Roller coasting

   Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? If you have then you know there are two options while on it: either madly laugh or scream in fear. The ride isn't smooth and you know it. There are plenty exciting going ups and just as many steep going downs. At the end of the ride, you go home bearing that photo that reminds you of your adventure. Will you be sitting somewhere alone, frightened and with a dreadful look on your face? Or will you be holding tight onto someone next to you or maybe even on that safety equipment but bear a huge grin on your face?

   Life is always going up and down. In fact, you're in a perpetual roller coaster since you're born whether you want it or not. But how you react to it and to the lack of control is what decides what happens next. You can give into that fear that bursts into your body when going down or you can close your eyes and enjoy the ride knowing that whatever happens everything will be OK in the end. 

   Sometimes... okay, many times in our life we lose control. How do you react? Do you get scared, blame someone for it and then become angry with that someone? Will anger solve your problems? Why not let it be and enjoy the things you can control? 

   I wonder why we give into fear and anger so easily... Some say it's because we don't trust ourselves and we have a low self esteem, that when we lose control while having a low self esteem it seems like the ground is shifting beneath our feet... so we start getting angry to regain that control. But that anger is just a mere illusion:) What do you think? How do you react when you can't control things?

I want you to know

   On this sunny October day I want you to know that life is never perfect, but it's always beautiful.

   That it goes on no matter how hard the journey might seem. You'll need your friends to ease that up, but you can make it.

    That you always have options. Even when you think you don't.

   That people don't change, their needs do. And sometimes there's nothing you can do to make them happy anymore. But that only means your job there is done and you have to go somewhere else and make other people happy.

   That when you're sure something will happen, life takes you by surprise and you have to move on with it... or you'll be left behind. 

   That things never last for a lifetime but they can be fixed. Or replaced.

   That people want you to listen and you want them to listen as well. Do that by taking turns or you'll end up in a mess you created yourself.

   That great effort is always rewarded. If not by others at least by yourself. You'll feel awesome!

   That you'll want your days to be longer but they'll always seem too short. Pick whatever will help you say "What an awesome day!" when you go to sleep.

   That you won't understand everything that happens to you. But you don't have to. Accept everything that comes in your life. There will be times when you'll be frustrated, but remember, there's a lesson for you at every corner.

    That you can always find a reason to be grateful. You just have to close your eyes and think.

   That there are hundreds or thousands of books written exactly for you that are waiting to be discovered. Look for them and they'll reveal themselves to you.

   That lost time doesn't come back so think about leaving something behind. Memories, photos, diaries. Record your life somewhere. You'll be thankful to rediscover it in some years.

   That money don't bring happiness. It's all in your head. You can craft or recycle instead of buying. Just use your imagination.

   That people need to be reminded how important they are to you. So let them know. 

   That if you want something, want it badly and it will come true. Be careful what you wish for, though. 

   That fear, guilt and anger will only bring bad consequences. Be at peace with yourself and with others. 

    That life is worth being explored, enjoyed, lived to the fullest. So do it! Do it now!:)

Day 331. Fearless

   It's funny how we're built up to be the strongest and the weakest version of ourselves all in the same person. It all depends on how we interpret things, our past experiences and if others seem weaker than us. Then we embrace the strong version of ourselves and we want to lift that person up. And somehow the next day we will be the weak one needing to be lifted up too. Interesting... 

   Everything starts and ends with the brain:) As much as you'd like to think that events around you influence what you feel, it's never like that. And one of the reasons that brings up the worst in us is thinking about the future and the fact that we can't control it. Then panicking happens. I'm asking you though:

   Funny how that comes from the person who usually worries about stuff. See? Today I'm the strong one. For two of my best friends needed to be lifted up. We do worry because we take into consideration the possibility that it won't be ok. And then we ask ourselves: "What am I going to do then? What if I lose everything and I will be alone? How am I going to cope with that?" But in those fearful times we forget to remember that:

   Yes, you might lose your friends but then you have your family. You might lose your family but then you have your friends. And if you lose your boyfriend/girlfriend, there's always best friends and they never go away:) That's why they're best friends. And even IF you lose everything, believe me, you WILL find the power to go on and everything will be ok. Just fight for what you want and never give up. Everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end:) Simple as that.

Day 324. The rough change

   From time to time we face our three fears: the fear of our haunting past, the fear of our uncertain present and the fear of our lonely and unfulfilled future. 

     The meeting is always rough and it hurts like hell but at some point we must look them in the eye and start chatting like old buddies for they are the ones that stop us from moving on with a smile on our face knowing that everything will be ok. 

   Sure, we hate the mistakes we've made in the past, but they made us better. We have no idea if our present friends are the real ones we'll have our whole life but sometimes we gotta let them go and see if they come back. We can't predict the future on the long term. We don't even know what tomorrow brings, but we gotta remember "today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday" and that we figured it out after all.

   So, let's accept our past mistakes cos we didn't know better, let some  of our friends go and see if they come back and stop worrying about tomorrow. Everything WILL be ok, no matter how many friends, money or things we will have. It's the inner peace we need. So we gotta stop and make a change of thought. 

  

Day 248. Flooding

   I don't know about you, but I've always had an issue with heights. Every time I'm at a high altitude, my body doesn't feel safe, my heart starts pumping more blood and my brain says: FLIGHT! 

   Today I went to visit the city with my best friend from college and we decided to go up the Firemen's tower to see the city from above. As we were climbing the many stairs up to the roof we were both feeling scared. "Is it safe to be here? Is there any chance we'd fall?" we thought. But we kept going and going even if on the inside we were pretty startled. This is what "the flooding" is. You meet your fear and you fight with it even if you feel small and helpless. And at the end of the fight you realize, again, that you can do more than you thought you could. 

   It's interesting to observe how the brain reacts when you meet your fear and in the same time it's reassuring to find out that its reaction is normal. In my case, my brain says "I don't want to die. So be careful, better go away from here!" 

   Today I didn't listen to it and I'm happy I didn't because at the top of the stairs there was a spectacular view that was worth fighting for. Yeah, I needed a little time trying to talk myself into feeling safe but in the end I'm proud to have won this fight:) 

Day 230. When you least expect

   The things we enjoy the most are the ones that come when we least expect. I had planned to talk about some other topic today, but a photo that came out wrong and still special and one of a kind made me want to change my mind. All because it was unexpected. 

   Today was one of those days you feel you don't want to waste on staying indoors. So I decided to enjoy it and walked in the park with my boyfriend while, for the first time this year, I was wearing the sunglasses. One thing leads to another, the photographer in me couldn't sleep so I used my sunglasses for a photo... with my phone. I won't share the rest, but the thing is, even if I had planned to take such a photo, it wouldn't have turned out this way. 

   That's why, instead of fearing the unexpected, we should embrace it. Whenever it comes. Because in the end those are the memories we'll have forever, the ones we'll want to share with our grandchildren while smiling remembering the past. 

   Take any chance life gives you. Remember, everything happens for a reason:)

Day 184. The sun within

   Sometimes we cloud our mind with useless fears. It's like we set a storm free willingly. And then we wonder where the sun is. 

   We all know the sun is always behind the storm, but first we gotta understand that our irrational fears might bring storms that can get out of control. Moreover, they will drag our loved ones in and everything's gonna turn into a big, ugly hurricane. 

   Do you love hurricanes? What about storms? Then why do you start them willingly? Stop and breathe. You're not gonna be better if you worry or if you're afraid. Understand your fears and then work with them. Only then you'll be better.