Happy Valentine’s day!

Valentine’s Day is around the corner with only a few hours left. Love is in the air! Flowers, candies, cards, chocolates and all kinds of gifts expressing love are exchanged on this day! I want to remind everyone though, Let’s not wait for February 14^th (Valentine’s Day), to express our love and to celebrate our friendship!

 Cheers to Love & Friendship!!!!!!!

I want to share with you a beautiful quote about love that touched my heart.

 “Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.” 
― #BobMarley

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s day from Everyday Inspirations!!!

Lots of Love, <3 <3 <3

Lidia
SHARE THIS QUOTE WITH YOUR LOVED ONE. SPREAD THE LOVE!!!

Conversations with the Wise Old Man (Part 2)

The wise old man’s speech was interrupted by Kuku’s arrival with breakfast for us. She laid down a bowl of steaming tomato soup, on the table, for the old man and scrambled eggs, bread and sauce for me. I thanked Kuku and the old man gave her a smile and a nod as a sign of thank you. Everything smelled so good and tasted even better. After some moments of pigging out in silence, I turned to look at the old man. He was sitting starring at me and hasn’t touched his food.

“What’s wrong Baba? Aren’t you gonna eat that?” I asked curiously.

“You have a good appetite!” he said with a smile on his face. “I used to be like you. But now I am old, my teeth are gone and I have poor appetite. Enjoy these things while you can, Giovane. They may seem trivial but sometimes we don’t know the value of something until we lose it.” I nodded my head in agreement taking a sip of my hot steaming green tea feeling a bit embarrassed about my pig out session.

“Giovane,” said the old man. I looked up from my cup of tea and replied “Yes Baba!”

“Have you ever been in love?”

I gave out a deep sigh and answered “Yes, I have been in love, more than once actually!”

“So, what happened?” asked the old man seeing the frustration on my face.

“Well, it didn’t work out! Sometimes I feel like giving up on love Baba!”

“Giovane, don’t shut your heart to love in the fear of getting hurt or of loving and not getting your love returned. A heart without love is like a body with a dead soul. Open the door of your heart and let love flow in and out. Of course, at times you might get hurt. You might get betrayed or disappointed. Your love might be unrequited or can be taken for granted. But ultimately what matters the most is that you loved. Give love without the expectation of receiving it back, you will be surprised how abundantly you will get it.”

He continued, “Another thing you should know is that, Love is more of a verb than a noun. It’s in the actions than the words. Anyone can promise you the world they can make you believe they care with sugarcoated words but at the end of the day if they don’t show it in their deeds, it is meaningless. Stop deceiving yourself. Love is black and white, it is not a gray area that you have to try and figure out. if someone loves you they will show it. Period! And you will know it, it’s not that complicated.”

“Giovane, don’t go chasing after people who don’t know your worth. If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your value to someone then it’s time to let them go. You are worth so much better than that. What’s meant to be yours can’t be taken away from you. Even if you let it go it will come back to you. But if someone or something is not meant to be yours no matter how much you try you can never make that person or thing stay.”

The old man took a slurp of his soup and turned his look towards the beautiful garden. Silence fell for a while. I can tell something was bothering him.

“What is it, Baba? Talk to me.” I said in a worried voice.

He quickly replied, “Nothing Giovane!” clearing his throat he continued “When you finally decide to marry, choose the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with carefully. Marriage is a commitment of a lifetime. It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. Don’t go for a person’s look only, as it will eventually fade away and after a while you will be left with the person’s character and soul. There is this saying ‘Don’t marry someone who is beautiful to the world, marry someone who makes your world beautiful.’ I had been blessed in this regard. My wife was a beautiful woman inside and out … a rare gem … a wonderful person! She made my life exquisite. And though she is gone she still lives in my heart.”

I could sense the sadness in his tone.

“I am so sorry Baba! I can only imagine how hard it must be for you!” I replied trying to hide the tears in my eyes.

“Oh it’s okay, Giovane. I have learned throughout the years to not cry again and again about the loved ones who have passed and let my soul be consumed with bitterness! It is true that we might miss them and wish that they were here with us at times. But they are in a better place where are no worries, fears, sadness, misery, insecurity, or bitterness. And no matter how much we cry or wish, we can never be able to undo what happened or to bring them back. We are going to them sooner or later but they are not coming back to us. Hence, it’s our choice to either make peace with it & move on or to lose our mind in agony. We can keep them in our hearts and cherish the good memories we had with them in our minds. If so they will live though us in our hearts and minds. But we have to move past the sorrow and anger eventually. Because…. Life goes on...” I slowly reached out to the old man’s hands and held them in mine. Only a person who has lost a loved one knows how difficult it can be.

Thank you for reading!

Lidia

To read Conversations with the Wise Old Man Part One, click on the following link:

http://www.inspirationsatkuwfb.blogspot.com/2015/01/conversations-with-wise-old-man-part-i.html

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