Speak in any way

Your eyes can say things you refuse to utter. The things you keep sealed off in your silence. Those things that you slowly release with every sigh.

We can’t always comprehend what your soul is trying to say. That is why we need to speak. We need the voice to say what our heart fears to show.

Sometimes we need to shout, others to whisper; every form of communication, however, involves talking. There is often no other way of realizing what it is you feel, what thoughts you hide behind that veil of serenity. It is not easy to hear certain things. And often your fear overclouds what you utter. It is why it is said that you should not speak in panic or anger, for you do not know the (harmful) truths you risk saying.

But it is always best to say it. To look into the eyes you wish to address and truthfully pour out your heart’s concerns. It is the preferable and easiest way to avoid misunderstandings and lessen the path towards each other.

For the more you keep silent the more you push the other one away and the more your hearts drift apart.

The secret to any relationship is learning to speak to each other, even when we don’t want to.

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The talk we don’t need to hear

There is a very well-known fact that no-one ever calmed down by being told to calm down. On the contrary, this only causes further irritation.

Because when you’re stressed, angry, or upset about something – anything, whatever that may be – the last thing you need is people telling you to do the one thing you know you need to do.

You’d much rather have someone say something optimistic, positive, reassuring, caring. Someone who maybe would offer some food – chocolate, to be more precise. Someone who would wrap you in a tight hug that would transmit the feeling that everything will be all right. Maybe not at that very instant, but eventually. You just need to be patient. And believe that things will turn out in the end.

It is true that we need to find ways to eliminate stress from our lives. We already know that. We don’t need to hear the obvious. We’d much rather be shown some tender, love and care instead.

Cursed to feel

It may be a sign of determination; of decisiveness; sometimes even stubbornness. But it may also be one of insecurity; often even fear. When we set our minds on something and stick to it; when we ponder too much over it; when we refuse to simply let it go. It’s what adds to the stress of our daily lives and disrupts our pleasant mood for no apparent reason.

As difficult as it may be, we need to train ourselves to let some things slide. Especially those we most fear. Because it is true that the greatest things will happen when we distance ourselves from negativity. It’s not about pretending that you don’t care; it’s about getting over it and paying more attention to the things that really matter.

We are cursed to feel. As much as we may love and laugh and live, feeling is the most profound of all experiences we have. And the deeper you feel, the more you overthink, you overanalyze, you stress, and you worry.

It was Oprah Winfrey who said “if you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough”.

Everything is a matter of perspective, of focus and what you (choose to) hold onto.

Receiving a daily jolt

It is often said that a small shock, a surprise or an adrenaline boost rejuvenates your system because it causes you to…well…wake up!

Sometimes you need such a jolt. Something to stir you out of your mundane, almost automatic daily routine.

It’s not really something you look for. It’s rather something that arrives on its own. When you least expect it. The best things usually come like that – unexpectedly.

So, free your mind from automation and allow yourself to add a spring to your step and a daily change in the things you usually do. You’ll see a great difference. Because even the smallest alterations may lead to great results.

You just need to try it and be optimistic it will work out.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Jolt

To the moon

“You owe me a full moon”

He found the note when he returned from work that night. She wasn’t there waiting. She had told him she wouldn’t be. She had asked for a moonlight stroll that day. But he was called urgently into work. He could not refuse. There was nothing more she could say.

She had returned to her apartment convinced that sometimes work took priority over her and there wasn’t much she could do in these financially hard times. Work was getting the best of all of us.

The good thing about full moons is that they come every month. Like a female cycle. And there not all that different from each other. It all depends on the circumstances and mood you view them in.

He rang her front door bell at an hour when she certainly wasn’t expecting anyone. She was pleasantly surprised. He appeared at her door with a pink rose. She asked what he was doing there at that time. She knew he was tired after work.

“I’m taking you to the moon” is all he said.

The location to unravel

@MCD, Euboia, Greece

Imagine this: it’s morning – you know because the alarm clock just buzzed you out of your REM cycle. You have to get up to open the blinds so that sunlight can enter the room. As soon as you open the window, however, three cars begin to honk simultaneously because the driver in the front of the line was too busy sending an SMS to see that the green light had appeared. Seconds later an ambulance siren is heard nearing, so you shut the window in a rush to avoid further noise pollution. You’ll open it again later to allow air to circulate the room. Or maybe even better when you leave.

Now imagine this: you wake up by the rooster three houses down, announcing its morning. Sun rays have already entered the room, warming the bedsheets. You take a deep breath and stretch. You open the window and view the green field that stretches as far as your eye can see. All you can hear is the birds tweeting merrily. The flowers have bloomed granting the scenery a colourful spring touch. And a little further down ducks are happily bathing in the clear river water. You sit outside for breakfast and let your mind unravel. You unwind and feel more relaxed than your two-hour yoga class. You feel something you’ve been yearning for: relaxed.

Where would you rather be?

Life consists of moments and the choices we make leading up to them. Ultimately, we hold the key to our destination. And our physical (and mental) health.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Unravel

The value of Joy

We all have a few voices in our head. They’re the ones that come to you when you’re fretting over a decision to make. Or when you’re in a fight with someone; when you’re too stressed to think straight. Or most of all, when you’re sick and too exhausted to move.

Our lives would be so much easier if only Joy was in our head. Jumping up and down with excitement. But we all experience periods of Sadness, Anger, Fear and even Disgust. They are all part of who we are. And they are the reasons why we appreciate Joy even more, and the moments we spend being happy.

It is during the moments that life strikes you down when you value the times when you are at your best and most upbeat. But it takes a lot of inner strength to get there, and support from those around you and not just the voices in your head.

The lucky penny

It fell out of her purse when she haphazardly pulled out some money to pay for the tomatoes she had chosen at the market. She didn’t notice it of course. It was too small. Too negligible. But sometimes it is those seemingly inconspicuous things that make the largest difference, and it is thanks to those that you often gain a passport into another world.

A cat basking in the sunshine under the fisheries stall noticed its gleam as it reflected the sun’s rays. It rushed over to play with it, but as it pushed it forward with its paw, another woman walking hurriedly by kicked it out of its sight.

The penny rolled further down onto the street where a little boy bent down to pick it up, letting go of his mother’s hand. She squealed in fright as soon as she felt his hand slip away and rushed to regain control. The boy stretched his little arm to show her the penny, but a bike messenger swished by and tossed it out of his palm.

The penny fell into an old woman’s shopping trolley as she placed a bag of onions on top of it. When she went home the penny was retrieved together with the groceries and unknowingly remained on the kitchen table. It caught the eye of the old woman’s son who had walked into the kitchen to ask if she needed anything from outside. He placed it in his pocket, saying “you never know when it might come into use”.

It turns out he needed it to complete his purchase of his weekly pack of cigarettes.

The kiosk owner gave the penny as part of purchase to another man who had passed by a bit later on looking for “something small and sweet to chew on”.

But the penny fell out of his pocket later that day when he took out his keys to open the entrance door of his building.

The penny lay there on the front door mat, as if waiting for its next transport.

It was picked up by a young man who was arriving at his girlfriend’s house as she had promised him dinner that evening. She had even gone to the market that very day to purchase fresh groceries for the very occasion.

He gave it to her together with his greeting kiss, telling her that he found it outside and it would bring her luck.

She smiled, her eyes glistening at the romantic gesture. She placed the penny in a decorative bowl she had in her living room to ensure she wouldn’t spend it.

But you never know…

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Passport