Conversations with the Wise Old Man (Part I)

As I arrived at the old man’s house, he was as usual sitting at the front porch of his house on a stool gazing afar. He has the most beautiful garden one could ever imagine with all the roses, sunflowers, and all kinds of trees… some I don’t even recognize. It’s like heaven on earth; it has a soothing effect just to be there. I always wonder though if he is able to see it and enjoy the beauty given his dim sight. Walking towards the old man I was wondering what he was mulling over, maybe it’s a long lost love,  maybe it’s the adventures he had as a young man, maybe it’s about the beauty of the morning as the sun shines brightly and the birds chirp in the garden. As I got closer to his sight he put a big smile on his face, he must have just noticed my arrival. “Hello Giovane (a nickname he dubbed me, it’s Italian for ‘Young Woman’)! How are you this morning? Isn’t it a beautiful morning?” he said in a weak voice and added “You are right on time, for our appointment.” How did he know what time it is? I haven’t seen any clock in his house or a watch on his wrist ever. Even if he had one, he won’t be able to see it clearly. Besides I don’t think even Kuku, the house help who lives with him, could have told him given they barely speak to each other.  This old man always takes me by surprise. Baba, as he is called by his neighbors and friends, is a man of few words but when he speaks wisdom flows through his mouth. 

“How did you know I was right on time?” I asked in amazement. The old man replied with a grin “I have lived for 73 years on this Earth. I have heard the rooster announce the mornings and I have watched the sun rise and go down countless times. I know what position the sun takes at what time of the day.”

“You are a keen observer Baba; I don’t think many people pay attention to these things no matter how long they have lived.” He gave me a faint smile and turned his gaze to the garden. After some minutes of pondering in silence he said “So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” he must have picked up that I was growing impatient.

“I want you to share with me some pearls of wisdom about life, love, work and everything in between.”

A moment of silence.

I took a notepad and pen out from my bag, flipped the first page and waited for his response. I kept checking the time on my watch every now and then.

He finally broke the silence and uttered “Patience Giovane!”; 
“Patience and contemplating in silence, two things this generation is fundamentally short of. Everything is so fast paced and rowdy these days that you can’t even sit still and pay attention for a moment… Let me ask you a question. How many times have you paid attention and listened to your breath as it rolls in and out like the sound of the ocean waves, to your heart beat, to your inside? Take a moment each day, Giovane, to sit in silence and contemplate. It’s the way to discovering serenity and astuteness. Allow yourself the chance to get lost in the silence, that’s how you will find yourself.”

“Regarding patience, as the scripture says, Patience is the key to the kingdom of heaven. Patience is not only about waiting for something… it’s also about how you wait or your attitude while waiting. In our lives we are always waiting for something or another to happen or we are always trying to figure out why something happened or didn’t happen.  We want to know the outcome now, we want explanations now, and we want reasons now. It’s in our nature to try to figure out things now. However, learn to trust God to take care of things. If you are looking for answers or explanations they will come to you in their own way at the right time. If you are waiting for something to happen for you it will come to you in divine order at the right moment. Though things don’t fall into place right away know that everything happens for a reason. Learn to be patient and to trust God! He is always working on your behalf, He has got it covered!”

To be continued…..]

Upcoming posts on Everyday Inspirations: Conversations with the Wise Old Man (Part 2)

Thank you for reading!

Lidia

Lessons Learned from Man's Best Friend!

Dog’s are a man’s best friend. This is not only a saying, it is the truth! Dogs are more than a man’s best friend. I remember how our dog, Rex, handled my father’s sudden passing away five years ago. He was so depressed and it was palpable that he had sensed what went on. He refused to leave my mother’s side. He would sit beside her on the floor, his face buried between his tiny paws and staring into space. He did that for days on end during the times we were mourning. It was his way of showing support to her (it was as if he knew, she needed it the most) and his way of mourning. 

So, if you pay close attention to these furry, canine family members of yours you will learn some wag-worthy important lessons from their personality, behavior, and resilience. Ten important lessons to learn from dogs

1. To protect loved ones- Dogs are very protective of their family and those they love. If you love someone you don’t want anything bad to happen to them or to hurt them.
2.  To accept those you love for who they are- Your dog doesn't care whether you are smart or not, whether you are good looking or not, if you own all the money in the world or not. They just love you for who you are!
3. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and show your support (nuzzle them :) )
4. To be loyal to your loved ones- dogs are one of the most loyal animals in the world. Think of Hachiko, the dog who greeted his owner at the train station everyday when he returned home from work, and after his owner’s sudden death returned to the train station at the same time everyday for nine years (It was made into a beautiful movie called Hachi: A Dog’s Tale starring Richard Gere). This is how loyal companion dogs are.
5. To love with all your heart- dogs are naturally and unconditionally affectionate. When they love, they love you with all their heart.
6. To let others know when they invade your territory- dogs surely know how to mark their territory and how to protect it. Don’t invade other’s territory and if they invade yours, let them know!
7. To not hold grudges- dogs don’t hold grudges for long. So learn from your pet and be quick to forgive and forget.
8. To not be afraid to show someone how much you love them- dogs aren’t afraid to show you their feelings be it wagging their tail, jumping, barking, licking extravaganza, nuzzling you. You name it!
9. If what you want lies buried, dig till you find it- if your treasure is buried dig until you find it, just like a dog won’t stop digging the ground until it finds its hidden bone.
10. When loved ones come home, greet them with enthusiasm- Dog owners know what I am talking about! Pay attention to how your dog welcomes you home, always with great excitement and with a wagging tail. Even if you were having a bad day, a warm welcome with excitement and enthusiasm can turn your mood around.

  Dedicated to my beloved pet, man’s best friend, Rex!

10 Famous African Proverbs and Wise Sayings with their Meanings

Every culture has its collection of proverbs which give advice on life or state a general truth. African people have a lot of proverbs which have been transmitted from generation to generation.

Here is a list of ten famous African proverbs, with their meanings, to inspire you:

1. Ears that don’t listen, accompany the head when it’s chopped off

 Meaning: A person that doesn't give heed to advice will bear the consequences afterwards

2. The best way to eat an elephant in your path is cut him up into little pieces

Meaning: The best way to approach a huge problem is step by step or bit by bit

3. Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it, chased it.

Meaning: Trying does not guarantee success but you can never achieve success if you don’t try.

4.  He who does not know one thing knows another

Meaning: No one knows everything. But everyone knows something.

5. Rain beats a leopard’s skin, but it does not wash out the spots

Meaning: No matter how much you try you cannot change who you are

6. When a lion becomes old, even flies attack him.

Meaning: When a person loses his power even those who were below him attack him

7. The fly that had no one to advise him, follows a corpse to the grave

Meaning: A person that doesn't have someone to give him counsel will be dragged into problems or bad situations

8. You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla

Meaning: Don’t offer advice to someone who is wiser or more experienced than you are.

9.  If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Meaning: When you are on your own it’s easy to make decisions and take risks which helps you cover a lot of ground quickly. But you can only get so far alone, there will come a time when you get weary and need someone to support you. No one accomplishes great things unless there are others by their side.

10. One cannot both feast and become rich

Meaning: You cannot accumulate wealth if you are not prudent

I hope you enjoyed reading these proverbs and gained some insights. If you have different interpretations to these proverbs or if you want to add other African proverbs feel free to comment below!

Thanks for reading,

Lidia

Learn the lesson, Forgive and let go!

 ‘A wise man sat in the audience and cracked a joke. Everybody laughs like crazy. After a moment, he cracked the same joke again. This time, less people laughed. He cracked the same joke again and again. When there is no laughter in the crowd, he smiled and said: You can’t laugh at the same joke again and again, but why do you keep crying over the same thing over and over again?’ Lesson in Life

Have you ever found yourself struggling to let go of past hurts and mistakes or found yourself tripping over your old baggage?  

It might be that relationship you thought would never end or that opportunity you let slip by or that person you trusted with all your heart only to discover they failed short of it. Whatever it is that makes your heart heavy and makes you cry time and again, it’s time to let it go. Now is the time to let it go and wipe the slate clean! Cry as hard as you have to, shed all the tears you want but when you stop make sure that you never shade a tear for the same reason again. We humans have a tendency to wallow on hurtful events or grief for a long time while we let happy moments fade away quickly. Don’t drag the hurts, pains and mistakes of the past into your present and possibly your future life. Know that the situation only has power in your life as long as you choose to let it stay and allow it to affect you.

Here is an excerpt from Jack Canfield’s book ‘Key to living the law of attraction’ which emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and letting go:

 ‘If you have been holding on to feelings of anger, fear, resentment and betrayal now it’s time to let them go. Release those old thoughts and patterns of behavior. Start living in the present. By focusing on your pain and anger you are only drawing even more negative and unhealthy circumstances into your life. You need to make room for the positive feelings and experiences that you want to attract. ‘Anger makes you smaller. Forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.’ The act of forgiveness is a necessary and truly transformational process. You must be willing to forgive any person, any situation that has caused you pain and release them. By hanging onto old negative thoughts and emotions you are only harming yourself and attracting even more negative thoughts. It’s been said that when you are unwilling to forgive someone it’s like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to get sick. So just bless the person or the situation and wish them well. Forgive them let them go and be willing to forgive yourself as well if need be. By acknowledging your positive past and releasing your negative past you can also make room for the beautiful future. True forgiveness is extremely cathartic. It will cleanse you and it will set you free.’

Excerpt from ‘Key to living the law of attraction’ by +Jack Canfield.

Therefore, learn to forgive yourself and others. Know that all negative things that happened in your life were there to teach you a lesson. Learn the lesson, forgive and move on. You can’t laugh over the same joke over and over again … stop crying over the same thing again and again!!!
As always, thank you for reading!
Lidia

6 New Year’s Resolutions for a Better and Brighter year

As the New Year begins, it is time to let bygones be bygones, forgive, forget and start anew. One thing I love about New Year is that it gives us hope as well as courage. Courage to learn from the past, to move on and start over; Hope for a better and brighter future.

As always, it’s time to make resolutions though they many not stick around till mid January. ;) Here are the 6 Resolutions worth applying in the year 2015.

1. Live in the present moment- I am sure you all are familiar with the saying ‘Yesterday is History; Tomorrow is a Mystery; Today is a Gift, that's why it’s called a Present!’ As cliché as the saying might seem, it is very true! The present moment is all that is guaranteed. Cherish it to the fullest! Let your awareness always be in the here and now. Don’t dwell in the past as it is in the past; don’t worry about the future as it will take care of itself when the time comes.
2.  SMILE more often :) - Did you know that it takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown? This scientific fact reveals that it is easier to smile than frown. Another amazing fact about smiling is that it is contagious. You know what they say ‘I smile, You smile!’ So why not brighten up someone’s day and yours by putting a smile on your face? Smile even when you don’t feel like it, it will boost your mood (and also you will get less wrinkles! ;) ) For more information on the benefits of smiling visit http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/15-fascinating-facts-about-smiling/
3. Spend quality time with your loved ones- Our loved ones are important part of our lives. And because we see them every day and because we think they will always be around it’s easy to take them for granted. In the New Year (2015), put your smart phone, computer, video game down, turn your TV off, log out of Social Medias and spend more quality time with your loved ones. You never know how much more time and how many more days you or they have left for doing so.
4. Avoid Energy Vacuums- There are some people who suck all the positive energy out of you leaving you exhausted, drained and unhappy.  Stay away from negative people and from habits that drain your energy.
5. Take time to ‘smell the roses’- It is very common for us to get so caught up with our busy lives and not take moments to appreciate what is around us and to savor what life has to offer. Most of the time we become engrossed with everyday activities such as work, school, and everything else that is only a section of our life that we don’t take a moment to relish our existence. Life is not a rehearsal! Don’t let life and the joys of life pass you by. Take a moment everyday to smell the roses; After all, You Only Live Once!!!!
6. Perform random acts of kindness- People who perform random acts of kindness will tell you how good it made them feel. It has actually been scientifically proven that kindness increases immunity and production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood in the brain. For more information visit http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-face-adversity/201211/practicing-acts-kindness  Aside from making you feel good, you are also reaching out to a brother/sister in need and making their life a little better.

 Finally, don’t forget => ‘Instead of counting off the days, make everyday count’
    Happy New Year!!! 
What are your New Year's resolutions? Feel free to comment below.
Thank you for reading!
Lidia