Showing posts with label about life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label about life. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2011
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving
We can only be said to be alive in those moments
when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
~Thornton Wilder
8/11/2010 @6:00 am (sunrise)
8/11/2010 @6:05 am (sunrise)
8/11/2010 @9:30 am
8/11/2010 sunset
8/11/2010 sunset
8/11/2010 sunset reflection
8/11/2010 sunset reflection
After so many years of hard work I finally managed to move to the home I always dreamt for. This magic place is blessed every morning by a stunning sun rise over Rio de la Plata, while in the afternoon the blessing comes from another awesome sunset over the city. My magic kingdom is almost at the top of a building, so the views always take my breath away while filling my heart with warm gratitude and the sense of oneness.
Here I feel at peace with myself, I reconnect with my essence, feeling alive… part and parcel of the entire Universe. Past and future stop existing, the mind clears up; emotions rise and then settle down (just like the sun and the moon), and the only thing that matters is the magic jiffy where I’m still breathing and fully conscious. To me happiness is that magical tick where I just am…
Looking at the sun and the moon, observing the sky and the river teaches me a lot about letting things be and go with the flow… that resisting to what it is takes me nowhere… because life is about change, transformation and awareness.
I’m thankful, and attempting to live in gratitude, free of expectations, open to receive and give.
loveNlight
Gabi
For more stunning reflections go to: Weekend Reflections :)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Ride like the wind
The wind is blowing, not to strong not to annoying, but constantly blowing and blowing, and while doing so, as it passes through my hair it whispers in my ear: “It is time to go…. go… go…”
The struggling sun is trying to push the clouds away, but they are resisting very hard. It is their time to reign and conquer the sky, thus fighting back to stay. As I keep walking slowly by the pathway, I silently witness greens bit by bit turning yellow and brown.
Dancing with the wind, leaves free themselves from the trees and like mischievous ballerinas they dance their way to the ground, where mother earth gives them a tender welcome.
A few stubborn flowers remain untouched by the obvious change, though struggling to keep alive they are not yet ready to fade away. The wind utterly tries to blow them away while the clouds hide the sun from them. Soon, very soon their wombs will be ready to nurture the soil, for next spring to blossom with joy.
The cold is getting into my bones; intuitively I hug myself attempting to warm up my body. With nostalgia I scrutinize the horizon, searching for clues and looking for answers, although I know the answers aren’t far away, but it’s still nice to play pretend every now and then.
The sun didn’t make it, since the clouds were very persuasive today on having a proper winter day. Regardless of the cold, the hollowing wind, the luck of sun and the solicitude of the landscape, it is still a beautiful winter day.
I keep walking feeling at peace and content while listening to the wind… it keeps telling me of new lands far, far away… of different people I shall meet… of chances and adventures I will not regret… of fairy tales I must take part in…
The wind of winter bewitched me; I shouldn’t have listened to it, for now I must go… riding with grace the wind of change.
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
Friday, May 28, 2010
Dancing with life
(To my dear friend Tag)
A will to live
A fight to stay around
A desire to see another tomorrow
A joy to be alive
A refusal to give up
A cry for another chance
Living, breathing…
Not only existing
But lively living!
Dancing with life
Singing with God
Embracing love
Dealing with pain
Facing the unknown
Accepting what it is…
Rejoicing time
Bewitching chances
Conquering fears
Blessing the moments
Gripping each feeling
Surrendering to life
Living, breathing…
Not only existing
But lively living!
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Perspective
The moment one gives close attention to any thing,
even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome,
indescribably magnificent world in itself.
~Henry Miller
even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome,
indescribably magnificent world in itself.
~Henry Miller
We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. ~Anaïs Nin
There's an alternative. There's always a third way,
and it's not a combination of the other two ways.
It's a different way.
~David Carradine
and it's not a combination of the other two ways.
It's a different way.
~David Carradine
People who look through keyholes are apt to get the idea
that most things are keyhole shaped.
~Author Unknown
that most things are keyhole shaped.
~Author Unknown
Expectant of greater things,
We try climbing -
Higher
And Higher;
An effort that costs us much,
Leaving us short of breath
To find only
The ground below is much prettier.
~Phillip Pulfrey
We try climbing -
Higher
And Higher;
An effort that costs us much,
Leaving us short of breath
To find only
The ground below is much prettier.
~Phillip Pulfrey
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The invisible people
(a girl from Ethiopia)
I can’t stop thinking about what I heard the other day on TV, where they were covering the life of the street children of Nepal, someone described them as: “The invisible people”.
Those worlds are still reverberating in my mind all along since then, as they do not sound right and are very disturbing.
Street children are the sons and daughters of poverty, development, materialism and the collapsing of moral and spiritual values. They are the victims of a failing system, the innocent sufferers of a collective selfishness.
They live on the streets for several different reasons; many are orphans who lost their parents from HIV, malaria, typhus, starvation, etc. Others are abused children coming from dysfunctional family environment, who ran away from their homes escaping from the daily physical and moral abuse they are subjected to. Some of them are even born on the streets.
- Recent global estimates indicate there are 100 million street children. Other more localized studies point to 11 million in India, 1 million in U.S., 445,226 in Bangladesh, 250,000 street children in Kenya, 150,000 in Ethiopia, 30,000 in Nepal and 12,000 in Zimbabwe. Projections estimate an increasing number of street children, growing especially with the pace of urbanization.
- These street children include: children living on the street with no home at all, children spending most of their time on the streets, without opportunities for education and care; and child workers who spend most of their time working on the street.
- The United Nations estimates that between 133 million and 275 million children experience violence at home annually, with the largest proportion in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Boys and girls are often equally subjected to child abuse by family members and are equally victimized by child labour exploitation. However, globally, girls make up 98 per cent of children who are sexually exploited. Child abuse is a major risk factor linked to future criminal behaviour.
(a girl from Ethiopia)- Helping street children is a though challenge, as these children usually need a long period of rehabilitation. It can take many months or years to firstly build up their trust, as they have normally endured only pain and abuse from adults. So it is a long-term work of commitment and rarely a quick fix that they need to help them release their potential.
- Observers say that street children have a life expectancy of around four years on the street.
- UNICEF estimates that over 2 million children, mainly girls, are exploited through prostitution and pornography. 1.2 million girls and boys are trafficked each year – many to join the sex trade.
- Law and order officials and self-styled vigilantes both attempt to ‘clean the street’ of these children in many parts of the world. In Latin America the problem is particularly acute with the worst offenders being Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras. An average of three street children are killed every day in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In Cairo, street children are routinely rounded up and beaten by the police, their heads are shaven and then they are transferred to crowded detention centres.
- Studies conducted in Nepal and Guatemala showed that urban street children were in better health than children in stable homes in farming villages: an indicator of the depths of rural poverty in these countries rather than a recommendation for life on the street.
(Village children - Zambia)None of these children are invisible, we see them everywhere we go, in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The number is increasing at an unbelievable rate, as governments are failing to implement proper corrective measures to solve the economic and social problems affecting the source of their miserable existence.
“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures
is not to hate them, but to be indifferent
to them; that is the essence of inhumanity.”
-George Bernard Shaw
is not to hate them, but to be indifferent
to them; that is the essence of inhumanity.”
-George Bernard Shaw
(Information for this post has been compiled from information sources of UNICEF, World Hope, Human Rights Watch, and others.)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
While I’m here!
When I’m gone, all that will be left behind will be memories, great, good and bad memories… but, just memories, kept and told by those remembering me.
The material world I fought so hard to build, upgrade and sustain will become an asset to be distributed among my relatives; some may go to charity while others may be sold to strangers. The minute I breathe my very last gulp of air, all the things I worry about will stop existing. The sorrows that keep me awake for several consecutive nights will vanish; my concerns on how the future will be will evaporate. The past that keeps hunting me down will fade away, my self-esteem issues will become nonsense, my insecurities and fears will dwindle as I become a collection of memories kept and told by others…
When I’m gone there will be no more opportunities waiting for me to take a risk, there will be no more chances to reinvent myself, there will be no time for regrets.
When I’m gone I will only be a tale being told every now and then. I will have no control over what will be remembered of me, or the way the anecdote is told. I can be remembered for how much or little I used to possess, the family and friends I left behind, how many languages and cultures I used to know, how short or tall I was. Some may probably remember my travels around the world and the great tales I used to tell. While others will chose to remember my attitude towards life and how much fun or not I used to be.
But, how much does all that really matter, if I will be gone and I will only be a memory in the mind of those who knew me?
When I’m gone I will only be a thought, a memory or a spark of light into someone life just for a while!
Should this bother me? Should I live my life pursuing materialism and power? Should I let the past spoil my life or the future distract me from living?
What is real and what is not?
Greed, supremacy, the past and the future are the demons that keep me away from who I really should be. They are the mirages that keep me unconscious and prisoner of an unreal world, in the belief that I can finally achieve immortality.
I want the freedom of the self back! I have to repossess what is really mine, I have to conquer captivity and grow to be adventurous, risk taker, tender, independent, rebel and crazy in love with life…
Then I come across the irony of it all, that despite my anger and anguish I’m the sole creator of the demons governing my life… I’m the one holding the key that unlocks my self-imposed imprisonment. I’m the one and only… yes I’m.
So... while I’m here I must do something, I should smash into pieces my own barriers, I must disregard the fears holding me back.
I have to stop behaving as if living is only breathing; I ought to stop living in such a limited way!
The material world I fought so hard to build, upgrade and sustain will become an asset to be distributed among my relatives; some may go to charity while others may be sold to strangers. The minute I breathe my very last gulp of air, all the things I worry about will stop existing. The sorrows that keep me awake for several consecutive nights will vanish; my concerns on how the future will be will evaporate. The past that keeps hunting me down will fade away, my self-esteem issues will become nonsense, my insecurities and fears will dwindle as I become a collection of memories kept and told by others…
When I’m gone there will be no more opportunities waiting for me to take a risk, there will be no more chances to reinvent myself, there will be no time for regrets.
When I’m gone I will only be a tale being told every now and then. I will have no control over what will be remembered of me, or the way the anecdote is told. I can be remembered for how much or little I used to possess, the family and friends I left behind, how many languages and cultures I used to know, how short or tall I was. Some may probably remember my travels around the world and the great tales I used to tell. While others will chose to remember my attitude towards life and how much fun or not I used to be.
But, how much does all that really matter, if I will be gone and I will only be a memory in the mind of those who knew me?
When I’m gone I will only be a thought, a memory or a spark of light into someone life just for a while!
Should this bother me? Should I live my life pursuing materialism and power? Should I let the past spoil my life or the future distract me from living?
What is real and what is not?
Greed, supremacy, the past and the future are the demons that keep me away from who I really should be. They are the mirages that keep me unconscious and prisoner of an unreal world, in the belief that I can finally achieve immortality.
I want the freedom of the self back! I have to repossess what is really mine, I have to conquer captivity and grow to be adventurous, risk taker, tender, independent, rebel and crazy in love with life…
Then I come across the irony of it all, that despite my anger and anguish I’m the sole creator of the demons governing my life… I’m the one holding the key that unlocks my self-imposed imprisonment. I’m the one and only… yes I’m.
So... while I’m here I must do something, I should smash into pieces my own barriers, I must disregard the fears holding me back.
I have to stop behaving as if living is only breathing; I ought to stop living in such a limited way!
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Choice and Human Nature
Choices, choices and more choices, life is full of them…. getting married or divorced, changing houses or countries, starting a new job or leaving one, becoming a parent or staying childless. Forgiving someone or staying bitter, going after a dream or saying no to an opportunity. Starting a new healthy life style or becoming an addict. Keeping the same job forever, staying in an unhappy relationship, shouting at your neighbor, refusing to see your reflection in the mirror, etc, etc.
Everything we do or don’t imply a choice, by acting or not acting we are still making a choice. Every choice brings change and every change gives birth to something new in us. We are choosing all the time. Choices are made consciously or unconsciously, whatever the way, we still make a choice. We can’t avoid making a choice, the simple fact of not making one is still indeed a choice - because we are choosing not to choose… So there is no escape and none to point fingers at, whether we like it or not we are ultimately responsible for everything that happens to us. There is no choice about that - it simply is as simple as that!
Then, why are we so afraid of change? Why are we so stubborn on keeping safe? Why do we pretend nothing changes? Why we blame others for our own doings? Why do we act as if we don’t have a choice?
Such is our human nature!
When the time to face change arrives, we tend to get paralyzed and unresponsive. We have the feeling of standing at the border of the precipice, unsure of the end result. We don’t know if we are going to fall or not, if we are going to be strong enough or if we will be defeated.
Change is something we can’t control, it is happening whether we like it or not. The time for regrets or lamentations are over, there is nothing we can do to change what it is. There is nowhere to hide or run away to, what is happening is happening and that is it.
This is a critical moment, since our next step will determine the course of the change, if it will be a positive or a negative one, something to grow out of, or something to crash us down… It is all a matter of attitude, choice and action, the wheels of change are in motion and nothing can stop them.
Sitting still while hoping for a miracle will not sort things out or make them disappear, so probably the smartest thing to do, will be to embrace the change and make the most of it. Sounds crazy and poetic, but in reality this is the only way to go.
Everything we do or don’t imply a choice, by acting or not acting we are still making a choice. Every choice brings change and every change gives birth to something new in us. We are choosing all the time. Choices are made consciously or unconsciously, whatever the way, we still make a choice. We can’t avoid making a choice, the simple fact of not making one is still indeed a choice - because we are choosing not to choose… So there is no escape and none to point fingers at, whether we like it or not we are ultimately responsible for everything that happens to us. There is no choice about that - it simply is as simple as that!
Then, why are we so afraid of change? Why are we so stubborn on keeping safe? Why do we pretend nothing changes? Why we blame others for our own doings? Why do we act as if we don’t have a choice?
Such is our human nature!
When the time to face change arrives, we tend to get paralyzed and unresponsive. We have the feeling of standing at the border of the precipice, unsure of the end result. We don’t know if we are going to fall or not, if we are going to be strong enough or if we will be defeated.
Change is something we can’t control, it is happening whether we like it or not. The time for regrets or lamentations are over, there is nothing we can do to change what it is. There is nowhere to hide or run away to, what is happening is happening and that is it.
This is a critical moment, since our next step will determine the course of the change, if it will be a positive or a negative one, something to grow out of, or something to crash us down… It is all a matter of attitude, choice and action, the wheels of change are in motion and nothing can stop them.
Sitting still while hoping for a miracle will not sort things out or make them disappear, so probably the smartest thing to do, will be to embrace the change and make the most of it. Sounds crazy and poetic, but in reality this is the only way to go.
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
Monday, March 22, 2010
Mondays
It is Monday again!!
Monday here you are full of choices and power…
for me to decide what to do with you.
Here you are, please don’t go away so fast or too slow,
allow me to enjoy you.
Monday, I love Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
but also I love Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays…
and there again Monday comes again.
Please don’t go away!
loveNlight
Gabi
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sunrise
To feel life and to live life in its totality
and to live it with such passion and intensity
that each moment becomes a moment of eternity.
and to live it with such passion and intensity
that each moment becomes a moment of eternity.
Sunrise - Rio de la Plata - Montevideo, Uruguay
5th March 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Awful in between
Butterflies in my tummy, anxiety, apprehension
Concern for not knowing what to expect
A perfect happy world shacked by the unknown,
Priorities, realities, dreams and plans put on hold
A life on pause waiting for the answer…
Rage and hope fighting to reign,
Logic and uneasiness guessing the possible answer,
Ego and soul arguing on commonsense
Only knowledge will put at rest the discomfort, will end the test,
Will give the chance to take a step
Lost in that awful in between, of not knowing what is going to be…
A cry of anger that keep asking: Why me?
A content soul accepting what it could be
Lost in that awful in between,
From which only the answer can rescue me!
Lousy melodramatic thoughts, striking now and then
A persistent fight to silent them all
A deep and raspy howl for help
Then…. silence and acknowledgment
As I find contentment in that awful in-between
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
I'm linking this old poem to Monday-Poetry-Potluck
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Is victory always worthy?
There are times in our life when victory is at our finger’s tips, ready for us to claim the prize, but then we freely choose not to be the winners. Those are the moments when we realize that winning isn’t everything in life if the prize to be paid implies tearing down someone else. Because when we do so, victory doesn’t taste the same and our heart cries while our ego celebrates.
The quandary lies in the fact that we tend to naturally turn every disagreement into a personal fight, where both parties battle with nails and teeth to prevail over. This approach triggers reactions instead of actions, because its ultimate goal is to conquer and defeat. In the aftermath of the combat the winner takes it all while the looser goes down on his knees, crashed and resentful. The harsh words spoken during the battle only leave crawling broken hearts on the battlefield of relationships. Mending the damage caused isn’t easy at all; even the winner has been wounded and his/her victory has a bitter taste that takes away every possible unresentful joy.
Choosing not to win even when victory is probable is not done out of compassion or foolishness but out of something way beyond the need to win. We must be brave as we need to shutdown the fear of not knowing what will unfold. We need to detach ourselves from the idea of loosing or winning and instead look at the bigger picture with an open heart. And last but not least we need a bit of craziness as it means going against what logic tell us to do. All this shall be done with the understanding that not winning is not loosing since both parties at the end are benefiting from this selfless action. Doing so brings an opportunity to experience the magic of unconditional love and its blessings when applied well.
When disagreements are handled with mutual respect and love, all parties involved blossom with positive changes. When the goal is to come to a common understanding there is no need to fight as the need to prevail is not there.
So, next time when you find yourself involved in a disagreement, ask yourself: “Am I fighting to reign and prove a point? What’s driving me, my heart or my ego?” Let you heart guide you and wear your challenger’s shoes, and then if you are in it to prevail and please your ego, do something out of the ordinary: agree to disagree and let it be.
Can you manage that?
The quandary lies in the fact that we tend to naturally turn every disagreement into a personal fight, where both parties battle with nails and teeth to prevail over. This approach triggers reactions instead of actions, because its ultimate goal is to conquer and defeat. In the aftermath of the combat the winner takes it all while the looser goes down on his knees, crashed and resentful. The harsh words spoken during the battle only leave crawling broken hearts on the battlefield of relationships. Mending the damage caused isn’t easy at all; even the winner has been wounded and his/her victory has a bitter taste that takes away every possible unresentful joy.
Choosing not to win even when victory is probable is not done out of compassion or foolishness but out of something way beyond the need to win. We must be brave as we need to shutdown the fear of not knowing what will unfold. We need to detach ourselves from the idea of loosing or winning and instead look at the bigger picture with an open heart. And last but not least we need a bit of craziness as it means going against what logic tell us to do. All this shall be done with the understanding that not winning is not loosing since both parties at the end are benefiting from this selfless action. Doing so brings an opportunity to experience the magic of unconditional love and its blessings when applied well.
When disagreements are handled with mutual respect and love, all parties involved blossom with positive changes. When the goal is to come to a common understanding there is no need to fight as the need to prevail is not there.
So, next time when you find yourself involved in a disagreement, ask yourself: “Am I fighting to reign and prove a point? What’s driving me, my heart or my ego?” Let you heart guide you and wear your challenger’s shoes, and then if you are in it to prevail and please your ego, do something out of the ordinary: agree to disagree and let it be.
Can you manage that?
© 2009 Gabriela Abalo – Author
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Disappointed
I complained about my job day after day, but did nothing to make it interesting or look for a new one.
I complained about my shape and size, but I didn’t eat healthier nor did any exercise.
I complained about not having enough money to do everything I wished for, but did nothing to do what I could, with what I got.
I complained about my friends, but didn’t try to love them they same way they loved me nor did I try to nourish our friendship.
I complained about you and me, but did nothing to appreciate what we had.
I complained about so many things, but did nothing else than just complain about everything
Now I’m complaining for complaining and doing nothing else than complain…
I’m depressed, jobless, loveless, moneyless and weightless!
I lost weight and changed my shape, not because I’m eating better or doing any exercise, but because I have little to eat and have to walk most of the time.
Money is still a problem, but now is a bigger one, without the job I can’t even complain about doing nothing with the little I used to have… since even that little is gone.
My love is gone, my job is gone and my money is gone… Damn, I never thought I could miss them that much!
Now I’m complaining for complaining and doing nothing else than complain…
But the most disappointing of all, is that I can’t even complain, as I know that for complaining too much I’m where I’m!
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
Money is still a problem, but now is a bigger one, without the job I can’t even complain about doing nothing with the little I used to have… since even that little is gone.
My love is gone, my job is gone and my money is gone… Damn, I never thought I could miss them that much!
Now I’m complaining for complaining and doing nothing else than complain…
But the most disappointing of all, is that I can’t even complain, as I know that for complaining too much I’m where I’m!
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Paradox of Fear
Opportunities are what we make out of the circumstances surrounding us; they don’t come into our life broadcast on flashing billboards, we have to create them. At this very moment our life is full of opportunities, all we have to do is to take the chance and go for them, without looking back.
We tend to hesitate whenever a new door opens in front of us, presenting the chance to try something different. The fear of the unknown freezes us; just the thought of leaving our comfort-zone blocks our nature and immediately switches the “security button” to protect us from any collateral damages. Our very well trained brain raises all the possible alarms we can imagine, and immediately starts telling us: “You don’t stand a chance, this is not for you! You must be crazy if you are thinking on risking everything to follow a dream! What if you lose everything?”
These thoughts and many others populate our mind, convincing ourselves that we are better off doing what we already know than trying something else. We keep reminding ourselves that we can’t afford to daydream, losing the perspective and taking a chance of doing something that is not worth the risk. As a result we choose to keep walking through the paths we already know, the ones that don’t scare us or threaten our self-esteem, even if that means living in discontent.
Naturally we are inclined to believe that things will not work out, paradoxically it will take the same amount of energy and faith to believe the opposite, but instead we choose to trust our fear.
How can we accomplish the realization of the self if we are followers of fear?
Fear blocks our possibilities of becoming who we can be, since we allow it to grow bigger than our faith in ourselves. How can we do that to ourselves? How can we allow that False Evidence Appearing Real to take over and decide who we are?
Isn’t transformation the foundation of our own existence? Can we transform without embracing risk and change?
To be alive is to be fully present in the now, aware of the chances we are holding in our hands and acting on them. To be alive is to dream, believe, transform, experiment, love, to have faith as well as doubts, it is also to be afraid and above all to find the balance in between all of them.
Experiencing fear is a reminder that we are alive, fear should be embrace and let it be, we need to feel it and face it, but we do also need to have faith in ourselves and the courage to transform.
Today, now, exactly at this moment do something you have been postponing for a long time. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake or failing, just follow you heart, listen to it and let things be; bear in mind that failing doing something we love is much more worthy than succeeding in something we hate.
Today, now, exactly at this moment tell your comfort-zone: “I’m leaving…”
We tend to hesitate whenever a new door opens in front of us, presenting the chance to try something different. The fear of the unknown freezes us; just the thought of leaving our comfort-zone blocks our nature and immediately switches the “security button” to protect us from any collateral damages. Our very well trained brain raises all the possible alarms we can imagine, and immediately starts telling us: “You don’t stand a chance, this is not for you! You must be crazy if you are thinking on risking everything to follow a dream! What if you lose everything?”
These thoughts and many others populate our mind, convincing ourselves that we are better off doing what we already know than trying something else. We keep reminding ourselves that we can’t afford to daydream, losing the perspective and taking a chance of doing something that is not worth the risk. As a result we choose to keep walking through the paths we already know, the ones that don’t scare us or threaten our self-esteem, even if that means living in discontent.
Naturally we are inclined to believe that things will not work out, paradoxically it will take the same amount of energy and faith to believe the opposite, but instead we choose to trust our fear.
How can we accomplish the realization of the self if we are followers of fear?
Fear blocks our possibilities of becoming who we can be, since we allow it to grow bigger than our faith in ourselves. How can we do that to ourselves? How can we allow that False Evidence Appearing Real to take over and decide who we are?
Isn’t transformation the foundation of our own existence? Can we transform without embracing risk and change?
To be alive is to be fully present in the now, aware of the chances we are holding in our hands and acting on them. To be alive is to dream, believe, transform, experiment, love, to have faith as well as doubts, it is also to be afraid and above all to find the balance in between all of them.
Experiencing fear is a reminder that we are alive, fear should be embrace and let it be, we need to feel it and face it, but we do also need to have faith in ourselves and the courage to transform.
“There is much in the world to make us afraid.
There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid.”
~Frederick W. Cropp
There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid.”
~Frederick W. Cropp
Today, now, exactly at this moment do something you have been postponing for a long time. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake or failing, just follow you heart, listen to it and let things be; bear in mind that failing doing something we love is much more worthy than succeeding in something we hate.
Today, now, exactly at this moment tell your comfort-zone: “I’m leaving…”
“Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...
initially scared me to death”
~Betty Bender
initially scared me to death”
~Betty Bender
© 2010 Gabriela Abalo
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Saturday, January 23, 2010
Ten things that make me happy
"If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator. He will not be striving for it as a goal in itself. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of the day."
~W. Beran Wolfe
~W. Beran Wolfe
I have been tagged and asked to make a list of the ten (10) things that make me happy. I’m glad I have been asked to do so, as it gave me the chance to really look and distinguish in between the things that really make me happy and the ones that are not that meaningful.
So, I let my heart do the talking, my hands do the writing and my soul to do the observations. After thoughtful deliberations the ten things that make me happy were spelled out and written down.
1.Teaching Yoga: each class is a journey, each student is different, some are very flexible but not strong, others are strong but not flexible, while others are both or none. Some get frustrated, some embrace the challenge, some struggle but keep trying and others give up. But at the end of each class we all have the same peaceful and content face, a perfect portray of how we feel when a quiet balance has been achieved.
2. Writing: I ponder about everything; I’m a seeker, an observer, an investigator, a risk-taker, a moderator, communicator, provocative and a passionate person. Writing is my way to convey all that and more. I’m very happy and thankful every time I get comments in my blog or someone is willing to talk about some of my posts.
3. Love: being in love and making love without boundaries and reservations.
4. Being me: living life to the fullest, knowing that I’m special in my very own way, expressing who I am without uncertainties or fears. Trying not to take life for granted and ensuring that this is my chance to become who I want to be, while respecting that others have the same right too.
5. Family and friends: for loving me just the way I am
6. Photography: rediscovering the magic and beauty of the unseen world, bringing to light the unnoticed, paying attention to the details, appreciating the whole universe. Recognizing that everything is unique and special in its very inimitable/unusual way.
7. Conversing: having a great tête-à-tête with a good glass of wine with anyone that is up for it.
8. Reading: Reading takes you to places, opens your mind, feeds the soul, liberates the spirit and broaden our choices. Each book or written text is unique, each of them introduces us to different worlds, ideas, realities, cultures, adventures, passions, miseries, etc. I have been reading books since I was eight years old, books have been, and still are my best teachers.
9. Traveling: knowing and experiencing different countries, races, traditions, languages, religions and realities are one of my biggest passions in life. Traveling is like reading a book, with the bonus that one is one of the main characters in it.
10. Flowers: I do believe that flowers have feelings, and that those feelings extend to the human beings who tend them. Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.
Those are some of the things that make me happy. What about you? What rocks your life?
I’m tagging you! Yes, you, the one reading this post, the one that is right now pondering about what really makes you happy. So, take a few minutes, write them down and promise yourself to enjoy at least one of them once a day…
I would love to know what makes you happy.
loveNlight
Gabi
So, I let my heart do the talking, my hands do the writing and my soul to do the observations. After thoughtful deliberations the ten things that make me happy were spelled out and written down.
1.Teaching Yoga: each class is a journey, each student is different, some are very flexible but not strong, others are strong but not flexible, while others are both or none. Some get frustrated, some embrace the challenge, some struggle but keep trying and others give up. But at the end of each class we all have the same peaceful and content face, a perfect portray of how we feel when a quiet balance has been achieved.
2. Writing: I ponder about everything; I’m a seeker, an observer, an investigator, a risk-taker, a moderator, communicator, provocative and a passionate person. Writing is my way to convey all that and more. I’m very happy and thankful every time I get comments in my blog or someone is willing to talk about some of my posts.
3. Love: being in love and making love without boundaries and reservations.
4. Being me: living life to the fullest, knowing that I’m special in my very own way, expressing who I am without uncertainties or fears. Trying not to take life for granted and ensuring that this is my chance to become who I want to be, while respecting that others have the same right too.
5. Family and friends: for loving me just the way I am
6. Photography: rediscovering the magic and beauty of the unseen world, bringing to light the unnoticed, paying attention to the details, appreciating the whole universe. Recognizing that everything is unique and special in its very inimitable/unusual way.
7. Conversing: having a great tête-à-tête with a good glass of wine with anyone that is up for it.
8. Reading: Reading takes you to places, opens your mind, feeds the soul, liberates the spirit and broaden our choices. Each book or written text is unique, each of them introduces us to different worlds, ideas, realities, cultures, adventures, passions, miseries, etc. I have been reading books since I was eight years old, books have been, and still are my best teachers.
9. Traveling: knowing and experiencing different countries, races, traditions, languages, religions and realities are one of my biggest passions in life. Traveling is like reading a book, with the bonus that one is one of the main characters in it.
10. Flowers: I do believe that flowers have feelings, and that those feelings extend to the human beings who tend them. Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.
Those are some of the things that make me happy. What about you? What rocks your life?
I’m tagging you! Yes, you, the one reading this post, the one that is right now pondering about what really makes you happy. So, take a few minutes, write them down and promise yourself to enjoy at least one of them once a day…
I would love to know what makes you happy.
loveNlight
Gabi
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Pondering about
And here I was worrying about which dress will I wear tonight, till I read the news!
The New Slave Trade in South Africa: an article exposing one of the many samples of human trafficking happening around us. Thousands of HIV’s orphans are being forced by poverty and lack of social security to leave school in search of some kind of work that allows them sustaining themselves and their siblings. These children are being sold as sexual slaves against their will and therefore forced to work the streets and exposed to all type of psychological and physical abuse. Many of them never see a Tomorrow! (source Yahoo News)
Some see racist theme in alien adventure 'Avatar': the main complaint is: “Why does it always have to be a white person saving the world?” Apparently people are not happy with the movie because the main character was played by a white actor, insisting that the message could have been stronger if it was played by a black actor instead. To be honest the last thing I noticed was the color of the actor! And there I was thinking that the movie was great as it tackles several controversial issues being faced by humanity today, like: capitalism, pitiable moral values, racism, and destruction of nature (I really cried when the big tree was shot down). (source Yahoo News)
Woman arrested for throwing her baby into the garbage container: an NGO Social Worker gave birth on a toilet, and then put the baby on a plastic bag and through it to the garbage container. The body was discovered by one homeless that was searching for food on the containers. The “very well educated” social worker didn’t show any sign of regret or remorse for what she did. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Immigrants run away after violent “hunting” in Rosarno: Around 1,300 immigrants have to run away from an Italian province, as they were being hunted down for protesting against exploitation and unfair labour conditions. 65 of them were wounded during the clashes and many will be deported to their country of origin. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Swiss vote to ban new mosque minarets: Voters in Switzerland have approved a proposal to ban the construction of minarets on mosques, according to results of a referendum held Sunday. The nationalist Swiss People's Party, the largest party in parliament, had pushed for the national vote after labeling the mosque towers as symbols of militant Islam.
Walter Wobmann, president of a committee that backed the initiative, said its aim is not to stop people from practicing their religion, but to stop political Islam and the "further Islamization of Switzerland."
Supporters of the ban claim that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and the Islamic legal system Shariah, which they claim are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
Amnesty International, though, has warned that such a ban would violate Switzerland's commitment to religious freedom. (extracted from CBS News)
Church attacks in Malaysia deepen racial tension: Christian churches are being targeted by Muslim’s groups. The ministry said the attacks were perpetrated by extremists who wanted to weaken the country's commitment to racial harmony, one of the key draws for foreign investors. "These were not just attacks on houses of worship, they were attacks on the values and freedoms all Malaysians share," the statement said. The attacks were triggered by a Dec. 31 High Court decision that overturned a government ban on the use of "Allah" by Roman Catholics in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald. The ban and the ruling also apply to Malay-language Bibles, 10,000 copies of which were recently seized by authorities because they translated God as Allah. (source Yahoo News)
Marconi, the most unsecured township of Montevideo: a not go place even for the police at night. Total lack of public security. Delivery services are being arranged outside the townships so as to avoid the dangerous areas. Police suggest creating a permanent police station to bring security back to the place. But there is nothing about how to resolve the social-economic problem causing Marconi to be a no go town. (source diario El Pais Uruguay)
……………
It doesn’t matter to which country’s newspaper we look at, the news will still be alike, with different actors and different settings, but the root of the issues will still be the same: disproportion, poverty, discrimination, materialism, analphabetism, egocentricity, intolerance, etc.
The distressing part of all this, is that despite our knowledge on what is going on and what is causing it, nothing really changes. If we stop reading news papers and/or watching the news for two months or more, the only thing that will change will be the date of the day.
After reading the news I couldn’t help it but wonder: “What is going on? Where are we going? How can we find a solution that brings harmony and reconciles the differences, that helps us to remember that we are all and one and act accordingly? Something that helps us look at each other as equals instead of looking down at anyone who tries to be different.
How are we supposed to live a decent and kindhearted life while we are so conscious of the horrors, the injustices and the darkness of humankind? Maybe the answer lies on the fact that we need to accept to live our life in the center of this absurdity and discrepancy, because they are part of who we are and life would crumple without them. The contradictions and the absurdities help us to realize who we want to be. There are no right answers to this dilemma and all what is required from us is a life lived in consciousness of its human quality and spiritual significance.
The New Slave Trade in South Africa: an article exposing one of the many samples of human trafficking happening around us. Thousands of HIV’s orphans are being forced by poverty and lack of social security to leave school in search of some kind of work that allows them sustaining themselves and their siblings. These children are being sold as sexual slaves against their will and therefore forced to work the streets and exposed to all type of psychological and physical abuse. Many of them never see a Tomorrow! (source Yahoo News)
Some see racist theme in alien adventure 'Avatar': the main complaint is: “Why does it always have to be a white person saving the world?” Apparently people are not happy with the movie because the main character was played by a white actor, insisting that the message could have been stronger if it was played by a black actor instead. To be honest the last thing I noticed was the color of the actor! And there I was thinking that the movie was great as it tackles several controversial issues being faced by humanity today, like: capitalism, pitiable moral values, racism, and destruction of nature (I really cried when the big tree was shot down). (source Yahoo News)
Woman arrested for throwing her baby into the garbage container: an NGO Social Worker gave birth on a toilet, and then put the baby on a plastic bag and through it to the garbage container. The body was discovered by one homeless that was searching for food on the containers. The “very well educated” social worker didn’t show any sign of regret or remorse for what she did. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Immigrants run away after violent “hunting” in Rosarno: Around 1,300 immigrants have to run away from an Italian province, as they were being hunted down for protesting against exploitation and unfair labour conditions. 65 of them were wounded during the clashes and many will be deported to their country of origin. (source diario El Pais - Uruguay)
Swiss vote to ban new mosque minarets: Voters in Switzerland have approved a proposal to ban the construction of minarets on mosques, according to results of a referendum held Sunday. The nationalist Swiss People's Party, the largest party in parliament, had pushed for the national vote after labeling the mosque towers as symbols of militant Islam.
Walter Wobmann, president of a committee that backed the initiative, said its aim is not to stop people from practicing their religion, but to stop political Islam and the "further Islamization of Switzerland."
Supporters of the ban claim that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and the Islamic legal system Shariah, which they claim are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
Amnesty International, though, has warned that such a ban would violate Switzerland's commitment to religious freedom. (extracted from CBS News)
Church attacks in Malaysia deepen racial tension: Christian churches are being targeted by Muslim’s groups. The ministry said the attacks were perpetrated by extremists who wanted to weaken the country's commitment to racial harmony, one of the key draws for foreign investors. "These were not just attacks on houses of worship, they were attacks on the values and freedoms all Malaysians share," the statement said. The attacks were triggered by a Dec. 31 High Court decision that overturned a government ban on the use of "Allah" by Roman Catholics in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald. The ban and the ruling also apply to Malay-language Bibles, 10,000 copies of which were recently seized by authorities because they translated God as Allah. (source Yahoo News)
Marconi, the most unsecured township of Montevideo: a not go place even for the police at night. Total lack of public security. Delivery services are being arranged outside the townships so as to avoid the dangerous areas. Police suggest creating a permanent police station to bring security back to the place. But there is nothing about how to resolve the social-economic problem causing Marconi to be a no go town. (source diario El Pais Uruguay)
……………It doesn’t matter to which country’s newspaper we look at, the news will still be alike, with different actors and different settings, but the root of the issues will still be the same: disproportion, poverty, discrimination, materialism, analphabetism, egocentricity, intolerance, etc.
The distressing part of all this, is that despite our knowledge on what is going on and what is causing it, nothing really changes. If we stop reading news papers and/or watching the news for two months or more, the only thing that will change will be the date of the day.
After reading the news I couldn’t help it but wonder: “What is going on? Where are we going? How can we find a solution that brings harmony and reconciles the differences, that helps us to remember that we are all and one and act accordingly? Something that helps us look at each other as equals instead of looking down at anyone who tries to be different.
How are we supposed to live a decent and kindhearted life while we are so conscious of the horrors, the injustices and the darkness of humankind? Maybe the answer lies on the fact that we need to accept to live our life in the center of this absurdity and discrepancy, because they are part of who we are and life would crumple without them. The contradictions and the absurdities help us to realize who we want to be. There are no right answers to this dilemma and all what is required from us is a life lived in consciousness of its human quality and spiritual significance.
“Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind.
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of people.
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.”
Bertrand Russell
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind.
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of people.
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.”
Bertrand Russell
I’m still pondering on the news and our knowledge on its causes, I’m still pondering on what you and I can do!
© 2009 Gabriela Abalo – Author
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Help and its implications
More often than not when helping someone we do set expectations and then end up feeling betrayed and disappointed as the end result did not work as anticipated by us. But in spite of the disillusionment we keep aiding with the hope that one day that person will turn into the one we have pictured. Unconsciously we take ownership of his/her situation with the conviction that we know better, leaving him/her with very little room to take responsibility and make his/her own choices. Therefore we end up engaging in a codependent relationship, a mixture of hate and love, gratitude and ungratefulness, expectations and disappointments, breakups and starting over, forgiveness and resentment. Both parties are unhappy: the one asking for help feels suffocated by the conditional aid while the one helping feels used and unappreciated.
As time passes by the one being helped starts to demand for the aid, considering it his/her right to be helped, given that we have been always there to rescue him/her from the fire. But then, the sense of obligation and umbrage has already taken its toll on the helping hand, resulting on a strong unwillingness to keep supporting the unthankful one. It is then when people start to question the implications of helping others.
Helping does not necessary entails taking responsibility for others problems and solving them on their behalf, as we are then taking away their chance to experience and to grow from the situation they are facing. Helping is about being there to assist when needed to, but with no conditions and or expectations. It is not about wanting to control the person we are assisting by gaining power over him/her and therefore crossing the line by starting to organize his/her life as per our will. Doing so does takes away his/her freedom to be “Who she/he wants to be” imposing on her/his the burden of becoming “who we want him/her to be”. The end result: a very unhealthy relationship where dissatisfaction is what prevails in all the parties involved.
When the time to stop “lending a hand” arrives we are usually overwhelmed by a feeling of guilt and remorse, since this goes against what is believed to be the right thing to do. The sense of obligation is such that it takes a huge effort to say NO so as to let the other person take responsibility of her/his doings. Despite these contradictory feelings, we do need to face the reality and accept the fact that sometimes the best way to help is by not helping.
Helping someone by not helping does not imply ignoring the other person’s problem and letting him/her break into pieces while we go on with our own business. But sometimes we do need to accept that the best help we can offer to a specific person or situation is by letting things follow their course of action. We do need to admit that sometimes the person asking for help does need to hit the ground so as to be able to stand on their own, as this is what she/he really needs to experienced so as to be able to take control of his/her life.
We shall keep helping each other as much as we can, but we need to do so while remembering that they are not us and we are not them. We also need to keep in mind that people do need to take responsibilities for their actions, and that there are not victims or victimizers. Not helping as expected does not make as victimizers, and not getting what we want does not make us victims.
As time passes by the one being helped starts to demand for the aid, considering it his/her right to be helped, given that we have been always there to rescue him/her from the fire. But then, the sense of obligation and umbrage has already taken its toll on the helping hand, resulting on a strong unwillingness to keep supporting the unthankful one. It is then when people start to question the implications of helping others.
Helping does not necessary entails taking responsibility for others problems and solving them on their behalf, as we are then taking away their chance to experience and to grow from the situation they are facing. Helping is about being there to assist when needed to, but with no conditions and or expectations. It is not about wanting to control the person we are assisting by gaining power over him/her and therefore crossing the line by starting to organize his/her life as per our will. Doing so does takes away his/her freedom to be “Who she/he wants to be” imposing on her/his the burden of becoming “who we want him/her to be”. The end result: a very unhealthy relationship where dissatisfaction is what prevails in all the parties involved.
When the time to stop “lending a hand” arrives we are usually overwhelmed by a feeling of guilt and remorse, since this goes against what is believed to be the right thing to do. The sense of obligation is such that it takes a huge effort to say NO so as to let the other person take responsibility of her/his doings. Despite these contradictory feelings, we do need to face the reality and accept the fact that sometimes the best way to help is by not helping.
Helping someone by not helping does not imply ignoring the other person’s problem and letting him/her break into pieces while we go on with our own business. But sometimes we do need to accept that the best help we can offer to a specific person or situation is by letting things follow their course of action. We do need to admit that sometimes the person asking for help does need to hit the ground so as to be able to stand on their own, as this is what she/he really needs to experienced so as to be able to take control of his/her life.
We shall keep helping each other as much as we can, but we need to do so while remembering that they are not us and we are not them. We also need to keep in mind that people do need to take responsibilities for their actions, and that there are not victims or victimizers. Not helping as expected does not make as victimizers, and not getting what we want does not make us victims.
© 2009 Gabriela Abalo – Author
Welcome to share with friends, email this post and leave a comment.
This week's Theme Thursday is "help" - I'm contributing with this old post (old but still very much current ;) )
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The ART of Communication (II)
The other day while surfing the net I read: “The state of the world is a reflection of our collective conversation. To change the world lets improve the quality of our conversation”. A very simple and brilliant expression that describes the cause of the several conflicts humanity is facing today.
Ineffective communication is directly related to the absence of tolerance and an open-minded approach, where there is a tendency to disregard anything that is not in agreement with specifics beliefs or values. People react to different opinions, cultures, customs, religions and ideas with antagonism in a desperate attempt to shut down anything dissimilar to what they believe to be right. The human need to establish what is right or wrong is where the key of the matter truly lies as it settles nations and people apart.
But, what determines what is right and wrong? Which principles should be used to establish that conclusion: yours or mine? If you are right then I’m wrong? If it’s not black then it’s white?
There is right and wrong? It has to be that way or can we meet half way?
True communication realizes when both parties meet half way, listening and respecting what both have to express. As a French philosopher once said: “I totally disagree with everything you said but I will defend with my life your right to say it!”
When we meet half way we don’t pinpoint or judge as we are embracing things for what they are instead of trying to change them to meet our line of thoughts. If societies, communities, religions, political parties, etc stop having monologues and start having “conversations” we will definitely see a different state of the world. But then again, as Gandhi said: “You must be the change that you wish to see in the world”, so there we are… if you want the world to change, begin by changing your communication approach: stop having monologues and be ready to meet half way!
© 2009 Gabriela Abalo – Author
Welcome to share with friends, email this post and leave a comment
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