“And once the storm is over You won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, that the storm is over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, You won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm is all about.” ~ Haruki Murakami ~ (from his novel “Kafka on the Shore”)
“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.” ~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist~
Each of us must try to get active for 30-45 minutes each day. There are many ways to get active indoors. Some of the ways will be through qigong, tai chi, yoga, meditation, home exercise types of equipment such as the treadmill, etc.
The lesser things you have, the more positive energy flows in. Are there things that need cleaning/clearing at your surroundings, closets, kitchen cabinets, etc.? When you are focused on cleaning/clearing, it will relieve you from the stress.
Focus on hobbies that increase your creativity. When your creativity levels are high, there is no place for stress and negativity. There are many online options available.
Spend more time with the plants and feel connected and grounded to nature. Some things you can consider is to grow a new type of plant, repot an existing plant or redecorating your garden space.
Are you feeling angry and stressed? You can always write out your thoughts and feelings in a journal. By doing that, not only you are releasing all anxiety to the paper, you are lightening the load from yourself.
With all the panic buying and stockpiling, this can be a bit challenging. Let’s be creative and create simple dishes or bake new items to try.
9. House Improvement Works
You can consider repainting your home or doing some simple home improvement works. And if you are intending to paint walls, why not use the stencils and get creative?
Do you still have old books stored away? It will be a good time to get them to re-read. If your nearby library is closed, you can also consider reading the electronic version of books.
12. Origami
A standard size paper of 75 x 75mm and you can make amazing crafts. It is a fantastic activity for the whole family. But do take note that origami paper comes in several sizes.
“We are like children building a sand castle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off limits to others. We’re willing to attack if others threaten to hurt it. Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sand castle away. The trick is to enjoy it fully but without clinging, and when the time comes, let it dissolve back into the sea.” ~ Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times ~
“If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door- or i’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore ~
Daily, all of us are receiving news of the coronavirus and how the numbers are increasing around the world. While this is no easy news to digest, this is also not the time to discriminate against a group of people and/or country. In this difficult time, all of us must be calm and positive. We should make a point to turn all negative energy into positive energy through prayers, compassion and thoughtfulness.
Below are various articles on suggestions as to how we can better manage the current crisis. Let us all come together as one united family to assist each other in this difficult time.
Amid “darkness” and confusion over the virus, there is still hope…and every single hope begins with each one of us.
“There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.” ~ Dalai Lama ~
“Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think. So start each day by thinking of all the things you have to be thankful for. Your future will depend very largely on the thoughts you think today. So think thoughts of hope and confidence and love and success.”
~Dale Carnegie~
It has been a long while since I posted in my blog…I am back again! What a better day than to be back on this meaningful day for all – Happy Women’s Day to all!
Each of us has both feminine and masculine qualities – we should strive to balance it all…Even though today is purely dedicated to females, I also want to take this opportunity to include the men who are actively taking up roles as a mother, daughter, etc in a family.
“I think that my job is to observe people and the world, and not to judge them. I always hope to position myself away from so-called conclusions. I would like to leave everything wide open to all the possibilities in the world.”
~Haruki Murakami~
“When you look at a field of dandelions, You can either see a hundred weeds or a hundred wishes”. ~ Unknown
Reflection by Esther
How we view life or a particular situation is entirely up to us. No one can change the way we think of something unless we ourselves allow it to happen. Rather than looking at something, someone or a situation as negative and a hindrance, why don’t we step aside and look at ways on how we can learn or benefit from it. We all have to remember that anything negative that is taking place in our life is not permanent. Everything will pass at ease if we allow our thoughts to change accordingly. We must always see every situation in our life an opportunity to advance further. We must never let a bad situation drive us to darkness, depression and negativity.
(This was part of series of “wisdom” handouts I created in the past for my retail customers and my students.)
