He woke up early to make it so it would brighten her day.
It was a tradition on Mayday to make a wreath of colourful flowers and hang it on the door. It symbolised the arrival of Spring, the time when everything is in bloom and when there is an overwhelming sensation that everything is possible.
The colours were abundant all around. It was almost like magic. Like an artist’s frame coming to life.
She smiled widely at his ‘good morning’ and just the thought of what was waiting outside their door.
At the simple sight of the colourful wreath, she instantly forgot all that had troubled her out of sleep the previous night.
It’s the simple things that make the greatest difference after all.
“I’ve seen its shadow in the middle of the night; a furry tale running towards there.”
“How do you know it’s a fox?”
“What else could it be?”
The question perplexed her. But she was certain there was a woodland creature living behind the small tree door.
She liked to believe in fairy tales. It was so different from reality. She needed to maintain an essence of optimism that life could somehow work out magically at times.
He often played along because her sweet childlike innocence was actually refreshing. Also part of Friday Fictioneers
There is an element of freedom in being outdoors as far away from civilisation as possible. Imagine having a sailboat and finding yourself in the middle of an ocean. Breathe it in for a minute. Can you feel it? That sense of endless possibilities? The immense potential? The adrenaline rush and survival instinct that you can do anything.
Often we need to take a risk. To not think too much about something. Overthinking drowns our possibilities, because the more you analyse something, the more you’ll find reasons not to go for it. What if you tried something different and – perhaps even against all odds, it did work out? What if we considered all the things that could go right instead of everything that could go wrong? If you lure your fate, it may even turn in your favour.
Breathe. Let your mind wander into the unknown, beyond the horizon, sinking into all the shades of blue that surround us.
There is so much we are capable of out there; yet so little we ultimately allow ourselves to do.
“Going back is not change. Remember that. The only way to act differently is by moving forward”.
The Santa at the mall was unlike any other. He seemed wiser and emitted a kindness that even grown-ups wanted to go to him for advice.
Sally was standing almost right in front of him gazing at the children running up to him for a photo moment. She loved everything about this season – the pure innocence, the constant joy, the sparkling decorations. But mostly she delighted with the feeling of love that certain instances inspired. This was one of them.
Santa saw her and prompted her to come over. She blushed and refused to move. Santa was young; his eyes betrayed him. And he seemed handsome. That too was a factor that made Sally hesitate to move toward him. Was she supposed to sit on his lap?
He stood up and nudged her to approach. She wavered for a while then pranced toward his sleigh.
He asked her her name as if she was a little child coming to request her present.
He smiled and his eyes twinkled. She blushed (again).
“What is your wish for Christmas?” he asked, staying loyal to his part.
“I want things to change. I want to go back to being happy and loved,” she said with a flicker of sadness.
“Going back is not change. Remember that. The only way to act differently is by moving forward,” he told her staring into her eyes.
She felt her heart skip a beat. Both at the wisdom that was just bestowed upon her and by the aura of this man who she would not recognise without his white wig and beard.
“There’s something better out there for you. You just have to have the courage to look forward instead of back.”
A small girl was tugging at her dress calling her to move so she could get Santa’s attention.
Santa took Sally’s hand without losing contact with her eyes. She felt his warm touch like a fleece blanket being wrapped around her. He craftily passed her a note on the inside of her palm, smiled softly, and sat down to continue his role-playing.
“Sometimes you get more than what you wish for,” the note said. She looked back at him and saw him wink. She smiled brightly and recalled what she had just read that morning: “Serendipity is simply fate finding its way”.
You know the day is going to take a strange turn when something completely unexpected happens. Like an otherwise daily overcrowded bus suddenly arriving completely empty. It’s so dumbfounding that passengers are too hesitant to embark and ask each other for reassurance that this is the right bus.
It feels like someone’s tampered with the status quo.
And the day then develops weirdly too.
You fall asleep on the way to work, cannot concentrate while there, receive news that you did not expect, are called into meetings you had prepared differently for, are late to leave because you miss your ride, get lost and disoriented and cannot find your way to your destination. And in the end, you finally arrive home feeling like you’ve travelled an entire continent to get there.
There’s a saying that sometimes things go wrong so that you can make them right in another way.
Perhaps this glitch is the universe’s way of offering you the opportunity for something different. Something you wouldn’t have the courage to go for unless you’re pushed toward it.
You know that saying that time passes by quickly (especially when you’re having fun)? Well, it’s true, regardless. Can you believe that it’s already been eleven years since I uploaded my first blog post here? 1.289 posts and 132 months later, here we are celebrating another blogversary!
So many things change over such a time, yet so many things stay the same.
Eleven, it is said, is a symbol of new beginnings and positive changes. So, I’ll keep that and share 11 things I’ve come to notice most during the past year:
If you have to force something, it’s not your size. Similarly, if you have to ask for it, it loses half its value.
You don’t always get the love you think you deserve. You mostly get what you accept.
Don’t expect others to behave like you would. They usually never do and the only one left disappointed is you.
A heartbreak is like a broken string; it can be mended but it won’t be the same.
The only way to liberate your heart is to lighten your mind. You can get a great load off if you write it down, and you can put your thoughts in order if you lay them out before you.
If you stop expecting, you’ll be more grateful for things that happen as they do.
If something is meant to be, it will always find a way.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent; it all depends on the interpretation you give to things that occur.
Your own mindset has incredible power in lifting you up or pulling you down. You choose which part to feed.
People say a lot, but few actually act on it.
The only limits to what you can do are the ones you yourself set.
But perhaps most importantly, time is all we have; we should invest it wisely in people and things that make us happy. And remember: if it is out of our hands (thus our control), it should be out of our minds too.
So here’s to new beginnings and the hope of a more positive path ahead!
In life, we need a few things to survive, more to become successful, and a basic one to achieve both. Courage is an essential characteristic that serves us in every way possible.
We need courage to take the first step in going anywhere.
Courage to be able to stand out from the crowd and to dare to be different.
We need to have the courage to walk away from those not bold enough to give us reasons to stay.
Courage to realise that we often hold the keys to our future.
Timing may be a factor in most things, but the choices are ultimately our own.
We build the lives we have and want by the choices we make, the priorities we set, and the work we’re willing to do in every aspect of our daily routines.
We have the power to forge our own way if only we also have the courage to act on what we say.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I will try again tomorrow’.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
She had her head turned towards the setting sun on the colour-changing horizon. She was fighting off tears again.
“It’s the full moon, isn’t it?” he teased as he caressed her hair.
She sniffed but did not turn.
“You know I’m here and you can tell me anything.”
She did. But she didn’t want to. It was one of those moments when she just desired his company to push away the loneliness that was devouring her. She was sinking into melancholy again and needed help to scourge it off. She was strong and decisive, but in instances like this – every once in a while – she became weak and sensitive. Often too much for her own good.
“Overthinking is a painful reminder that you care too much even when you shouldn’t,” he had said just a moment earlier.
But thoughts aren’t like a button you can just switch off.
She sighed and he moved closer.
“I know it’s a cliché and you’ll hate it, but sunsets are beautiful because they bring the promise of a new dawn. Tomorrow will be a better day, you’ll see. Everything will eventually fall into place. Just like it ought to. That’s where you’re being led to.”
He could discern a slight smile forming on her face as the last ray of light sank into the ocean.
“When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light. There is always a light somewhere…” He hugged her tight and she allowed herself to feel comfortable in his arms. He had a way of making things better, even if she was sobbing as if the world had been destroyed, he could restore her faith that everything will work out eventually because she deserved the best and was worth the trouble she was going through.
It was a beautiful night with a full moon, its reflection glowing in the stillness of the lake. He held her hand as they walked around it and suddenly his gaze fell around the castle walls. “Look, fireflies!” he gasped in excitement.
Fireflies are often found on forest edges near standing water most visible during May, June and July. Their glow appears like a flashing light, serving as a stimulus – they light up in the dark to attract mates. In short, they light up to look for romance, and light is their love language.
Despite the fact that the full moon meant more light, something that would ordinarily prevent so many fireflies from being seen, tonight there were heaps of them flashing around. He took it as a sign; a symbol that everything will be OK. He opened the palm of his hand and a small lightning bug flew inside, flashing its tail.
These mesmerising creatures have the rare ability to be able to produce light in special organs in their abdomens by combining chemicals, enzymes and oxygen. They produce a wonderful sight in the dark of night, highlighting how small we are in a world so amazing.
Fireflies serve as reminders that it’s the smallest and simplest of things in life that matter the most. A tiny beetle can produce so much light. They inspire us to stop for an instant, to slow down our hectic lifestyles, to gaze at the wonders of nature around us, to indulge that moment and to appreciate it all.
She took his hand again and smiled at his bewilderment.
When you feel you’re drowning in your own thoughts, it’s best to leave. To leave them behind. To escape the torture of your own mind by filling your sight with something else; by focusing your attention on the amazing world we live in, on all its natural beauty and breathtaking sights.
It will help remind you that we are so small in a world so big. And often what we consider as insurmountable problems are but mere drops in an ocean. We don’t realise what constitutes trouble unless we are found deep in the knees with it.
So, when it all just gets too much to deal with, leave. Sometimes you need to run away to regroup yourself. You need to get lost to find yourself again. Allow your mind to wander elsewhere. Fill your days with activities, keep yourself occupied, meet new people, talk to strangers, open your perspective and broaden your mind. You’ll be astonished by what exists out there. There is so much we have not seen and done, and so many people we have not yet met. Perhaps it wasn’t yet the time. Just believe that the best things are yet to come.
MC's Whispers 