Welcome Christmas

A cat napping near the Christmas Tree.

Lesson to learn

I'm thankful for the lesson I am learning these days. A lesson that bring me tears and pain, a lesson that hurt. But a lesson that I really need to learn.

{this moment}

 

.....................

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

.....................

 

Connection

Some people are connected. No matter where they live, how many times thay see each others, they are linked by a thin, invisible thread. I was so lucky to experience this feeling in the past days. I feel so blessed by this friendship.

Run, baby, run

When everythings seems to go wrong, when I feel crushed by the weight of everyday's life, I know that I can wear my shoes, go outside and start to run. I am remainded that I can stand on my own legs, that I can do it.

Sun

Today is the first day of sun after 2 WEEKS of RAIN!!
It's a miracle!

These Days

I'm going through some very stressful days.I am Trying to keep it up but sometimes I really feel I can completely melt and fall apart. It is so simple right now to live in my mind instead of in the present moment, but that brings nothing but an increase of stress.
Luckily there are some moments that keeps me bounded in the present: being woken up with a soft caress, bursting out laughing watching a very silly picture on the web.
These moments I will treasure.

Centered

It is so easy to be relaxed and calm when everything is good. But then when things start to go wrong, commitments grow, stress level raises, I am so driven by events that I feel like a balloon pushed away by the wind.
I tent to live in my mind, following my thoughts and so I loose my path.
The real gifts are moment of awakening in which it is so clear that I can go on without the real me.
And again is nature that keeps me centered. I inhale, exhale, look at the bright moon in the sky, surprising peeping up through the clouds, and all feel so right again.

What goes around comes around

There's a Tv show, here in Italy, whose name is Report. Every week they analyse a certain subject, and they make investigations. This weeks it was about Moncler, a brand, as you may know, which produce luxory jackets and anoracks (1500 € each!).
As it turn out, the way in which they produce does not meet the image of luxory and glamour that they sell through fashion magazines: total disrespect of european regulation on goose defeathering, relocation of the production in anti-democratical country, underpaid workers.
Nothing new, you may say, and it's true: surely Moncler is not the only one who acts this way.
As a metter of facts, after seeing the show, I was so frustrated and depressed: this is the world in which we want to live? These rules of immorality, greed and selfishness are really the only rules the world can follow now? What should I do, with all my indignation, against that? Nothing, I thought.
I even asked myself if it makes any sens my willing to be informed. Maybe is better be ignorant.
But then, something unexpected happened: after the show a little revolution on the social media happened, people were so angry against Moncler, they threatens to boycott the firm. As a result of this there was not only an image damage for the company, but also an economic failure. In the stock market  Moncler has lost 4.9%.
So it is not all useless: we still can make our voice be heard. We can reward honest producer, we can punish the others.
If we follow our values, we can make a real difference.
So satisfying.

Teenage girl

My nephew turn 14 next week. We are very close, we spent a lot of time together when she was a child, because my sister worked a lot and she spent years at my parent's house. I don't have a child yet, but I think that what a feel for her must be very close to what a mother feel for a child.
Beside she looks so much like me, both emotionally and physically. Most of time I know exactly what she thinks, what she's passing through, because I felt the same. Now that she is a teenager things have changed in some way: I see her growing, searching for herself, and it's an honor and a pure joy to experience alongside her. It's also a challenge to find new ways to stay by her side..the times in which all she needed was a hug and some tickling to make her laught are almost gone, the problems that she face now are so intimate and personal that some time I ask myself  "what shoul I do for her?". Having walked the same path is so strong the tentation to show her the way.
But most of times I discovered that the best solution is to step back, as difficult as it is, and let her be herself and make her choise, giving some advice only if requested, and let her find her own way.
Watching her grown is such a gift.

Song #1

"Summer gone
Air getting colder
I wished that I was one of those leaves
Carried by wind naturally dying
Never drank water
Never touched fire
But it got me thinking
It got me going

Can't be a leaf because I am woman I am woman"

 

Elisa "It is what it is"

Purr

When I feel overwhelmed by works, troubles and negative thoughts there is no much better than sitting besides my cat. Her eyes seem to tell me that I don't need to rush, I don't need to worry, I don't need to struggle..everything would just be fine.
Her purr heals my soul.

So relaxing.

Winter is coming

The days are getting short, the air is colder. I feel, at the same time, the desire to stay outside and enjoy this beautiful season, and the pull to come inside and nestle on the sofa, with a cat on my lap and a cup of tea in my hand.
Welcome winter, I missed you so much!

Generosity

Today I arrived to work and found one of my colleague with a box full of kiwi. Ha has a little orchard, and since he picked up so many kiwi in the last days, I though that I would have appreciate to receive some of them.
I certainly do. But what I appreciate the most is his altruism, the fact that he thought at me, the fact that he wants to share his harvest.
I was delighted and surprised, and I am very grateful for this little act of generosity.
And now of course is my turn to be generous, because I will never be able to eat all those kiwi.
So a chain reaction starts. And it feel so good.

Leaves

I love leaves. The intersection of little veins, the wonderful colors, the different shapes. But I love most of all fallen leaves. I love walking and jumping on them.
A very silly thing, I know.
But silly things sometimes bring joy.

Silence

I love to run. I usually run with music in my ears: it helps me with the rythm and pushes me when I am tired. Yesterday I went out for a run in the late afternoon. As the sun started to fade, I removed my headsets: the air was fresh and humid, the sound of my steps coordinated with my breath, the last birds sung as the country prepared itself for the night.
Not distracted from the music, I feel strogly present and centered. It was a kind of awakening moment.

Time

Time is the best gift I can receive.
In our days full of schedules, with every minutes already full of  "to do's", having some moments,
even 10 minutes, free is the precious of gifts.
My mind starts running to find something that need to be done, but I learned to silence that voice and listen instead to my soul. Using those minutes to give a kiss to someone who is there with me, but I haven't really noticed until that moment, cuddle the cat, or simply breathing savouring the silence.

Welcome Autumn

Sunrise

Yesterday morning, while running from one side to the other of the house to be able to get everything done before getting to work, I accidently turned my gaze to the window, and I found myself in front of a beautiful pink sunrise.
I took a blanket and went outside to the porch, I sat on the couch, took a deep breathe, and stayed there for a few minutes, in the silence of the morning, watching the sky. The cat joined me, and we snuggle a bit.
What a wonderful way to start the day.

The stranger

Last weekend I found myself at a dinner party, in an unfamiliar and unconfortable place, getting bored and wanting to be somewhere else, when an unknown person, someone else's friend, sat right beside me and started talking. After 5 minutes I realized that this person was so much like me, and that we have a lot in common. The evening suddently became special.
While I was driving back home, I realized how lucky I had been, how the presence of that person helped me to face the party, and what an unexpected gift I received.