Day 258. Keep trying

   Today I read a beautiful story to my kids. It was about a boy and his dragon which, once a simple toy, becomes alive but for it to stay alive the boy has to go through a series of trials. Does he do it gladly? No. He's afraid and he says he can't do it. So he tries to give up over and over again. But each time he does that there is a character that makes him change his mind, trust himself and keep trying. And thus he always finds the right solution to his problems and in the end he succeeds to save his dear dragon:) 

   Just like the kid, how many times did we want to give up when the first solution we found didn't work? Why do we quickly choose to feel sorrow instead of trying to find a different solution that would make us happy? Sometimes the right solution comes from an unexpected place:) 

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

                                                          Dale Carnegie 

Day 244. Less is more

   I don't know about you, but from time to time I realize I have some things I want to change to myself. Today I realized I give waaaay too many details when I transmit a piece of information.

   I know what I want to say, but I make a story out of everything. I don't know how I got here. Maybe it's that I'm used to talk to my parents like that and give them details on whatever the issue. Hmmm... The fact that my brother said "I don't care" several times should have triggered something inside me, but I always redirected my attention towards others who did care. 

   So from now on I want to pay more attention to what I say and how I say it. It's like needing to write the summary of a novel every time I say something. Very hard but very useful too! 

Day 209. Yes, I can!

   Once upon a time there was a boy called Ionuț. He loved climbing rees and walking in the forest. His best friend was a big, black dog called Azorel. One day... 

   We're evaluating kids this week. The ones that are some months below the appropriate age for going to school. So we want to see if they're ready or not. The story above is one of the tests. They have to listen to it carefully and then say what they remember of it. And in the second part of the evaluation they have to copy a lot of geometric figures. You should see their drawings!:) It's really interesting to observe them while they are at it. It makes me feel like a little scientist and I'm loving it:) 
   The good part is that most of the kids I evaluated have good skills, but the other ones have big self esteem issues. And it's a pity because it's going to be like carrying a heavy backpack around for the rest of their lives... just because they wanted to be perfect and not let their parents down. 
   The worst part is that we're like them, too. We don't trust ourselves the way we should. We always look around for appreciation and if we don'g get it, we lose any shred of confidence. There goes "I can". 
   A kid started to cry today because he made a little mistake. The rest of the drawings were perfect, but that one thing made him lose it. How often are we like him? How often do we look around for appreciation when it's ourselves we should look at first? I think we should all accept ourselves and trust that we CAN do it, whatever it is that life prepared for us:) 

Remember: you can do a lot more than you think you can:) 

So let's start from there:) 

Day 143. Le Petit Prince

     Today was a special day because ... I met The Little Prince:)

   I knew the story before, but I never read it. It seemed way too complicated for me so I just abandoned it for other stories that I could comprehend more easily. This night I had the awesome opportunity to listen to the story on vinyl. I swear, it was the most beautiful experience I had in months:) Laying on a cozy armchair, being surrounded by friends and diving into childhood was exactly what I needed:) That trembling voice, those innocent lines and the whole message caught me completely. Time passed and it felt like a second. I loved it! I embraced it with all my heart. I put it in a special corner of my mind and then decided to keep it there as long as I shall live. 

   I was meant to meet him today. He had to teach me a lesson. The lesson of being responsible for what we tame, the lesson of loving and caring, of how fragile love can be and of how innocent we all are deep down. 

   Returning to innocence can make you feel like you've slept a good night's sleep and then you feel rested, full of life, willing to embrace whatever comes and learn... learn as much as you can, just like The Little Prince. 

Day 43. Long days

... are not necessarily tiring:) You can hear life stories, learn new things from children who see life differently and then seal the day with a kiss that reminds you how much you love. I want more days like this one:)

   Tip of the day: Sometimes life exceedes your expectations:) 

Day 35. About scents and flavours

   Seems like it rained last night. This morning, after getting off the bus towards work I was at first sad by the grey vail that fell over the city because of the clouds that were still sticking around, but then, as I was walking, I inhaled that special scent that can be felt after rain. That special scent that you HAVE to love:) 

   I immediately thought about how much I'd love to be able to preserve scents and even flavours I liked during my lifetime and put them in small, beautiful bottles and then fill a big chest with them and open one or two during hard times. Man, how would that change my mood in an instance:) Or even better, link a story to every bottle and then tell the stories to my children and grandchildren:) I'd love that very much. 

   So, here's the next best thing: a wannabe pond:P Wouldn't you love to preserve special scents as well? Scents that have a story behind are the best scents ever:)