“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.”
~Allen Klein~
“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”
~ William Shakespeare ~
(Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2)
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”
~ Dale Carnegie ~
“You are being presented with a choice: evolve or remain. If you choose to remain unchanged, you will be presented with the same challenges, the same routine, the same storms, the same situations, until you learn from them, until you love yourself enough to say “no more”, until you choose change.
If you choose to evolve, you will connect with the strength within you, you will explore what lies outside the comfort zone, you will awaken to love, you will become, you will be. You have everything you need.
Choose to evolve. Choose love.”
~ Creig Crippen ~
If you are looking for a different way to motivate and inspire yourself on a monthly basis, you can see whether monthly downloadable calendars will do the work for you. I have found the monthly calendars recently and am sharing with all. I do like it as each month there is a different theme.
For non-Reiki practitioners and wants general motivation, try this site, Action for Happiness:
https://www.actionforhappiness.org/calendars
Personal remarks: Suitable for all.
I came across “Action for Happiness” website by chance and like the fact that they have monthly motivational calendars plus other interesting things.
For Reiki practitioners and believers, here is the link to the Reiki Rays site:
https://reikirays.com/68595/chillax-reiki-calendar-july-2019/
Personal remarks: This will be more useful for people who have knowledge of Reiki and the terms.
I use both calendars and it just adds more dose of inspiration and motivation to my daily activities.
Look and see whether it can benefit you too…Have an inspiring day! 🙂
“Loving kindness towards ourselves doesn’t mean getting rid of anything. It means we can still be crazy after all these years. We can still be angry after all these years. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. The point is not to try to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.”
~Pema Chodron~
“Training began with children who were taught to sit still and enjoy it. They were taught to use their organs of smell, to look when there was apparently nothing to see, and to listen intently when all seemingly was quiet. A child that cannot sit still is a half-developed child.”
~ Luther Standing Bear, Lokota, 1933 ~
(taken from the book: Words of Power: Voices from Indian America, edited by Norbert S. Hill, Jr.)
“Life is too short to waste any amount of time on wondering what other people think about you. In the first place, if they had better things going on in their lives, they wouldn’t have the time to sit around and talk about you. What’s important to me is not others’ opinions of me, but what’s important to me is my opinion of myself.”
~ C. Joy Bell C. ~
“Death must be so beautiful.
To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence.
To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow.
To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.”
~ Oscar Wilde, “The Canterville Ghost” ~
“You do not have to seek out loneliness – it is always there…
Loneliness is a reality that you experience…a part of the journey.”
~Chögyam Trungpa~
Happy July my friends! 🙂
It has been a long time since I posted something. Today I want to share on my favourite after lunch tea, Earl Grey. I know not all are tea fanatics or have special love for tea only. I do not drink coffee. I love tea. Not all teas are my favourite. Among the teas I consume, Earl Grey is one of my favourite, stress-reliever tea. It works well for me as “pick-me up” after a tired day or “wake-me up” while drowsy in sleep…
My first love with Earl Grey happened when I went to dine in at a restaurant and requested them for Green Tea. The restaurant did not have any green tea tea and they offered me as a substitute Earl Grey tea. I took it, as it was my habit to take tea after my lunch. What they offered me was Sir Thomas Lipton Earl Grey Tea. The first sip and I was in love with the tea. I started hunting for the same brand but it was hard to get that as usually that brand is sold to F&B outlets in bulk (I was told by one supermarket retail person). I bought Dilmah Earl Grey instead. It is serving me well. Lately, I wanted to try another brand Earl Grey and I bought Taylors of Harrogate. Taylors of Harrogate tea is fantastic too!
Quite some time back, I made my Taylors Dilmah Tea at work and one of my colleagues came around looking for the person who is drinking Earl Grey. The fragrance has floated quite a distance and she found me and asked me of the brand. Now, she loves Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey.
There are plenty of articles and blog posts on Earl Grey benefits. I am just listing two posts on Earl Grey.
10 Surprising Benefits Of Earl Grey Tea You Never Knew by Tegan Jones
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-surprising-benefits-earl-grey-tea-you-never-knew.html
What is Earl Grey Tea? by Teatulia
https://www.teatulia.com/tea-varieties/what-is-earl-grey-tea.htm
Taylors of Harrogate: my new addition to Earl Grey Tea…
https://www.taylorsofharrogate.com/
Dilmah: for a long time drinking this…
https://www.dilmah.com.au/tea-brands/dilmah-exceptionals/exceptional-elegant-earl-grey–44.html
Sir Thomas Lipton: this was my first love…
https://www.unileverfoodsolutions.com.sg/en/product/sir-thomas-lipton-earl-grey-2g-1-EN-111956.html
Of course, not all might feel the same way as I do about Earl Grey Tea. But if you do have a special love for Earl Grey Tea, welcome to my club! Even if you are not a tea lover, thank you for taking time to read this post. For those who have not tried Earl Grey before, perhaps you should make an effort to do so. Who knows you too might find a new love with Earl Grey tea?
“Do you know what you are?
You are a manuscript of a divine letter.
You are a mirror reflecting a noble face.
This universe is not outside of you.
Look inside yourself;
everything that you want,
you are already that.”
~Rumi~
(taken from Hush, Don’t Say Anything to God: Passionate Poems of Rumi)
As most people know, I am a cat owner. On Saturday, 12 January 2019, we (our family) had a difficult decision to put our dear lovely cat, Sesame to sleep. While no one wants to go through that decision-making, we, especially me, dreaded thinking of that moment. Sesame was not my first cat who had to go through the death process. I already had three cats who went through that – but those were natural death. The three earlier cats each had a disease that took them naturally away from us. Was it easy to deal with their natural death? In a way Yes. However, Sesame’s death was different and difficult. It was a decision we had to take and like many other pet owners’ questions such as “What if?”, “Was that necessary?” or “Maybe a miracle can take place…” and so on. She was put to sleep on Saturday, 12 January at 1.37 am. It was a time when the whole world became quiet and still for me. I was sure feeling helpless and lousy…
Sesame had her first seizure on 09 January, morning. We rushed her to the vet and the vet ran many tests and fixed an appointment for further tests 2 weeks later. She was back home, was eating well, but the movement had decreased and she was mostly confined to her sleeping area. Late Friday night, 11 January, before 12 am, Sesame had her second seizure. This time, it was longer than the earlier one. To make things worse, she also had bleeding from her nose. We rushed to the emergency vet. She seemed lifeless for a long time at the vet. The vet was suggesting further tests in the morning when the regular clinic is in operation. The vet was also telling us that she had limited chances of survival if we prolong her life. We looked at her and we knew she did not have the strength or determination to take it any further. After much debates among ourselves, we finally agreed to a common decision. When the decision was made to put Sesame down, she seemed to understand and started “cleaning” herself (as if preparing herself) for the final journey. My mother was the one who was speaking to her until the final journey.
As a pet owner, this is something I do not like. However, it is also something I cannot avoid too. Anything that has life in it has an expiry date too…after all, being in the Spiritual line and/or holistic, I should be better prepared? Well, not really. My departed cats and existing cats all have taught me some lessons and are still teaching me too. Each of my earlier departed cats went through the death process differently. My first cat, Jacintha had heart problems. My second cat, Violet had kidney issues. My third cat, Lotus, had blood-related issues. However, their deaths were natural – something that was slightly easier to accept. Sesame’s death was and will not be easy for me and for my mother too (as she is the one who is always at home with them). Sesame taught me a valuable lesson…What was that? Even at that time of death, there is nothing to fear: Prepare and accept it…
Can I accept? As of now, I am still struggling to accept. My cats are part of my family life. They are part of me too…It will take some time, as any death will do.
In addition, I must add something on Sesame: she was the most responsive cat I ever had. She was adopted from SPCA, together with her best buddy, Violet. She responds to any talk by us to her with “meows” and was never shy to respond in her cat meows. Even to the last, Sesame was responding with her meows – perhaps she is also saying her final “goodbyes” to us.
We had a private cremation for Sesame on 12 January 2019, Saturday. We got that done at Mount Pleasant Pet Cremation Centre.
To our dear beautiful Sesame: Thank you for being part of our family over these years. Most importantly, thank you for the wonderful memories…
I have dedicated some pages just for my cat Zen Masters in my website. I appreciate their time with me and their unspoken ways of unconditional love…
https://www.withinsenses.com/my-zen-cats
The internet is full of pet owners telling of their agony and the life lessons they received, etc. I chose two articles that relate to me most…
5 Lessons I Learned From Losing My Own Pet by Kimberley Beldam-Saylor
http://drandyroark.com/5-lessons-learned-losing-pet/
Dealing With the Loss of Your Cat by Adrienne Kruzer, RVT
https://www.thesprucepets.com/grieving-the-loss-of-your-cat-552081
“You wander from room to room
Hunting for the diamond necklace
That is already around your neck”
~ Rumi ~
Today I celebrate my entrance into this world (that is my birthday). I take this time to wish anyone celebrating their birthdays on this day and for the month of January. And of course, wishing “Happy Birthday” to myself too! 🙂
Most importantly, I thank everyone (including the “Big Boss”, the Creator) who has and will be part of my life always…
Why wait for the world or someone to celebrate your existence? Always be in the celebration mood – and what else is better than each one of us to celebrate ourselves, our purpose and our living? When we truly understand and appreciate ourselves and our existence it will be easy to find and see beauty all around us. Nothing in the world is perfect – including us. I do not believe in waiting for something to be “perfect” to celebrate. It is important to celebrate when there are imperfections too. After all, each one of us is unique. Each one of us possesses certain qualities due to various reasons, according to our life purpose and/or life path.
Therefore, do not wait for a special occasion to celebrate yourself…you can begin now and you can do it on a daily basis…
“A child is born on that day, and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical harmony with his individual Karma. His horoscope is a challenging portrait, revealing his unalterable past and its probable future result. But the natal chart can be rightly interpreted only by men of intuitive wisdom – These are few…”
~ Sri Yukteswar Giri ~
Blog by Esther Neela M. 