Australia. December 2017
“Always remember, my child, if you’re ever worried or upset, go through the woods with open eyes. And in every tree, in every shrub, in every creature, and every flower, Life will reveal itself to you and give you solace and strength.”
And we went from lake to lake. All pink, each one more beautiful than the one before, until we were finally in our favorite one. It was much prettier than I remembered. The sunset light gave some gorgeous colors that were like a gift and I ended up taking self-portraits.
We played, I felt free. At dusk, we put on some warm clothes and stared at the stars. Everything was love and happiness and the summer had only begun.
There are memories that feel like warm blankets on a winter day. Memory treasures.
I feel happy. I always feel shy when I write these things, especially when it’s good. But haven’t I shared the bad moments?
Life is a cycle. That’s what I know. You have to celebrate good moments and overcome difficulties. Live joy with intensity, aware that you don’t know how long it will last. In reality, the good and bad times last about the same, but we are very aware of the second ones, while we carelessly disregard the first because we focus on other stuff. Doubts, fears, insecurities. Self-deception, in which you tell yourself that what you want is impossible for you to accomplish, so you don’t even try. Pride, something that can turn you into your worst enemy. Envy, which is nothing but laziness, and makes you hate the neighbor because he has a garden more beautiful than yours, but you don’t even care about flowers because when life gives them to you, you don’t stop and smell them. Ungrateful of life, the world, and its beauty. You only want what you haven’t got.
Gratefulness + Happiness.
I’m always looking for meaning in my experiences, conecting dots, trying to find answers. I learned a very simple, but incredibly great concept: nobody owes me anything.
It sounds silly, but for me, it was an essential lesson to get me on track. The concept slowly grew in me. Nobody owes me anything, so simple. Not my family, nor my partner, nor my friends, … And of course, the universe owes me ZERO. It sounds harsh when actually, it only means that everything life gives me is a gift, something I should not take for granted. And when you receive a gift, you say the magic words: Thank You. And that’s the key: being thankful. I went from feeling lost, unaccomplished and complaining about every stupid thing years ago, to feel capable of shaping my own life with my decisions. I am grateful, and that gives me the strength to pursue what I want and makes me feel lucky when I sometimes get it.
But there are many people for whom this idea never takes root. They spend their lives assuming the world owes them something. They constantly attract drama, not because terrible things happen to them, but because every difficulty they encounter, no matter how small, they turn it into a personal attack from this world. The kind of people who think their day is been spoiled just because they got their coffee different from how they ordered it. And I think we have all been that person at some point.
How can you be grateful for what you have if you thought you were born entitled to it and more? You can’t possibly be happy like that.
I only know happiness is something that cannot be found on the outside, in things or in people or anything physical. It is a purely inner process, which begins and ends in ourselves. Happiness is to thank the universe from the depths of your soul for everything received, including what you have worked for.
This world is greater than us. We are just so small, just passing through, your body is a gift that allows you to witness so many miracles, so many incredible moments.
“There’s a wonderful old Italian joke about a poor man who goes to church every day and prays before the statue of a great saint, begging, “Dear saint-please, please, please…give me the grace to win the lottery.” This lament goes on for months. Finally, the exasperated statue comes to life, looks down at the begging man and says in weary disgust, “My son-please, please, please…buy a ticket.”