celebrate instead of define. One phrase stood out this morning during mass: We tend to waste far too much valuable time defining our roles, relationships, personalities, failures, achievements, goals instead of celebrating them. I stared at the Dominican priest as if he suddenly sprouted three purple dragon heads. Those three words hit me right where it needed to, as I have been in an emotional slump these past few days, battling some unwanted demons of my past. He was absolutely right – I have spent the last five decades listening to roles being defined for me, my life being defined…
Category: Battling depression
Ripe For Change
If anyone is ripe for change that would be me. Not that my life has been boring in the last 50++ years, but I could definitely use a holiday and a change of pace. My soul needs re-charging, the kind that doesn’t come from sleeping or shutting the world out. In spite of the fact that I cut back on work (for health reasons), the extended weekends seem to be designated to catching up on everything else I neglected to do during the week. Bills and all sorts of obligations pile up on my desk, and this is the time…
The Zen of Mud Wallowing
There is a saying I grew up with: el hombre propone y Dios dispone (man proposes, the Lord decides) and this seems to be a recurring theme in my life as of late. The weeks following Easter offer several long weekends to either travel or be visited. Since I don’t work on Fridays, this means an extra long weekend for me to write, catch up on some much needed sleep, or on the rare occasion, be hostess to out-of-town visitors. There used to be a time in my life when entertainment at home with lavish five-course dinners was a regular…
Bossa Nova To Chase the Blues Away
The fusion of samba and jazz born in the 1960s that became known as the music genre Bossa Nova is something I found very soothing to study to while I was still in college, along with smooth jazz. Later on, once the travel bug bit me, I began associating Bossa Nova with warm, sultry tropical weather and places like Boracay, Koh Samui, Phuket, and even Goa. This particular genre calms me down, and in some inexplicable way, dispels the ghosts of homesickness. So even though I live in Germany, where Bossa Nova is not as popular as in Asia or…
The Necessary Darkness
Here’s a thought: darkness is absolutely necessary in order for the light to shine brightest. Some of you might be saying, well duh, of course you do. The thing is, not everyone thinks this way. We have been conditioned to do everything in broad daylight, and if you undertake anything at night, it should be with as much light as possible. This, I have learned from living in Europe, leads to time pressure. One is under pressure to make the most of daylight, work yourself to death in summer, when the days are long, to prepare for the winter months….
Conversations with Buddha: 84,000 ways to suffer
As I sat at my desk this morning, hands wrapped around a deliciously strong cup of coffee, I stared in horror at the calendar. Friday. What?! I blinked on Monday morning and suddenly it is Friday already? Geez. Is it the ageing process that suddenly makes time pass faster? Let me rewind a bit and go back to last Sunday because it meant a lot to me. As I sat at my desk this morning, hands wrapped around a deliciously strong cup of coffee, I stared in horror at the calendar. Friday. What?! I blinked on Monday morning and suddenly…
Dandelion Wishes
Remember my post the other day about eating dandelions? Well here is the continuation of my dandelion encounters. This time I am not eating them, but wishing upon them. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but for as long as I can remember, I plucked dry dandelions from the field or garden, puffed on them and made a wish. Nobody explained to me why that had to be, but I did so happily because it was somehow far more elegant and enchanting than blowing soap bubbles. Some believe that in doing so, we are also sending positive energy and…
