Have the kindness to see the good
Disregard and cast off the negative
There will be much that may cloud
your vision.
There is much we do not know
We all have our own stories
Of trials and tribulations
It’s not easy for any of us.
And for some it may just be
A little extra tough these times.
Truly it takes nothing from you
To choose to stay positive
And stay nice no matter!
Our world is having it rough already
Let’s try and make it better
Each of us one kind gesture in time
Let’s leave imprints of kindness
In hearts and souls
Let us empower our spirit
To be hopeful and happy
All is meant to be well
So be kind and do good!
Every thought sets a pattern
In fact in a loop
Of interwoven scenes
Some that seem relatively strange
And some unidentifiable
Every loop jumps and lights up another
In the intersection
Is thought quantifiable at all?
Thoughts come and go
But what if we reflect on our thoughts
Like witnessing our breath, as it goes on
Thoughts may manifest on their own.
When we are mindful of our thoughts.
May be just for a bit of time every now and then
We flow along and cultivate an awareness of its nature
We become gradually mindful of the now.
In time, a sense of connect develops
In conscious awareness of our intentions.
We are creating spaces between our thoughts
And pauses in our reflections.
When shift is known by the mind
And felt in the heart
Then every thing moves
In conscious awareness.
A forward doing the rounds on Social Media caught my attention today.
Worth taking a moment to read and contemplate.
💦 After the 93 year old man in Italy got better in the hospital, he was told to pay for the ventilator for one day, and the old man cried. The doctor advised him not to cry over the bill.
What the old man said made all the doctors cry.
Old man said, “I don’t cry because of the money I have to pay. I can pay all the money.” *I cry because I have been breathing God’s air for 93 years, but I never pay for it. It takes €5,000 to use a ventilator in a hospital for one day. Do you know how much I owe God ? I didn’t thank God for that before.”*
The truth of the news can’t be verified, but the old man’s words are worth our reflection.
When we breathe the air freely without pain or illness, no one takes the air seriously. Only when we enter the hospital can we know that even breathing oxygen with a ventilator costs money!
🙏🏽 *Cherish the time when we can breathe freely..!* 💐👏🏽
It is certainly true for we take nature for granted. The Sun, the moon, water, air, glaciers mountains trees rivers animals and humans all have reason to be.
“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”
Domestic abuse happens and it need not be only physical abuse.
In my career as a dance educator and teacher spanning two decades now, I have come across many situations of mental abuse that some of my female students experienced and shared with me in the course of time. Believe me, it is a lot more rampant than we choose to accept. Some time ago I had written an article extensively on the Dignity of the being
Back then I had brought forward a true story of my own poor house help and how she stood strong in spite of continued physical torture in the hands of an abusive alcoholic husband.
Consider this a continuation of the exercise to bring up another much undercover and consciously veiled topic… of the shades and degrees of mental and emotional harassment in the name of relationships.
Age, education, class or culture does not seem to matter. It could happen to just about anyone. In fact, some very educated women, students who were affected by such partners cut a very sorry and disheartening figure, privately after the class.
Hoping however best I could use abilities in my capacity would help, I used to hold some space and time free for them to share and express what is going on in their lives. And to make them realise the power of positive expression, in helping them know that they are not alone and helpless.
We as dance educators can be if need be and when required, a great source of support to our learners in our understanding of movement. For the body never lies, we can probably be tuned in to see which of our students needs our gentle guidance and support as well from time to time.
It hurts to see a seemingly brilliant and confident woman breakdown under the weight of abuse and harassment at home. Often they would break down to share their issues with me for want of support. In the course of listening and understanding of their frustration my abilities to counsel strengthened as I started offering supported listening for their unique predicament.
I ended up realising how no two situations are the same. And besides a dominating and subjugating nature of an individual, how alcohol or substance abuse ( even chewing tobacco)are often factors that cause aggressive behaviour other than work stress and financial worries.
Often the woman finds herself in a predicament when the aggressor’s behaviour differs like chalk and cheese between day and night. There may be mental torture inflicted under the influence of a few drinks. The reasons no matter but when words and tempers spew, unfiltered and uncontrolled especially at the fag end of the day, the victim often is clueless as to how to deal with the situation.
Often drained by sporadic and incessant attacks they end up weakened by sleeping less, tossing and turning through the night wondering what they did to hear so much insinuating words. Health issues crop up in time as the body cannot cope with the confusion. And probably without any physical evidence to show, mental torture is difficult to prove. There are not many readily accessible support groups she could go here in India as yet and for the fear of judgements she prefers to suppress her hurt.
For example…
A dominating husband has a bad day at work. He gathers up all the rage and is seething inside.
His vent becomes his wife and family and often he comes home late night in a foul mood and spews venomous hate over his loved ones. Often it may be a time when all at home are asleep at night.
The reasons or the trigger to get angry could be just about anything.
It could be about a deal that did not come through at office… which he may carry forth on the home front… it first converts to deep-rooted rage and lack of patience and tolerance in general. It could be about anything …like, not picking up the phone when he calls, it could be about the lunch sent from home, which he found had less salt, it could be about not opening the door on time, it could be about a credit card swipe at a supermarket which irks him.
After such attacks especially at night most often there is regret in the morning for the words said, but it cannot be taken back.. And pride and ego stops him from feeling or saying sorry and taking help for amending his ways. The patterns continue. Cold silence ensues on both ends for want of peace. Until things settle in the course of time only to rise again another day.
The victim is often clueless about how to help in such a situation as she is continually bombarded with her weaknesses and told that all problems arise because of her. She often takes recourse to silence as there may be extended family members staying with them or for the fear that the children would hear and get hurt further.
Dealing with anger and rage and temper tantrums.
If you are ever at the receiving end of unforeseen anger you need to brace yourself from getting hurt and affected due to sensitivity.
Especially when you are confronted with a situation where you are taken aback by someone spewing anger all over you, showering you with mean and unnecessary words and raining abuses over you for something you did not do, as well as creating a ruckus about silly things… remember your best weapon is non-retaliation.
Try as they might to get you to say something by provoking with crude words … do not engage.
There is nothing like nonengagement for handling mental and emotionally abusive relationships.
It does not mean that you accept the pain and hurt rather you are aware of what works and how it is a more sensible way to tackle such a circumstance.
Also, it helps to understand that the aggressor is perhaps suffering and doesn’t know to channel and deal with the issues at hand and perhaps takes the path of bullying, manipulating, attacking by verbally insinuating and insulting to counter the situation. Know and accept they need help too. If they have any sense left they ought to get it for their own self. Remember the saying, you can only take the horse to the water but it has to drink on its own. So accept that you are doing your best and let go of worries.
Yes, it amounts to a great degree of emotional maturity to be silent and not succumb to such provocation.
A few tips…
If you find yourself identifying with any such predicament, allow yourself to express yourself.
Take help, speak to an emotionally mature member of your immediate family
Do not suppress in the morning for you know deep inside that this can and will happen again. It is just a matter of time.
Let them know there is so much that you are going through and that you need help.
Sleep as much as you can for you might often be sleep deprived.
Take interest in what you are feeding your body, avoid junk for you might just be nutritionally deficient with all the mental tensions and conflicts.
The body needs a vent to release the contracted pain, exercise well as much as you can.
Breathing consciously deeper with awareness can calm the agitated mind.
If you can write, regularly try to maintain a journal of gratitude for all the good things that are happening with you.
Look around and notice your blessings. They will be in the form of children, friends, pets, your skills, your faith, your inner resilience or your never say die attitude.
Realise you are meant to live not just exist.
Remember there is always a way!
Remember you are full of inner strength that you can harness even in your vulnerability.
Trust that this faith in yourself will take you through!
“I choose gentleness…
Nothing is won by force.
I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.”
Max Lucado
Truly beautiful and I deeply appreciate the profound strength of gentleness.
If you ask for peace in and around you,
Make sure to co-create the conditions for peace.
Let go the dramas that may arise in time
Every one has a battle we know nothing of.
If you want to help make a difference
Make sure … to move from your soul
Speak from the heart
And connect in the spirit of benevolence.
Care genuinely, be truly concerned
Make sure to ask about another’s wellbeing
Not for the sake of asking
But from the place of love and empathy.
Then sit back watch your world
Transform itself in front of you
Encourage Appreciate and be Grateful
Respect, believe and keep the faith
If emotions were tubes of colours
The way we paint every day
The way we live our lives
The way we think and express
Our own experiences in being.
Will be a riot on the canvas.
Envisioning in the seeing…
Flashes of brilliance in bright yellow
Of optimism and cheer
Sporadically surging joy and ecstasy.
Going green in connectedness
Contented lines flowing in trustful acceptance
Or moves markedly hesitant in fear and apprehension.
Arresting artistry of living life in loving kindness
Explosions of reds marking anger
Or in delusions of grandeur in aggression.
In ingenious masterstrokes in fits of rage
Of imagination running wild.
Colour of Purple in projecting pride.
Of passionate perseverance to detail
Or a certain aloofness in respectful reservation.
A sense of ascension and royalty.
Shades of blue in thoughtful flow and serenity
Or organic spaced out zenful zones
Of mindful movements in the making.
Yes there is an emotion in every colour
As colours are but tools of expression
Of the ever changing moods of man
How colorful is the spirit of our soul.
Every colour plays a significant role
Like in the wheel of colours
So are emotions that appear
In the wheel of life.
Each plays it’s part.
All matters to the whole.
Many deep-rooted issues that we choose to bury within manifest themselves in time as diseases of the mind and body.
We are better off in the sharing…
When things are too tough to handle
There is no point in holding it all.
The remedy is never in suppression.
But our world is happier wearing masks
In its facades the truth submerges
Only to rise like a Phoenix
Unexpectedly at the most inopportune of times.
Time to accept our vulnerabilities,
And find the strength from it.
Commend a share from the heart.
Support and appreciate their efforts.
Build a sense of community to help
For the truth is we are all in it together.
The healing is in the sharing In the very ability to share The first step of healing begins For often in brushing under the carpet The debris gets collected in time And manifests grief in unexpected ways… In the very vulnerability of life Is the strength of living.
Kudos to ‘Brave-hearts’ for sharing their stories. For it can inspire hope to someone somewhere… Who needs to know, all is well in life and living And hope is here to stay!
