365 days project 2. Day 34. Thank you

   There are times when you can't do everything alone no matter how much you want to do it all by yourself. Sometimes the project is way bigger than you anticipated and if you've also never done this before, you can be sure you'll need someone with experience... or at least people who are willing to help just because two, three or four heads think better than one :)

   I keep thinking back at the wedding every day and I always find something new to be thankful for. Today I am thankful for my bridesmaids who were always by my side, making sure everything was under control and I wasn't stressed. And thus I was the most relaxed bride ever. I could just dance and have fun and I owe it all to them. Man, bridesmaids are a huge blessing!

   These days we're rushing all around town to register our first car that we bought just last weekend. It's all so new and different to me since I've never done this before. Oli is not Romanian so he has no idea how this process should be solved either, therefore we need my dad, brother and even mom for the rescue. Today mom, Oli and I went to an inspection with the car and I am so thankful we were able to go there together and support each other through every new stage. Thankfully, it all ended well.

   Life just wouldn't be the same without help when we need it. And the most beautiful times are the ones when help comes when you don't expect it. That's when you know who truly cares about you. 

  Thank you, bridesmaids and family for making my life so much easier and keeping me happy! You're the best!

365 days project 2: Day 17. Help the world

   The funny thing about kindness is that when we see it on the internet we are moved to tears when in fact it should happen every day, shouldn't it?

   The society we live in has taught us to fight for the resources and care about our individual well-being. So this is why societies that put the community on the first place don't face the same problems we do. 

   It's so easy to lend a hand, to care and to show the others you want to help them. I know, there are people who take advantage of these benevolent beings but why always put the negative side first? Why not just give into being the person you would like to meet, the one who passes by smiling to someone and help when needed? Think about it. When was the last time you were kind just because? Start today. Do something kind every day. It'll come back to you multiplied, but don't do it for that, do it because you can and the world needs it :) Be a flower rising from the concrete :)

Lost and found

   Dear diary,

   We're losing ourselves daily in the midst of this beautiful journey. I learned that we often get lost trying to solve the big puzzle instead of starting with smaller ones. 

   We want to help, but we end up needing help ourselves. 

   We lose so much and find so little but somehow everything's okay in the end. 

   We get annoyed, frustrated, sad, broken. We lose. We find. 

   We open shiny doors and then we close them. By the time we visit them again they become ancient. Doors that didn't have a key but now they do. I learned that usually the good key is the last. That's why we always have to  be patient. 

   We get lost in the labyrinth we each created for ourselves. But isn't getting lost such a great adventure? All that adrenaline rushing and that slight fear of being forever lost that boosts us into trying to find the exit and in the same time gives us the reassuring feeling that there's still time. We wander around dark streets, closing our eyes and thinking nobody sees us, we breathe in, breathe out and then we smile. It's the best feeling in the world... Getting lost and then finding ourselves again. 

   

Forever lost... and found,

D.

Day 297. The gift that keeps on giving

   We're all here with a purpose. Not only to enjoy the gifts we're receiving and live a happy life, but also to pay it forward and help people around us. Not because we have to, but because we want to be good and make the world a better place. 

   How do we do that? Help without expecting anything in return. Help for the sake of seeing people happy. Prove that there's more to life than money and power.

   It might sound hard to accomplish it but if we truly believe in this quest, nothing is too big. You know what they say, when there's a will there's a way:) And in the end, what goes around comes around.

Day 242. The help

   We give pieces of advice every day, some because we're asked for and some because we want to prevent something bad from happening. 

   I get it, we care about our close ones and we want them to be happy, but many times we give advice generalizing our experience into an absolute truth. So we tell people what to do, forgetting to take into consideration that they are not us and they have free will. I mean, giving pieces of advice is OK, but we shouldn't expect people to closely follow our ideas. Also, we should prepare that our advice might not always be the best. 

   Giving an advice is tricky. You never know if it will help or actually do harm so it's better to let people take decisions alone, because the answer always lays inside of us. We're just too afraid to admit its presence and follow it. 

   So let's rather follow our inner intuition and be more cautious when asking for and giving a piece of advice.

Day 212. Cut from the same cloth

   We all have a buddy we share everything with, someone who helps us solve problems, plan birthdays, write the dissertation paper, someone who seems to be cut from the same cloth as we are. 

   At some point he/she makes us realize that 2 is always better than 1 and that no matter how tough life might be, that person will always be by our side and understand what we're we're going through because we're the same. He/she will always answer the phone even though we already called 10 times that day. He/she will try and succeed to calm us down and lift us up when we fall. And at some point it will be our turn to do all these and we will do them gladly. 

   When that someone is your boyfriend you know you've found the right partner to play the game of life. Different settings every time, but nevertheless, a game:)

Day 210. In their shoes

  I sometimes have a problem with putting myself in other people's shoes. For example, it happens when someone around me does something that's really not the way I would do it. Then I start thinking. "Why would he/she want to do that?" And that's where the crazy wave begins. 

   I had a weird day. Add up a long work day, gloomy weather and the fact that a beggar asked me for money and there you have it. Beggars always break me. Because I know I'm supposed to help them, but I can't go over the fact that the majority of them use the money in mob organizations that are meant to fool us all. But then again it's the Lent period and we should help more than in the rest of the year. "What would Jesus do?" I always ask myself. Would He give to everyone who asks or would he distinguish the fake from the real needy ones? 

   I just wish I could put myself in other people's shoes more often before judging. But also, judging a situation makes you take a rational decision which is only psychologically natural. So? Do we give money to all the beggars or is it something in between and we only choose the ones who really look needy? And what about our friends who do things differently than us? Friends are supposed to accept each other, but being so close makes you judge more. Weeeird circle, ain't it?

Day 146. Mission accomplished

   I always felt the need to help those around me, heal the wounded or at least listen to their problems. I later on found out that's why I'm here, in this world. You know. God gives talents of many sorts and I felt this was going to be mine. Whenever I was able to make sad people happy again, I felt complete. 

   Ever since I wrote my thesis and then, after two more years, my dissertation paper, I wanted to implement the findings of my studies. I was and still am interested in parenting and the prevention of mental illnesses in children/teenagers and my dream that started in college was to make parents aware of the fact that they have to be REALLY careful how they behave with their kids, how and what they teach them in order to become psychologically adapted future adults:) Today I had the chance to do just that and I can't tell you how good it made me feel. 

    It was my first Parent-Teacher meeting:) I had previously introduced myself to all the parents in the kindergarten but that took just about 5 minutes. This time I had a whole hour for a useful talk about parenting. "Will they be interested?" "Will they take notice and change something in their life?" "Will it be useful?" I asked myself before the meeting... And the answer to all those is YES:) I don't know yet if all the parents felt the need to change something in their life because maybe they are awesome parents, but they all seemed interested and loved the meeting (or at least that's what I felt). I am so pleased that we had a friendly, cozy atmosphere that helped all the parents talk about their problems and share solutions that worked. It was just... terrific!:) And we'll do it again in one month!:) Yaaay!:) 

   So this is how my dream came true. And I'm not stopping here:) There are more parents out there who need to find out what being a parent actually involves:) Kids need to grow up happy and well prepared for the irrational beliefs they will face later on in life.

Day 74. Lack of sleep

   I don't know about you but my days of being a night bird are coming to an end since I started working. I'm also behind with my TV Shows and reading is a delicacy only for bus time.

   Even though, these couple weeks I had to work late and also get up early so you can figure out how happy I was in the morning. Today was one of those mornings. But this time I tried to think positive and take out the benefits of these things: being able to help brings you more satisfaction than one or two more hours of sleep, and in the end, this situation is temporary. 

   But... I have to admit. I think I need a vacation. I can't wait for Christmas holidays to be here already:) New, huge Christmas tree and more decorations arrived in my house today! Yaaaay!!! Let it snow!:)

Day 65. Pay it forward

   Today I realized I want to help. More than I usually do. I don't have big plans. I just want to make a difference. Christmas is approaching and I love being Santa. I want to make people happy:) 

   I know I should start with myself first. So I decided I want to be happy. I wish to be like a tree in autumn. Leave my rotten leaves behind and move on. Be better. Shine. And change the world I'm in. I want to pay it forward and so should you. It turns around when you least expect and when you need it the most:) 

So let's help. Let's look around and give a bit of ourselves to people in need. 

Day 5. Towards the light

   We are in the dark at the beginning of the road but little by little the light reveals itself and we take another shy step towards it. Of course we need help and patience but in the end knowledge will be gained and never lost. I gained knowledge today. I hope my road towards the light will be just as smooth from now on:)