It's Christmas Eve 2015....the year is winding to an end.Another year almost over.This is the time when most of us start reminiscing and wondering what they could have done differently,done better, more efficiently,done with more kindness.Much as I tend to give in to such thoughts,bringing myself down by mentally castigating myself for things not done or done poorly,at this moment of aloness and stillness(the family is off to bed)I am full of a feeling of gratitude and inner peace. I may not have all I want but I have so many blessings in my life that it is actually ungrateful of me to even allow such thoughts to enter my mind.Yes,I want more out of life.Yes,I deserve more.But so do so many other people on this good earth,who do not enjoy my comforts.Who do not live in a warm house with a decorated Christmas tree,enjoying a hot cup of blossom tea.Who do not have the comfort of a hot shower.Who do not have the luxury to go out with their family on this blessed day and indulge in a spending spree,it does not really matter if it is big or small.Size and quantity is such a subjective notion in our days -it's not even worth discussing.What's a lot for me could be breadcrumbs to someone more affluent and what I consider to be little and not enough may have been a fortune and a shower of blessings for another. And before closing this little note off,it would be only fair to say that if you want more out of life....well,go after it.Pursue it.Dare to dream it and realise it.Don't complain.Don't allow dark thoughts and pessimism to weigh you down.Feel the joy of what you do have. Let it give you the boost you need to chase after your dreams and desires.It all comes down to how much you really want it.If you want it badly enough,then you'll be able to figure out a way of succeeding.Without fail. All in all,what this day requires is love,gratitude,joy and laughter.Being with the family.Enjoying each other's company.Sharing the love.Giving and connecting.Indulging in food we would otherwise avoid like the devil.Laugh out loud till it hurts.That's what is necessary to exorcise the inner demons and negativity to the void of inexistence where they belong.Keep it optimistic,happy and loving!Enjoy your holidays! My daughter having a blast....she loved today's outing with mom and dad.As always,more than ready to strike a pose! I have a passion for tea...so Christmas Eve was celebrated with this very special blossom tea,hot and steaming, by the tree,enjoying the silence after a busy day.
Have a blast this Christmas!If we are to be realistic,everything that is wrong and negative with the world,is still there.And will still be there tomorrow-and the day after that.But for one or two days,let's remember to be human above all and truly relish this blessed experience of being alive and well-together.Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas everyone! https://play.spotify.com/album/5euuvpSWLJUGD8R4DrrZcO And a compilation of Christmas songs from around the world to accompany your precious,festive moments! With love and light, Lia
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hat was my daughter's question,out of the blue,as we were returning from her dance class.It was completely unexpected and it reverberated in the chilly night air,seeking an answer.A question from a child.And as a rule,they are simple in formation yet profound in meaning.What answer to give? I smiled.My daughter never allows any question to go unanswered so I obliged,without thinking too much.I told her that if I had wings,I'd fly way up in the sky,basking in the ethereal splendor of the clouds,relishing the sun's rays.I would soar fearlessly beyond the stratosphere and out into space.I would explore every corner of the vast infiniteness of the universe.That's what I said to her.To take it a step further,I'd have to state that I would be so bewitched by this magical journey that I would never feel the need to return.But deep down I know that I would-eventually.Because,I,like any other living,breathing human being,am but a child of the Earth.So,like a child,I would seek the comfort of my mother's loving arms.I consider it a given,however,that I would never be the same,ever again.For such journeys in the unknown have the tendency to change us-irreversibly.Irrevocably.And it is this change exactly that will fuel our will,our strength to contribute to a change around us.Whether the change is in the family,the community or the world,it is inevitably going to happen.Like a pebble in a lake,its ripples will be far-reaching and its impact permanent. To explain myself further,let's hypothesise for a moment.Such a journey for me would be equal to me daring to leave the confines of my self-inflicted reality-my marriage,my job,and travel to another country to teach or something in that context.Maybe even write a book-who knows?The world extends far and wide, beyond our limits,beyond our comfort zone.It truly is massive in comparison to the tiny space we build for ourselves and call life. It is brimming with opportunities,there for the taking.One has but to dare.Like my favourite composer and Nightwish leader Tuomas Holopainen says in his beautiful song Amaranth: "Apart from the wandering pack In this brief flight of time we reach For the ones, whoever dare.." So,right now,in this moment,in this brief flight of time,I dare myself.I dare YOU. If you had wings,how would YOU use them?I'm sure you already know.We all do,deep down.I doubt if there has ever been a human being on the face of the earth that hasn't wished for the ability to fly,to soar the heavens,free as a bird.This wish must have triggered the invention of the airplane and the spacecrafts.Man wished-and still wishes- to free himself from the boundaries and confinement of the earthly plane.He wished for the freedom to fly and fly high.But man is possessed by his fear.He fears what there is yet to experience.He's terrified of realising that all this time he spent in fear,hesitating to take that final leap,he was utterly wrong.Afraid of facing the truth-that we had wasted out time on anything but our heart's longing.See,we may not have wings on our backs like the birds or the angels,but our heart most definitely does.And she wishes nothing more but to fly free and fulfil her burning desire,her mission.So, from time to time she nudges us on.To contribute to change somehow.Whether big or small.We all have a role to play in this cosmic game of chess.We are all valuable and necessary.So,please don't confine your heart.Let her free.To fly,to seek out what it yearns for and see it accomplished. Beware though.With change and freedom comes the price .There are consequences and the obligation to support that which you had wished for.So,when you finally do take that leap,keep this always in mind.Brace yourself,for it will require you to be strong and stay the course.Trust me,there will be many that will seek to keep you on the ground.They won't like it that you flew,that you tasted the freedom they knowingly chose not to grasp.The irony of it all is that more often than not,these people will be the ones closest to you.Don't be discouraged and don't let their fear get to you.Keep at it....and always,always be ready to heed your heart's calling. Shhhhh......do you hear her wings flapping?She's ready to fly.ARE YOU?? ....that the powerful play goes on and that you may contribute a verse..
What will YOUR verse be? |
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August 2021
CategoriesAuthorI am a passionate English teacher.Aspiring writer and speaker.I take educational matters to heart and hope to bring about some positive change in the field of education. |