Inspirational Tuesday: to serve

I have the view…that the human being was not made for pleasure, was not made to gratify the ego, was not made to make money, and was not made to have babies: it was made to serve something bigger than oneself. We are built to serve.

Jacob Needleman

Hey guys,

I am back! :) whoa! It’s been two full and awesomely amazing weeks! can’t wait to tell you all about it and post some pics! In the meantime, this quote caught my eye ;) for a truly inspiring and motivational story on giving and serving the others, check this interview!

Love to you all!

Roxi

Inspirational Tuesday: neuroplasticity and how to be kind and generous in a coffee shop!

We believe we can’t change. Or we hold so tight to an idea of who and what we are that we end up stagnating. Having the same beliefs at 40 like we had in our 20s (like: “I am shy and I’ve always been like this since childhood; Oh, I could never do that, it’s not who I am; When I am angry and frustrated, I yell; I always do things like this, and that’s how I am going to do it now; etc.). And I am not talking solely about the beliefs about ourselves, but also about the ones we have about the others and the world around us, mostly fostered and promoted by the media.

Still holding on to them way after they stopped being adaptative for our lives, and way after they served their purpose. Mostly, we use them as excuses and as reasons not to take action. Because change can be frightening! and the comfort of well known ways is sometimes too alluring to pass. But what if some of the beliefs we hold, instead of fulfilling our lives and helping us live them to their fullest, or hindering us?

To show you that change is possible, even from our smallest neuron to the next, here’s a well written article on brain’s neuroplasticity (reposted on DailyGood) and another one on how to spread, anonymously, small acts of kindness and generosity! :)

Because kindness, beyond our comfort zone, is one of the first initiators of real, honest, breakthrough change, so much needed for a wholesome development, all throughout our lives.

Marie Madeleine Gautier’s Women

In today’s media, where women are captured having mostly standard sizes, shapes and if possible, the same type and hair color, Marie’s sculptures are a breath of fresh air! they are candid, joyful, honest and above all, liberating.

I got introduced to her work in Venice, Italy, in 2007. I was visiting an obscure art gallery – to me at least, at the time – and was struck by the beauty and charm of her sculptures on display. I saved her name, got back home and searched for her.

Thus, here is her official website. Here and here you can gaze at some of her works.

Women’s bodies are works of miracle and wonder! they foster and nourish life, they bear the burden of life giving, they unite families and friends, they can capture everyone’s attention with their mysterious ways, unique approaches to life, love and work (and looks!), and above all, women make half of the humanity! Now that is a powerful fact!

Sadly, in many countries of the world, women are still objectified and reduced solely to their ability of giving birth and pleasure and are being viewed as second rate citizens. And some attitudes in Westernized countries are no better! How many times have you heard “jokes” about blondes, or about the way women drive, or feel and act? Told in a sarcastic and diminishing way? How about the statistics of rape and domestic violence, that are still rising? And I could go and on…

I am glad we can vote. I am even happier that we can travel, choose whom and if to marry or mate with, attend college and plan when we have a baby, or not. I am happy for all these “freedoms” that we acquired. But what have we really gained? Do we look differently at women now than we did 50, 100, 500 years ago? Do we understand them in their complexity? Are women truly respected for their innate differences, attitudes, attributes and characteristics? In all their diversity, mystique and prowess, without judging them them too harshly or sarcastically?

Why are we so eager to prove then that men and females are not so different after all, or that the first are better than the latter, in some way or another?… And why are we still so surprised at the differences between males and females? They are natural! We are born with them so that together with the opposite sex, we can create successful partnerships: at work, in friendships, in love and when raising our children! it’s like cutting an apple in half and making it whole again by putting the two pieces together.

I think that sometimes we do not realize how we truly feel about women. But the more or less unconscious attitudes we hold about women surface in the generalizations we make about them, in the little sarcastic jokes that we tell amongst friends, in the type of porn we choose to watch, and ultimately, in whom we choose to date. Just observe your daily thoughts, comments and beliefs about them! You might be surprised…

I am glad I am a woman and I am happy for all the gifts that come with it! Just as I admire the men around me: the way they look at things, how they choose to solve problems, their strength, their courage and sense of adventure…I am also grateful that everywhere I look  – roads, bridges, houses, buildings – they were mainly built by men and through their ingenuity! So much to learn and grow from one another, isn’t it?

One of my wishes is to see more women and men working together harmoniously, accepting one another with respect and open-mindedness, using their differences to complement each other and learn. The Feminist waves helped us greatly but in the same way, I think it left us all a bit confused…

Maybe, with this new era, we can finally explore our depths, decide who we really are as males and females, what roles suit us, and how to nourish our differences in a way that together, we can bring a more loving, honest and kind humanity.

Marie Madeleine Gautier’s works are genuine glimpses into the female universe: light, serene, thoughtful, full of love…here are some of my faves:

“Dis-moi”(French) or “Tell me”.

“Confidence”

“Femme Chapeau” (The Hat Woman)

“Le Baiser” (The Kiss)

“La vid-a-til un sens” (The void has a meaning)

“Le Calin” (The Hug)

Inspirational Tuesday: On kindness

A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.

Joseph Joubert

Kindness has such an amazing power! to heal, to unite, to correct, to add love when is most needed, to change someone’s path for the better. I feel we all need to practice it, more and more every day, especially when we are bombarded with bad news, violence and stories of crimes all around us.

And the thing is, it doesn’t require any big or grand gestures from our part. We do not need to save the world and fix all its problems. By being kind, we just add, little by little, ripples of good and calmness, in the lives of our closest: family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, strangers…

Being kind means being attentive, patient, respectful of others feelings and opinions (taking them as they are without trying to change them or prove them wrong), listening with curiosity and an open mind, letting go of hurting someone back, and mostly, forgiving. Ourselves firstly, and then, all who have harmed us.

Then, it means doing good, helping someone out. Being encouraging, supportive, gentle: to people, animals, plants and then, the entire world. Spreading an attitude of well being, generosity and love, that will enlarge in time, like ripples on a lake, and create wonders.

The benefits?… too many to mention and you will start noticing them the moment you decide to use kindness as a daily practice! :)

Happy Monday: Luther Vandross – This is Christmas

Something to get us into the Christmas spirit :) A time that is mostly about giving, sharing, laughing, light (in and out), renewal and merriness…

Do you have any suggestions for our Happy Monday series? What are the songs that inspire you and bring you joy? Share them with us!

Roxi

Happy Monday: Carrie Underwood – Temporary home

A hopeful song for today; to remind us that no matter what we are going through, whether good or bad, it is temporary.

The bad will wash away easily, with patience, kindness and love, and the good times will become brighter if we add these simple ingredients.

May we all grow wiser and stronger in time, learning to cherish each moment just as it is and as it comes, learning to simply accept them and all their gifts.

Enjoy your moments and make plenty of them!

Inspirational Tuesday/on Sat: words of wisdom from Dorothy Day

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.

I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.

In fact, to this very day, common sense in religion is rare, and we are too often trying to be heroic instead of just ordinarily good and kind.

The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them up.

Dorothy Day

More about Dorothy Day (1897-1980), editor, humanitarian and women’s rights advocate here and  here.

Do you know of other inspirational figures that have changed your life or the lives of others?

Feel free to send me or post your suggestions on the blog :) and they can also be close friends, family, people that have inspired you for greatness, that have given you a positive example and shaped your life for the better. If it’s the latter, a photo (with their permission, of course) and a short story that would emphasize their positive impact will do. You can send it to me on my personal email and I will post it the following Tuesday.

Freedom

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Viktor Frankl

What a powerful quote! and what powerful tool to have, the ability to CHOOSE one’s response and thus, change the course of one’s life and destiny forever! and the others’ around as well…this must be the ultimate freedom, the one that renders the soul its ability to overcome the frailties of body and mind.

Here is an interview with this wonderful human being and psychologist, who taught us so much about the power of play, love, forgiveness and endurance!

Karma

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.

Wayne Dyer

More insightful articles on growing and being, better and wiser in every way, here!

Be glad

Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.

Henry Van Dyke

Poiana Brasov, Romania. July, 2010.

It’s the little things isn’t it? Life truly lies in the little small details we choose to acknowledge every day!

Like the small gestures of kindness from strangers when you are lost and confused in an unknown town, a refreshing cup of coffee in the morning, love’s power that lies in its endurance in spite of everything, to come back again and again in waves and transcend our lives, our perception and consciousness if we let it…the smile of someone who sees you on the street and feels happy to encounter you, music that can uplift you and give wings to your feelings, that can so simply unite people in one maddening embrace during a dance…and many many more instances that so clearly tell us that Life IS  simple, Life is Celebration and Light!

And the moment to choose to live it is NOW! and yes, it does have its dark paths and trials, but aren’t those emphasizing the Life’s power and light even more? :)