I was reading my post from yesterday on my meeting with Amma and reflecting on the peculiar chain of events that unfolded on that day:

When I decided to attend her event, I knew that it was extremely difficult and very unlikely to actually reach her as there were more than a thousand people waiting to meet her. It was also a working day and I couldn`t go there earlier than late afternoon; furthermore, the venue was at a remote location, so I couldn`t stay until too late. To top it up- It was also not easily accessible by public transport. Overall- a sort of a no-go situation.

There was no indication whatsoever that I would make it, but just knew I have to give it a try. So I travelled to the venue in the late afternoon, entered and took my place at the end of the endless queue. Soon afterwards I started talking to a lady who told me that there is a special queue for first timers. With some disbelief I approached one of the organizers to find out that this queue really exists and what is more- it goes with a priority over the other queue! How unbelievable is that!

I took my place at the second queue, waited for a few hours and made it for the hug (and also got a special personal mantra from Amma, just how lucky was I?). It was time to go and I started looking up alternatives  to make it to the nearest city. It was quite late and taxi seemed to be the only option.

On my way out I met some people at the front who in the spirit of the event were offering free rides to people to the nearest city. The warmth and affection that Amma had given to all of us, spread and gave us a feeling of oneness and desire to help, but also trust to accept the offered help without any doubts or fears.

The whole day just felt right- from beginning to end. Against all odds. 

Sometimes things don`t seem promising in the beginning but in the process it works out beautifully. And you would have never figured it out unless you have listened to your gut.  It doesn`t work all the time. But when it does, it is pure magic. It is therefore absolutely worth it to just follow your instincts every time when there is an opportunity.

My inspiration for today came from Amma – the Indian lady that has been proclaimed as a “ Hugging Saint”. She was born in 1953 in the Indian stake Kerala and grew up in a poor fisherman’s family. When she was nine years old her mother developed an illness and she remained at home to take care of the household. Deeply touched by the poverty in her village she began to share her clothes and food with those in need. She also began to hug people as a way to comfort them and gradually became more and more recognized and appreciated. At one point she received the name  “Amma” and was recognized as a saint.

I remember my encounter with her about a year ago. She had her brightest smile and was sitting on a big chair surrounded by musicians singing mantras and performing  vibrant music.  In front of her was an endless queue waiting for her to give them their dashan (hug and blessing) which I was also a part of.  Amma is well known for embracing large amounts of people without taking any breaks. On the day that I met her there were more than a thousand visitors. Up to date she has hugged more than 30 mnl people.

As I came for the first time, I was placed in the beginning of the queue and luckily had to wait only a few hours. People behind me waited a lot more. She kept on hugging people overnight. Always smiling and full of energy. When she hugged me she looked me in my eyes and exclaimed “My daughter!” She radiated so much warmth and love and it felt like I had always known her. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

Amma is one of the happiest, and most positive and high-hearted being that I`ve ever seen . For her being joyful is a natural state and loving is a religion.

It is the bright, joyful and selfless individuals like Amma that ignite this world and make it a better place. It is the people who give and embrace without asking for anything in return that are our true role models and are capable of inspiring us to be like them and to make a change. Make a change by loving and being compassionate and never by threatening or forcing. Making a change by staying inspired and inspiring others.

I`ll end with one of Amma’s many beautiful quotes:

“Do you know that days go by regardless of you smiling or crying all day long

Therefore- smile!”

And my  yesterday`s post inspired by reading can be found here.

*On the picture- a beautiful smiling lady reading a book in front of her house in Kerala, India.

For me reading is one of the most enriching activities. It`s like opening a door to a different world, or having a peak in somebody`s mind. It`s like the book I`m reading is alive. And it is also different every time when I re-read it.

Sometimes the books that I`ve read and have made a big impact on me “pay me visit“ and inspire me to revisit their lessons in a different context. The last book with which I had that was “The forty rules of love”  written by the Turkish female author Elif Shafak.

In her book she describes the friendship between the mystic and poet Rumi and his biggest inspiration- his spiritual influencer and unforgettable companion the Shams of Tabriz. I am not going to tell you much about the plot of the book, as I really don`t want to spoil it for you. I will only say it gives an insightful glimpse into the live of one of the most beloved and inspiring poets that ever lived. And most importantly- is a beautiful read that inspires you to live and love.

As the story unfolds the Shams of Tabriz unveils his life’s work and wisdom- his forty rules of love. And here is one of  them that is my inspiration for today:

“Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation.

 If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven’t loved enough.”

I really couldn’t agree more. And what about you?

Over the last few days I`ve been reflecting on friendship and what it means to me. For me the essence of friendship is in being there for each other. And this does not apply to good times only. It is in difficult situations that the true colors of friendship show.  And it is definitely about quality over quantity. And most importantly as the remarkable Kahlil Gibran says in his book “The Prophet”  (a wonderful book that presents timeless wisdom in a unique potic manner and is an absolute must read):

‘”For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.”

As time passes by we gradually realize that there are two types of people who enter our lives- the ones with whom we can kill time with and the others with whom we create time for each other. Sooner or later (and especially when we face challenges) we realize that the second type is the one that we can truly call our friends and we need to cherish the special connection with them.

And there is the most special type of all- the ones with whom your heart is truly opened and despite the distance every time you see each other it feels like it has only been yesterday since you last spoke to them. The ones that we can call at any time and share whatever we need to. The friends for life who deserve to be celebrated.

And here is the whole poem by Khalil Gibran:

On Friendship

Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the “nay” in your own mind, nor do you withhold the “ay.”
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

I`ve been hearing the same analogy over and over again for the last one week. If you are in the airplane and there is a problem, put your oxygen mask fist and then help the others around you. The first thing to do is to take care of yourself. Then you can think of anything else.

The same principle applies to our lives- we need to nourish ourselves and listen to ourselves in order to be in a good shape to properly connect to others and help them. And in order to do that we need to first be able to hear ourselves and sometimes even find ourselves. Which is getting more and more challenging with the increasing number of entertainment/ distractions around us and the overflow of information that most of us experience.

But it is up to us to make time and spend it with ourselves. It can be difficult, but it always pays off.

Some time ago I saw a beautiful documentary called “Down to Earth” that tells the story of a family embarking on a five year journey to find a new perspective of life and meaning.  They travel all around the world and live with tribal communities (they refer to them as the “Earth Keepers” )who share with them ancient wisdom of life.

Two underlying themes in the movie are seeing us and nature as an interconnected organism and keeping life simple. It is such a stark contrast with what`s actually happening in our modern society where connection with nature is very often put to a minimum and the strive for more experiences, accomplishments, possessions makes things everything else, but not simple!  At the same time this doesn`t seem to make us happy.. So where is the key?

I definitely don`t think the solution is that all of us to retreat to the mountains and become monks.  But there needs to be awareness. Awareness of different ways of living, cultures, values. Of the fact that there is no “right” lifestyle as long as we are in peace, feel meaningful and make a contribution. Because in the end we are all one, and are deeply interconnected by the fact that we are all humans who try to make the best of their lifes and face the same challenges along the way.

From that perspective expanding your knowledge and awareness as means to realize this oneness are absolutely invaluable.

A few years ago I had a serious health problem, and was lucky to I recover. It is difficult to describe the amount of gratefulness that I felt afterwards every time I was walking on the street and I could feel that everything was back to normal.

Of course, this gratefulness still exists now; however as time passed it got more difficult to feel it spontaneously as often there  seem to be too many “important” things like work and daily chores which take over our attention,

Wishing health for Christmas and on someone’s birthday is the most trivial thing. But we all have a tendency to be forgetful and think about certain things only if and when they actually happen. Health is one of these things. The interesting part is that it is also the most valuable thing.

Today I am going to remind myself that I am here, I am alive and have the great privilege to be able to see, walk and do freely everything that I want to do. And that`s a super big deal. Can you feel it too? 

The “Stay true and inspired” moment from yesterday can be found here.

I am a big supporter of keeping a diary as a way to connect to ourselves and also offload the things that bother us. Apart from everything else this blog is also a diary of my experiences, inspirations and contemplations that over time has developed into an important part of myself – an entity that has a life of its own, and at the same time is deeply rooted  in my heart. 

A lot of my previous posts have become reminders and spiritual signpost that help me to tune in with myself when needed. They comprise a very heart-felt happiness manifesto that can be accessed at any time. 

Today I was reading the reflections on Positive Psychology and came across the following message:

Something important to realize is that positive emotions are much more powerful than what we think. They do not only improve the overall quality of our lives, but enable us to be curious, creative, connected, to develop ourselves and eventually reach our fullest potential. And very importantly- they can be consciously evoked. 

This reminder came in the perfect moment – the fact that we can evoke positive emotions sometimes just slips off and it just feels more comfortable dwelling in our worries/post-holiday blues/whatever else bothers us. But not today! This is a call-out  to take care of ourselves and stay positive 🙂 I`ll start by calculating my Positivity Ratio which I can highly recommend to all of you.

Today was definitely not one of my best days- the hard drive of my lap top crashed and I spent four morbid hours not knowing whether I could restore my files. When it happened I was supremely freaked out. Afterwards I calmed down, but this totally ruined my mood and redirected my focus to this and only this.

So for a considerable amount of time I just couldn`t do anything else different than grieve over my lost everything. I started making a list of lost data and options for retrieving it from people. I even sent a few emails to my boss asking her to urgently share some files that I thought were lost.

Four hours later it was fixed. Just like that. I felt super silly.  And also exhausted. I couldn’t stop thinking- why  did I ruin my day over something that was eventually nothing?

 Sometimes we need to go through the same things over and over until we learn certain lessons. Like that it really doesn’t make sense to worry about things that are first- uncertain and second – out of our control. That`s my inspiration and lesson for today. And of course- backing up my files 😉

During my yoga class today the teacher spoke of the Flower of Life -the creation pattern that holds mystical symbols through which one can discover the most important and sacred pattern in the universe.

The “Flower of Life” can mostly be seen in a hexagonal pattern (where the center of each circle is on the circumference of six surrounding circles of the same diameter), made up of 19 complete circles and 36 partial circular arcs, enclosed by a large circle. It is considered by some to be a symbol of sacred geometry, said to contain ancient, religious value depicting the fundamental forms of space and time. Drawings of it the can be found in Phoenician, Assyrian, Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, and medieval art and there are many analyses of its symbolism.

Hearing the story of the Flower of Life reminded me of my beautiful summer holiday in Ibiza. I was staying in the House Life- Blossoms owned by the charismatic Elke and Michael, former models who had lived and travelled around the world and who embarked on a spiritual journey that brought them to Ibiza. Their house had a wonderful artistic vibe that was greatly enhanced by Michael`s creations-paintings of the Flower of Life that were displayed in every room in the house. I had not heard of The Flower of Life before, so Michael introduced me to their symbolism and importance. Today was the second time I heard about it.

The talk about the flower of life brought me back to Ibiza and its incredible nature; the beautiful spiritual place where I stayed and the great people whom I met there. It made me think how experiences enrich us in an unforgettable way long after they are over. Experiences get imprinted in ourselves and we can access them any time by remembering.  So they can brighten up the rainy days. And remind us that there will be many more to come.