to make your list as detailed as possible.

The details are worth it. The details train you to pay more attention so you're less likely to miss the little things that create positive feelings. So remember the first gulp of beer, the taste, the way it made you feel and the smell. Or write about the laughter of your friends, remember the sound, remember their faces. You can find a lot of happiness in those small things. Happiness is in the nuances, relish them.

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And now it’s really time for this…..C U L@er!!

Ladies and Gentlemen….

I am taking some time off!

Yes, it’s that time again. So, I’m going to take a chill pill ;) and just relax for a couple of days. I’ll probably be back in a couple of days. I’m still going to post Sunday’s “Mind, body and soul sessions” because I’ve almost finished writing it anyway :).

In case you get bored, here are some interesting finds…. Enjoy!!

Lost and found photographs
Time tales is a collection of found photographs. Found at flea markets, thrift shops, some are scooped up from streets and alleyways, fallen from an overstuffed bag or torn pocket. Others turn up in a cabinet’s hidden compartment, found while wandering the rooms of an abandoned house. Now the photos exist by themselves, lost in time. Time tales does not want to reveal their mysteries. Time tales asks to be the new home for lost photos, a resting place, for the nameless and the lost.

Air traffic controllers
These disturbingly funny conversations allegedly all took place between air traffic controllers and pilots around the world. Have a pleasant flight.

Wonders of the world
Wondering about your next holiday destination? Maybe the Hillman Wonders of the World list can help you. Consult this top 100 ‘must see’ destination site, fly around the world and cross off all the destinations you have visited already

Don’t browse……swarm!
Swarm is a graphical map of hundreds of websites, all connecting to each other. It updates itself every second with where people are going and coming from. As sites become more popular, they move towards the centre of the swarm. Website traffic is symbolized with thin lines. Each time you see a line appear, it means someone has moved from one site to the other. You can gauge how many people are swarming around based on the number of lines. Swarm is a useful tool for browsing the web, not searching it. You need to come here with an open mind and you may find some really cool stuff.


Take care, stay cool, drink fluids and enjoy yourselves!
C U L@er!!

What else is seeping out of my body through my sweat glands?

Probably a lot of stuff I don’t want to know about, but I am suspecting that my inspiration is leaving the temple (a.k.a my body) through these glands too. I can absolutely not come up with any original blog idea. Sorry folks!! It’s another weather related post (or question in this case) and this time it’s about food.

What do you eat when temperatures are high?

I am always drinking a lot more when it’s hot and I eat a lot less because my appetite has almost completely vanished. This concept would be great if I was on a diet but I am not. I don’t need or want to lose weight, so I am force-feeding myself ;) No just kidding, but I refuse to skip meals….. people need to eat! So I treating myself to all sorts of salads, because a) they are cold and b) I like salads. But by now I’ve eating every salad (green-, pasta- , chicken- , fruit- , tuna- and salmon salads) I can think of but there must be more stuff I can eat without getting hot flashes (no, I am not “going through the change”….it’s the weather :)) after every bite. So my question to you: What do you eat when it’s hot?

Please don’t feel obligated to answer, but it would be great if you did though :)

It’s a heat thing!

The last couple of days it has been really hot over here. Today temperatures hit 37º C/98,6 ºF in some places and that is really rare. We are also “enjoying” our second heat wave of the year and that is even rarer. The last time we had two heat waves in one year was 59 years ago.

Up until now I had no problem with the high temperatures, but the last couple of days I woke up at 5. AT 5!! That’s way too early for me. Now I am starting to think about doing the siesta thing, like they do in Spain (btw it’s much warmer here then in Spain at the moment) but there is only one problem, during the day it’s quite hot indoors too. So, let’s just strike that idea. This heat wave will probably pass, only not any time soon. They are predicting the same sort of weather (temperatures around 32º C/90º F for the next 10 days?!?! Oh well, it’s summer and we might as well (try to) enjoy it, whatever the temperature :) There is only one summer of 2006 after all!

So no better time then the present to find out what my Summer anthem 2006 would be:

My 2006 Summer Anthem Is

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield "No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins"

What's Your 2006 Summer Anthem?

Strange coincidence….this was my anthem for the Summer of 2005!

In other news! Men feel great on the beach, Women think they are fat(ty).

A Dutch magazine held a poll and that showed that 40% of all women think they are too obese to go to the beach. 43% of the men feel great when they are on the beach.

Further research showed that only 2% (duh!) of the men get very annoyed with topless (female) sunbathers. 13% of the women didn’t like topless (female) sunbathers. When asked, 39% of the men said they would regret it if topless sunbathing would be banned. Oh, how surprising.

One other surprising fact. 40% of the women like to compare themselves with other women. Only 22 % of the men do the same thing. Hey people, what’s the use, you are who you are. It’s not like you can change into someone else just by looking at them :)

Surprising news! Hot randy weather.
Apparently a lot people feel much more attracted (to put it nicely) to the opposite (or same, if that’s their thing) sex because of the hot weather. It seems to be a hormone thing, but I believe it has a lot to do with the flimsy summer clothes too. Rumour has it that they just want to be close to other people! Are they mad……It’s way too hot for that sort of thing ;)

Last surprising fact of the day which made me say "I never knew that" I always thought the hottest time of the day was between 12 noon and 3 in the afternoon. Today I learned that heat can be delayed. The highest temperatures were measured in the evening between 6 and 7. Oh, see, people are never too old to learn something new :)

Enjoy your hot (or cool) evening! ;)

Cartoon Tuesday: Love and Marriage?! (9)

Where is their sense of humour?

McDonald’s Heerlen (Limburg) has to remove urinals.

The urinals, in the shape of wide-open red lips, have to be removed from the men’s room. According to the owner of the McDonald's fast-food outlet in the south east of the Netherlands, the urinals have to be removed because a prudish American filled a couple of complaints with McDonald’s head office.

The Owner said that the bright red, mouth-shaped urinals, named 'Kisses', are works of art. According to Bathroom-mania “'Kisses!' transforms a daily event into a blushing experience! Works better than aiming at the fly! This is one target men will never miss!" But a different view is taken of them in America. The urinals are being removed and will be sold off. "I'm not going to harp on about a pair of urinals," he said.

Leave it to the Americans to play the role of party poopers ;)

Mind, body and soul sessions (#5)

Character strengths.

In one of my previous Sunday posts I have said that “Happiness is a state of mind; it is a different way of looking at the world. When you start to accept things as they are, true happiness will enter your life too”. But it does not stop there. It is not only about accepting the things around you as they are; it is also about accepting who you are. It is a process of discovery and accepting and loving the person you really are as well. It is not about trying to become someone you are not. If you want to live a balanced and happy life, you must know your talents and strengths and use them on a daily basis. Most people spend their days trying to overcome their flaws but that is just a waste of your precious energy. Stop looking at your weaknesses and focus on your strengths. Character strengths make you stronger. They range from guts, empathy, resilience, hope, creativity, and social skills to integrity, self-knowledge, impulse control, and wisdom. This does not mean that you should ignoring problems or limitations, but rather realizing they are just one part of the whole person you are.

Discover your strengths?

When you ask people about their weaknesses they can produce a whole list in an instant but when you ask them about their strengths they need to think for a while. In the end they might come up with a very short list and that is probably it. If you are not sure about your strengths, pay more attention to all the things you do and make a list of all your happy moments for at least a week. Notice the moments when you have a smile on your face because that will probably mean you are doing something you are good at and/or enjoy. As the week ends, take stock, list your abilities and break everything down into its smallest components. Write down every skill you have used at home or at work. For instance, if you are a dentist’s assistant, don’t write “I know how to be a dentist’s assistant”. But write about how you can make nervous people feel at ease or how you can make children smile.

When you have your complete lists (abilities and happy moments), spend some time studying them. Not for hours on end of course, but take a few minutes each day and look at your lists. Are there similarities, things that stand out, things you didn’t know or surprising facts? Now pick out a few of your strengths and happy moments and promise to repeat them as often as possible. Maybe you are passionate about boats; why not create a website for fellow boat enthusiasts. Or maybe you are one of those talkative people who can talk to all sorts of people. Great, call people instead of emailing them or become a helpline volunteer. Maybe you are great with animals, volunteer at an animal shelter or spend some time dogwalking. Sometimes you need to take a step back to remember all that you have going for you.

Rearranging your life around your gifts, strengths and talents provides you with a sense of purpose and happiness. Recognizing your strengths is very important, and you should wear them with pride. This doesn’t mean being conceited, but knowing that the things that make you special also help you to meet challenges. There are always going to be some days when you just feel moody, tired, or depressed. This is when it is most important to call on your strengths. It may all sound a bit cheesy—but it is vital to your happiness :)

“It is actually easier to be who you are, than to become someone your not!”

What has been on your mind lately?

Not much to blog about today, so here are some random thoughts a.k.a a rubbish post :)

The Netherlands, that's in the UK, right?
I don’t know why, but an American lady seems to think I live in the UK although my profile states I live in The Netherlands. Okay, I know some Americans think Europe is one big country and others believe that Holland is part of Scandinavia or Eastern Europe, but I’ve never heard that we were part of the UK. Oh, there are also people who believe that Holland isn’t any bigger than Amsterdam…….must be the drugs!

Apparently there are a lot of sad and lonely people in cyberspace.
Yesterday I placed my ‘thank you’ note online. I couldn’t do it anonymously so I opened a new Gmail account just for this occasion. I never expected to receive any mail because I didn’t make an appeal or anything, so I was quite surprised to find a couple of emails in the new inbox this morning. At first I thought it would be spam, but no, it actually turned out to be real mail from people who are lonely, single or bored. People who tell their whole life story to people they don’t know. And the real sad part, they even don’t take the time to figure out if you are a man or a woman. One of the email started with “Are you the man of my dreams?”………ehm….. NO! Or how about this one “At the moment I am living with my b-friend and our daughter. We have been together for 4 years now, but the love and excitement is gone. I miss the tenderness; we live like brother and sister now. I am going to leave my b-friend as soon as I find the next love of my life. Are you him?” Ehmm…….NOPE! Sad isn’t it! She’s already window-shopping while she still is in a relationship.

I still haven’t found what I was looking for
For no apparent reason at all, I want to know more about gang handshakes a.k.a. the slide or the home(y) slide (the handshake that is used by gangs, rappers and kids). There seems to be no information at all. What I want to know is this: Does all the different hand positions mean anything? Why do they lock thumbs? What does it mean? Help!!

Women must work
The Dutch government and trade unions say women must return to the workforce and not tomorrow but today. Good idea! I want to work for money…..so, if they would be so kind to offer me a nice job or at least point me in the direction of all the jobs they are talking about, I would really appreciate it. I emailed one of the guys who introduced this plan some time ago…..I am still waiting for his answer!

Glow sticks
The free glow stick I got at the concert stopped glowing today *snif*. I am a bit amazed….it took the thing 6 days to die :)

Okay, enough rubbish. For some real entertainment…..check out this video, it made me smile :)

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1.Creating a blog post out of absolutely nothing.
2.The online community I’ve set up last week is being used and the others seem to be satisfied.
3. Butterflies. This morning I was walking near the river and all of a sudden a butterfly landed on my shoulder. It sat there a while before taking off again. Funnily enough it followed me all the way home. Nature is great!

They’ve got the power! No, they don’t…….

The other day I was talking with one of my friends about how hard life can be when you are in the process of changing it. Her life hasn’t been easy these last few years but now she is crossing to the sunnier side of the street. Hooray!

Every now and then we talk about stuff that might help her or are bothering her. Other friends call these jokingly our counselling session, but I don’t think they are. It’s all about giving her a few pointers and warn her about the pitfalls she can encounter. Little things like: keep paying attention to your routine the moment you believe you have reached your destination. Sounds strange but the moment you believe you are there, something changes and you start to forget all the things you have learned along the way. When you stop paying attention, you slide back to your original starting point and you have to start all over again (duh…..why do you think it’s called a starting point ;))

The other day we talked mainly about how others treat you when you are in the process of change. Almost everybody has an opinion and most of them are, to put it mildly, not nice. According to my friend the people around her have all the power, they can lift her up and get her down. I disagree with her. If you let others rule your world, you give them the power. However, when you don’t allow them to rule your kingdom, they have no power (over you) at all. Sure they are still going to tell you that you are doing it all wrong, but hey, that’s just fine! Smile and let them know that you are allowed to make mistakes; it’s all part of that great thing called life.

During my depression, people told me that I could never overcome it without drugs or professional help, but I did it. When I was on the up, others told me it wouldn’t last, but it did. And these days’ people are saying I have too much fun (does such a thing exists?). I shouldn’t go to festivals at my age, that’s for young people (so what is young?). But when I say “So I should stay indoors and wait for the day the grim reaper comes for me?” they say I am over exaggerating. I know I am not living an average life, certainly not a life that’s considered (by others) appropriate for my age, but I am enjoying myself immensely. So what’s the problem?

I told my friend to stop caring about what others think or say about her. In the eyes of a lot of others you are never going to do it right. There are so many people around us and somehow they all want you to be the person they want you to be (you have to live up to their expectation and you’ll have to match that mental picture they have created in their head). Only you can never be that person because everybody has a different picture. So you either need to become schizophrenic and create a gazillion different personalities or be just who you want to be. I stopped playing that/their game a long time ago and I choose to be who I wanted to be…. And that’s just plain old me. So ‘who cares’ what they think….if they don’t like me (anymore), their loss :)

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. Life and everything in and about it. It can be as simple or complicated as you allow it to be.
2. Silly ideas. The other day I posted a Dutch 'thank you' note on my blog! Somehow that didn’t felt right so I’ve posted it on two other sites too. I'm not quite sure why I did that, but I have that funny ‘gut’ feeling that I needed to do that. So it’s done!
3. Funny comments on flickr like “I thought this was Chewbacca with sunglasses ;)” When I see things like that I can only Laugh out Loud!

Template crazy!

The other day I was surfing the web, looking for templates, and I came across this very interesting site. If you are in the market for a new blogger template, you should check it out. They have amazing, funny, stylish, colourful and artistic templates. I like the Top Secret one a lot :) but hey, that’s probably just my weird taste :)

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. The great summer. Summer is only 3 weeks old and I’ve been having a marvellous summer so far. Lovely weather, amazing people and laughs….. a lot of laughs.
2. My daily exercise routine. I had to skip it a couple of times and that sucked! Not because I gained weight or anything …… No!... when I can’t exercise I miss my daily energy boost….. Now I am back on track and I feel so much better!
3. I am going to try and make last Saturday’s festival even better next year. A lot of people are complaining on the festival site, but are not willing to take a survey. How stupid! I am going to take it and hopefully suggest some things that will make the festival even better next year. My opinion: If you have something to say, express it! :)

Cartoon Tuesday: Love and Marriage?! (8)

Fun in the sun!

Last Saturday I went to the fantastic music festival called “Concert at Sea”. I thought it would be a very small festival but as it turned out 60.000 people showed up for some fun in the sun!
And fun in the sun it was. Great (Dutch and one Belgian) bands, even better ambiance, magnificent festival feel and a lot of singing and dancing. I had a great day! But (there is often a but) there was also one drawback.

I was supposed to go with one of my friends, with whom I go to these kind of events quite often, but unfortunately this person could not go so I had to invite someone else or go alone. I opted to go with someone else and that turned out to be a (very) bad idea. This person didn’t know any of the bands, was sick and smelled like a polecat (which is not like this but like this . By now I can tell you which one I prefer!). Yuck! It really ruined part of my day! After spending a day in close proximity of a reeking person I am really convinced that they can’t smell themselves! I dropped a few subtle hints but that didn’t help. I was so engrossed by the stench that I couldn’t think about anything else. I honestly believe I missed some of the music stuff, just because I was trying to figure out how to avoid the smell and let people know it wasn’t me. It took me awhile but then I had it all figured out, as long as the wind came from behind me I couldn’t smell a thing……..hooray! I also sprayed with my deodorant a lot, just to make sure that people knew it wasn’t me. It must have been karma or something, Saturday I was punished for writing that earlier piece ;)

But still I had a enjoyable day which got even better when the headliner performed. They gave such a fantastic performance I totally forgot the world around me. Well, not the whole world. There was this guy standing next to me, who was somewhat of a tipsy party animal. We had so much fun! We danced, sang, laughed, waved our arms and screamed/howled together, took the same pictures and fooled around…..just had an awfully good time! That’s one of the reasons I like events like these so much, it brings people closer together…..even strangers (if they smell nice :))

Sorry guys, I’ll end this post with a little message in Dutch for the party animal:
Hey jij,
Hier een kort bedankje van de niet bierdrinkende “lieve” Jupiterster (niet i.b.v. van sigarettenwinkel en is zeker geen sigarenboer) a.k.a. “lekker ding” momenteel undercover op Voorne Putten. Ik wil je, de wel bierdrinkende, overal sigaretten bietsende Saturniriaan met de lieve glimlach, residerend op Walcheren, bedanken voor alle fun in de ondergaande zon. Je hebt van het optreden van Bløf een echt feestje gemaakt en zo werd een niet al te fantastische dag toch nog een dag met een briljant randje :) Bedankt voor het lachen!! x

BTW: Coldplay rulez ;)

Maybe I'll post some pictures on flickr l@er this week :)

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. The salty smell of the sea. I love it!
2. Music at a festival….the best way to enjoy it!
3. New friends and strange meetings!

Mind, body and soul sessions (#4)

The balancing act.

Balance comes from choosing what makes you feel better instead of worse and is a feeling which comes from being whole; it’s a sense of harmony. Sounds simple enough, but balancing is a lifelong project (yeah, I know…..another lifelong project). Unfortunately you never can get balanced and be done with it.

It is vital to find balance in life, relations, relaxation and work. Our lives are made up of many essential parts including family, finance, social, work, friends, recreation, romance, health, personal growth, relaxation, obligations and so much more. We probably don’t spend the same amount of time each day in every area, but if in the long run, we spend enough quality and quantity of time in each part, our lives will feel balanced. But if we start to neglect any one part, never mind two or three, we will sabotage our own success. If you want to visualize…. think of a chair. When one of the legs is shorter then the rest, it will make the chair wobble. If one leg is totally absent, the chair would be unsafe to sit on. Same goes for the balance in your life. For example, if you put too much time into running a business, personal relationships and health may suffer; if you don’t take care of your health, your family and social life will suffer; if you spend too much time in the romance section, your work and friendships may suffer.

To create balance, we must know our own needs. Luckily we are all provided with something we know as “gut feeling”; that internal wisdom that lives deep inside all of us. Only problem is that in today’s stressful world we often forget to listen, or have no time to listen, to our “gut feeling” and that’s a real shame because if we want to live a balance life we need to listen to it. Living a balanced life is all about a mix of all the components of our life that are really important to us. This also means that we need to make choices about what has to come first and that also means that there will be sacrifices and collisions too. There will be times when personal life and work will collide (or other areas) but when we know what’s really most important to us and when we make choices based on this decisive factor, we’ll be able to better balance our life and feel whole.

Nevertheless, at times there will be glitches and it will feel like we have lost control. This usually happens when we are not getting our needs met or when life throws things our way (good or bad) which can cause stress. We can try to ignore these feelings but our body will know there is something wrong. It will respond by exhibiting (stress) symptoms like back aches, exhaustion, insomnia or stomach pains. When we are out of integrity, life feels out of balance.

Are you ready to start your balancing act, knowing all this? Well if you are, here are some tips to bring more balance in your every day life:

Identify your priorities, morals and align you life around what is truly important to you. Focus on your priorities and be willing to say “no” to everything else.

Organize. Plan ahead and anticipate your needs. Don’t let someone else poor planning become your emergency or priority. Create a well-thought-out plan each day rather than reacting to whatever comes up.

Accept that (new) needs will pop up. This will mean that you need to readjust and perhaps even need to make new choices. When things don’t get done, forgive yourself. Allow more reasonable standards and stop striving for perfection.

Daily routines. Make healthy habits a part of your daily life. Relax, relieve tension and minimize stress. Schedule some time to take care of yourself by meditation, exercise or some other form of quiet time. Give yourself a break every once in awhile so you can restore your natural state of harmony and rekindle your creativity. Eat healthy meals, drink plenty of water, get enough rest, and take care of your personal hygiene.

Simplify your life. Get rid of things that really aren’t so important to you. Stop over scheduling, being busy 24/7 does not mean you are important, it means you are to busy and you are probably missing out on things that would really bring you joy or more fulfilment in your life. When your life is too overcrowded, there is no room for positive energy and personal growth.

Well enough information for now.
If you want to lead a more balanced life, try this for starters:
Spend 10 minutes sitting quietly in your sanctuary (or another peaceful and quiet place). You might think you don’t have the time, but you have. You have the same amount of time as the wisest person in the world. It’s all about priorities.
Sit comfortably or lie on your back (on the floor) with a pillow under you knees. Try to relax and start to ask yourself these questions:

Is there anything my body is telling me?
(make a mental list of everything your body is telling you)

Am I angry at a loved one, am I stressed? Which things have been on my mind lately?

What are my needs and priorities?

What is really important to me?

Don’t discard any thoughts that pop into your head. Just make note of them.
This little assignment will help you to find balance, happiness and identify your priorities and remember: Balance comes from choosing what makes you feel better instead of worse!

Sometimes……*sigh*

I have been a bit busy the last few days. I am trying to set up an online community for the people who came to the reunion so they can stay in contact and arrange meetings much easier. Well, as it turned out, it all sounded like a great plan when I suggested it, but now I am not so sure anymore. When I started out it was all just straight forward stuff but then I decided I didn’t like the standard lay-out, the colours, the fonts etc.…..actually I didn’t like one thing. So I started to fool around with it and created more work for myself along the way. Hooray!!....NOT!

I have this real fascination with lay-outs, it all needs to be clean, neat, checked and double checked and balanced. I guess it’s just an obsession I picked up in one of my jobs.
But here is the funny thing, I’ve been messing with this whole community thing for days now and I am finally at a stage that I am beginning to like it, but then I started to ask myself ‘why am I doing this?’ The others probably would have liked the first thing you created. Why can’t I just stop and say this is good enough? Why do I always feel the need to improve the things I have created? *Grrrrr* Why can’t I be just like everybody else? *sigh*
I know why……because in reality I don’t want to be like everybody else……I am ME!

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. I finally found some one who wants to go to the music festival tomorrow :)
2. A summer breeze. Don’t you just love the way it caresses your body?
3. Silly chick flicks like “Something’s gotta give”
4. Nice and silly time wasting games, like this one Uber breakout

For a special girl called .......... Boo

And you have left big footprints in my heart!!
Come back soon to leave a couple more :)

Take care, fight hard, live strong, kick its ass, get well and return even bigger, better, stronger. I’ll be waiting for you and I’ll be thinking of you.

I am missing you already

xoxo

Cartoon Tuesday (on Wednesday): Love and Marriage?! (7)

Lost Christ?!

In Brielle (a town in the western Netherlands) people have discovered Christ (origin unknown). On May, 30 one of the residents found Christ in his garden. The police are now looking for the rightful owner of Christ so that he can be returned.

Description of Christ:
Height - approximately 1.20 m (3.9)
Tomato blond hair and beard
Wearing a white and red outfit
Material – plastic

If you have any information please contact the police in Brielle or your local police station.

From Saturdays newspaper.

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. I feel good…. This morning I laughed so hard, it actually did hurt :)
2. Today I am skipping my exercise routine (it’s too hot and humid) and I am not feeling guilty :)
3. Last night I couldn’t sleep (again too hot and humid) and that usually drives me mad, but last night I made myself some tea, went outside and watch the stars for an hour or so. Slept like a baby after that :)

And you are……….

Yesterday I had the BIG reunion, which actually turned out to be a quite small or even tiny reunion, only half of the people who had RSVP-ed showed up. I don’t know why the rest didn’t bother to show their face, could be that they thought it was too hot (28º C) or maybe they just didn’t care. Anyway I enjoyed a nice and entertaining Sunday in an air-conditioned room with a bunch of people I recognised, I could even put names and faces together, but of which I couldn’t remember any specifics. I always thought that the reunion would trigger my memory but it didn’t. So, there I was in a room full of people, listening to stories I had never heard before or could not remember. I can tell you this; it was a very strange sensation. It felt like those people had lived in a parallel universe or something……weird!! But I wasn’t the only one; more people experienced the same thing. At some point we even wondered if we were at the right reunion ;).
Things that amazed me most:

Some people never change. Same appearance, same weight and same personality.

Some people change enormously. All the stick insects had turned into heavy set people.

A lot of them turned into bitter and discontented people.

Most of them really looked (and acted old). They said I was the youngest among them and I am actually one of the oldest.

One lady has a nice singing voice.

Some of them tried so hard to be the most interesting person there; it almost hurt to watch them.

One person is sick.

Some of them remember every little detail.

Some people are no longer with us.

They all want to get together again soon.

Things that I disliked most:

The envy that filled the air.

The alcohol consumption of some of the people.

The pictures that were taken, but I haven’t received yet.

The prejudice.

My poor memory.

The anger and bitterness. People…. If you don’t like your life, stop bitching and moaning….change it!!

Things I liked best:

The strength and courage in some people.

The performance.

The food.

The company..

All in all…. an enjoyable day!

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. I am not like them! Hooray :)
2. I just started up msn (for the first time in years) and had a nice chat with one of my old (msn) pals.
3. I am soooo glad I live in the now.

Mind, body and soul sessions.

You have the power to be HAPPY!
Did you ever ask yourself (or anyone else) this question “What makes you happy?” Sounds like a very simple question, but is answering it really that straightforward? When asked, most people will answer that a big change will make them happy. Things like: a trip around the world, a promotion, a bigger car, winning the lottery, or even weight loss. But will these things really make you (or them) happier? Of course certain events and material things like a new car, or a pay rise, can give you a boost, but the feeling will not last long. Research has shown that people who receive a windfall are only happier for a short period of time. After the initial reaction, they return to their “normal” life and will be just as happy (or unhappy) as they were before they received their price, car, bonus, or whatever. This might all sound a bit strange, but here is a newsflash: Money, status and belongings will never bring you everlasting contentment. We humans are programmed to fear shortage and that means we will never ever be totally satisfied with the things we have.

When you think about it, this all sounds a bit depressing, because this means you, and only you, are responsible for your own happiness. Sure external factors can contribute to your happiness but happiness comes from the inside out and not the outside in. If we accept that happiness comes from the inside out, then it is possible for us to take control of our happiness.

So here is the good news, you (too) have the power to be happy and not just happy but really, truly happy. You might think that happiness is a smile on your face, but it’s so much more…. We use words like happiness, joy, fun, laughter, enjoyment, pleasure, satisfactions and excitement as if they are identical. We use each of them to create an image of people having a good time; implying they all mean about the same. However, happiness is quite different. Joy, pleasure, enjoyment, satisfaction and excitement all turn on and off but happiness does not, it stays with you regardless of the emotion being experienced. Happiness is a condition of your being and it will stay with you while you are experiencing emotions. Happiness is a state of mind; it’s a different way of looking at the world. When you start to accept things as they are, focus more on the little successes and miracles, do the things that bring you joy, and learn to be content (no matter what is happening around you), true happiness will enter your life too. So instead of focussing on our fears, worries and problems, we need to find the good possibilities in each situation. For example: You can scold and act annoyed, when the battery of your cell phone is dead, but you can also enjoy the peace and quite for a while or listen to the birds. You can kick the door and fret that your day has been ruined, because you’ve locked yourself out of your house, but that won’t open the door. Instead call a friend who has a spare key (or a locksmith) and enjoy the newfound free time while you wait for help to arrive.

This might all sound a bit farfetched, but it really works! I’ve tried and tested it. Even if you come from a long line of pessimists (like me), you’re normally a bit idiosyncratic and even if you’re frustrated with your life right now. How? Simple, change your habits one step at a time. Unfortunately you can’t change overnight, so take your first baby step today.

Today set aside as much time as you can and do things that clear your head and bring you joy! Take a walk around your neighbourhood, sit quietly in your sanctuary, listen to the birds, hug a tree, dance in front a mirror with a hairbrush for a microphone, take care of yourself, pursue a passion, watch a beautiful sunset, listen to the rain, walk naked in your living room, sing along with you favourite CD, do a silly walk, look for the beauty in things (paintings, photos, nature, people, whatever) fly a kite, skip, talk to a stranger, go to a place you have never been before, dance in the supermarket, whistle, notice all the wonderful things that exist all around you. Just do something you can really enjoy, it doesn’t have to be serious, have some fun and make happiness a priority :)

“True happiness brings more richness than all the money in the world.”

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. I feel good!
2. I am going to enjoy this (reunion) day as much as I can.
3. I never thought I would post this “Mind, body and soul sessions” post but I did and I am actually quite happy with it :)