Today has been an extraordinary day. One of those days that uplift and energize you like nothing else and make you doubt that coincidences really exist.

It started with a breakfast that my grandmother used to make for me when I was a little kid- a special type of fried Bulgarian pastry that I randomly came across in a breakfast place in Sofia. I had it with my best friend from my childhood with whom we’ve shared it many times many many years ago in our grandparents’ village.

It then continued with running into a childhood friend that I hadn’t seen for more than ten years. His grandmother was one of my grandmother’s best friends and we used to play together when we were toddlers. I met him at the check- in desk of my flight (he is an employee of the airline). Not only was I super happy to see him after all those years, but he also let me check in my overweight suitcase and upgraded me to a business seat!

To end the story, about ten minutes after checking in my friend with whom I had breakfast in the morning sent me a picture with something that she found in a small suitcase that I gave her on the previous day- my favorite coloring book and pencils that we used together twenty years ago during the summer holidays in our village!

Today my inspiration came from a very moving must see video on redefining happiness by the Motivational Philosopher.  A part of it that resonated with me and I would  also like to share with you is:

“Somewhere along the line our definition of succeed became blurred and evolved around money, corporate realization and the ability to supersede our peers. But let`s not make happiness about the size of our homes, but about the size of our hearts. Let`s be human beings, rather human doings. Rather than “To Do lists” can we think of “To Be lists” and think who we want to Be in a situation rather than what we want to Do in a situation”.

While listening, a picture that I took a while ago appeared in my mind. A picture of a graceful swan who doesn`t seem to be focused on doing anything different than being a calm inhabitant of its lake. His whole being radiates nothing but peace. He is my teacher and inspiration for today.

A book that recently made a big impression on me is “My Grandfather’s blessings” by Rachel Naomi Remen who has been counseling patients with chronic and terminal illnesses for over 20 years, and is a clinical professor at the University of California at the San Francisco School of Medicine. Her book contains stories of wisdom about healing, loving and living- stories  that make you think with a calm mind and also sooth and pacify your heart.

In one of those stories the author shares a conversation with her grandfather during which he shared the legend of Lamed-Vov and her subsequent reflections from it:

“ In this story, God tells us that He will allow the world to continue as long as at any given time there is a minimum of thirty-six good people in the human race. People who are capable of responding to the suffering that is a part of the human condition. These thirty-six are called the Lamed-Vov. If at any time, there are fewer than thirty-six such people alive, the world will come to an end.
…

It turned out that Lamed-Vovniks could be tailors or college professors, millionaires or paupers, powerful leaders or powerless victims. These things were not important. What mattered was only their capacity to feel the collective suffering of the human race and to respond to the suffering around them. “And because no one knows who they are, Neshume-le, anyone you meet might be one of the thirty-six for whom God preserves the world,” my grandfather said. “It is important to treat everyone as if this might be so.”

“How do the Lamed-Vovniks respond to the suffering, Grandpa?” I asked, suddenly anxious. “What do they have to do?” My grandfather smiled at me very tenderly. “Ah, Neshume-le,” he told me. “They do not need to do anything. They respond to all suffering with compassion. Without compassion, the world cannot continue. Our compassion blesses and sustains the world.”
…
Remembering how to bless each other is more important now than ever before. The solution to the destructiveness in this world is not more technical knowledge. Repairing the world may require us to find a deep connection to the life around us, to substitute the capacity to befriend life for our relentless pursuit of greater and greater expertise. It has been said that it has taken us thousands of years to recognize and defend the value of a single human life. What remains is to understand that the value of any human life is limited unless there is something in it that stands for the benefit of others and the benefit of life itself.
….

A blessing is a place of refuge, a connecting back to the place in us where we are coherent and whole. A remembering of who we are.”

We all have the power to bless others through our compassion. At the same time, we are constantly knowingly and unknowingly receiving blessings from others.  Being able to recognize the times when life blesses us – for example the smiley cashier receiving your order, or the friendly stranger who held the door for you is something that allows us to form a bigger connection to life around us and to live more joyfully.

When thinking which picture to use, I immediately thought of the moon and clouds that I saw in Kerala last year and that formed a fascinating giant-like shape. Seeing it back then made me think that there are so many beautiful things that are hidden for us unless we look in their direction. I believe the same applies to life’s blessings-  so shall we look for them today?

Today I woke up in a relaxed post-holiday mode. I found time to meditate, made a cup of nice tea and started slowly sipping it. But then the never-ending To Do list in my mind turned on like a loud alarm- “I have to finalize and send out those slides”,”After that I have to make that call”, “And afterwards need to figure out the insurance”… It suddenly stopped feeling relaxing at all.

A passage of one of my favorite books came to a rescue. It is a powerful little book called the “The Miracle of Mindfulness” written by the Buddhist monk Thich Nath Than that gives you an easy to digest introduction to the practice of Mindfulness:

“In the United States, I have a close friend named Jim Forest. Last winter, Jim came to visit. I usually wash the dishes after we’ve finished the evening meal, before sitting down and drinking tea with everyone else. One night, Jim asked if he might do the dishes. I said, “Go ahead, but if you wash the dishes you must know the way to wash them.” Jim replied, “Come on, you think I don’t know how to wash the dishes?” I answered, “There are two ways to wash the dishes. The first is to wash the dishes in order to have clean dishes and the second is to wash the dishes in order to wash the dishes.” Jim was delighted and said, “I choose the second way-to wash the dishes to wash the dishes.” From then on, Jim knew how to wash the dishes. If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future -and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.”

And this is it. Just wash the dishes to wash the dishes. As simple as it sounds. Simple, yet powerful. Give it a try. Afterwards just drink your tea to drink your tea.  Do one work task at a time. And then- spend time with your loved ones and be with them in your mind. One step at a time. With your full attention.Without being lost between past and future. For me this is what living feels like.

“How many people have you brought joy to?” I heard this question in “The Bucket List” (which by the way is a great movie which you should surely check out) and have been meditating over it in the course of the day.

Isn`t showing appreciation to the people that we love the biggest gift that we can give them? One of the most beautiful examples of this is the monument of love- the beautiful Taj Mahal symbolizing the never-ending love of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. She was a Muslim Persian princess and he was the son of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and grandson of Akbar the Great. He met her when he was 14 and fell in love with her. Five years later in the year 1612, they got married. Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It was in the memory of her that Shah Jahan built the phenomenal monument which we today known as the “Taj Mahal”.

Like flowers. Or gifting something you made. Or cooking dinner. Or simply listening and being present. Which one would you like to try today?

I was thinking of starting the series with an inspirational quote and spend quite some time figuring out who I wanted to quote and why. There are a lot of wise people who lived on this planet, but do we also recognize and appreciate the people around us who inspire us by their example and actually “walk the talk” right here and right now?  As it often happens, while I was contemplating this idea, one of these real life gurus that I met in India- my friend Simona Gerber, approached me with a very moving message wish that I want to share with you. It would hopefully inspire you to kick start the year with an influx of desire to live fully and joyfully J

What about..

What about the decision to change something in our inner life because we feel instinctively that life has much more to offer than what we make use of?
What about realizing that being alive is so vibrant, so miraculous, and so beautiful because we got the instrument to recognize that?
What about the joy of experiencing every moment?  Because it just goes and never returns back… and it should be accepted as it is and not as we would have liked it to be, because the reality just is as it is and all else is a self-illusion.
What about living the present moment fully, paying all the attention to it, learning to value the preciousness of existence itself because it is in fact the essence of our own life, the life itself?  Moment to moment, passing one after another…
What about appreciating all the others around us and not taking for granted anything and anybody, not even ourselves? Because to breathe in again may fail at any time…
What about enjoying our own respiration because the universal breath itself is flowing through us?
What about looking at plants or trees, at the beauty of nature and understanding their silence, because we are a part of it? Or smelling a flower, herbs and feeling which sensations generates inside us because they are living beings as well…
What about being thankful to our delicate but so strong heart muscles for beating non-stop without even our concern? Because behind this must be such a great intelligence…
What about looking for happiness in our own heart and not outside because the treasure is where the love can be felt and not in something or somebody?
What about solving conflicts in a constructive and kind way because we all come from the same source, are made with the same elements and the others are just another expression of oneself but in different shapes?
What about seeing the difficult time as a necessary part in this life because it makes us to value more the good part?
What about admiring everything around us with all our senses because whatever we see is a miracle, included ourselves and our own existence?
What about living our life fully aware from the whole heart, loving as much as possible because at the end of the life we will wish for a second chance which won’t be there…
What about living every day like it would be our last because we never know if the next day will actually come…?
Wouldn`t that make life so much easier?
Keep smiling, make it simple, enjoy your being into this world, love, be happy and be thankful for everything you are and for everything you have, because it is your responsibility, your life…
Remain blessed…
LOVE is all around us because it lives in your heart
HERE and NOW

The New Year is here. We all get excited about new things- they hold a promise for new opportunities, renewal and thrilling surprises.

But sometimes reality doesn`t materialize according to our expectations and the grass is not so much greener on the other side. So how do we keep the energy up in rough times?

For me the key is two-fold. On the first place it is about staying connected to universal truths that matter to us and not getting carried away by external forces pulling us away from our true selves. And of course- stay inspired. Inspiration animates our souls, and gives us a healthy boost; it is through inspiration that we get all those great ideas that ignite the spark to act and change our lives. And trust me- inspiration is everywhere- you can find it a book, in a beautiful picture, inspiring act or even in silence. It is all about paying attention and being opened.

This is exactly the idea of the “Stay True and Inspired” series – to share pieces of inspiration that make us remember/ smile/think and uplift us. So we can all have a year that inspires us to live our life in a way that makes us feel truly alive.

 There are days meant for contemplation. With no to-do lists, schedules and “what next”s. Days to just live and be.

My companion for the day is a beautiful book called “Deviation” written by the talanted bulgarian author Blaga Dimitrova. I’ve tried to translate a passage that perfectly describes my state for today- a state that I wish all of us could store inside ourself and return to in all those moments when the chasing mind kicks in. 

“Wait!!! Where are you rushing to? Is someone chasing you? Or are you chasing someone or something? Is the world going to end if you don’t catch what you are chasing? And while you are so busy chasing, aren’t you missing something else, something much more important?

                                 …

Stop for a moment! Look at this glorious day! Taste it with your lips, breath, the pores of your skin! The day is soaked in sun like a big, amber grape and slowly riping, and getting heavy from the heat. A long long summer day. An eternity caught between the morning and the evening. The big day is small only for you who are rushing and chasing. “