Let Them Close

I came to a conclusion this Christmas season: there are too many things in this world. In the Western world for sure.

There are Christmas villages, Christmas fairs, Christmas stores, and than every other store has Christmas line of products as early as November, some October. Not as bad as in other places where it starts in September... like Philippines for instance. I'm not aware if things start earlier in any other place, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Merry Christmas

As I browsed various stores, the creativity, the variety, and the number or things on display is endless. And you know what? Looking at all there is, it occurred to me that there are not enough people to buy them all. Even discounted. Shoppers were scarce and some shops were quite empty day after day despite all the cute, beautiful ornaments and gifts offered. If anyone made money it was surely the venues renting out the spaces. Made money...

And it's not just at Christmas. It's a fact of life here: everything in excess. I find it somewhat amusing how people nowadays seem to rely so much of studies and research, as if you need "scientific" proof of everything before stating it. Yet, if you pay a bit of attention you will see with a naked eye what's happening. Here is the latest: it turns out someone did a study and found that 14 shops per day are closing on high streets in the UK. And if you do a search "stores closing down" you will find name after name of retailers big and small downsizing or going under completely. 

A Snippet of Gourmet Gifts

As far as I see, there are way too many clothes, shoes and things around here. For all to sell you'd have to have people shopping full time. Is this what we are made for? Shop till we drop? Get more things? 

Or is Christmas about that and giving gifts, or getting drunk, getting into fights, or going home crying, as observed on Christmas Eve streets?  

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against gifts. It's a beautiful thing - a "better to give than receive" thing. A gift it's given out of free will by definition, but I wonder if it's often felt as an obligation. I think it often puts pressure on people. And how come Santa doesn't bring one gift, but many? Aren't we letting the marketing industry, pushing a consumer culture, lullaby us into taking that as a norm? Like zombies, we go thru the motion to match the images broadcasted on the big screens, without stopping to ask whether that manipulation does us or our children any good.

Christmas is rather about giving the gift of love and good quality time with loved ones, reaching out, talking about the reason for the season and the difference it has made; leaving the worries and the bad behind, being thankful for what we've got, and forgiving, so that healing of mind and soul comes.

The Little Things in the Morning

So I'll say, let them close. Let things come into balance and let joy flow from above in and out of hearts full of gratitude. Than the New Year might be happy indeed!

What is your take on that?

How I've Spent the Last Day of Winter

Facing the Beast from the East

One unfunny thing about living in London is that there is no snow in winter. No. And when there is any resemblance the whole system is stunned. Immobilized. Disoriented. 

After Christmas went by uneventfully and I've heard rumors of friends going skiing, I sort of regretted not being a bit more creative in this regard. "Next winter", I said and put my mind to rest.

This winter was too cold. Not cold enough for snow, but neither very mild. So, I was looking forward to spring. Snowdrops and other blossoms all around in the middle of February, until one morning I pulled the curtains to a whole new scenery.

Winterland everywhere. I double-checked my location: still London. It turns out the "Beast from the East" was here. And it wasn't planning to leave soon. In fact, it was prepping the party grounds for Storm Emma. Can't say everyone was excited. But children were for sure.

And so was I. This was my chance at winter. If I didn't get to go the Winterland, winter came to me. LOL Can't complain.

I took a looong trip to Rochester thru the stormy weather, where my friends discovered a hill full of snow. The sole purpose? To go sledding and see Clopotsica, the gorgeous snowoman my friends built. 

Got back home so late - that train was slow! But the adventure was worth every effort. Have a look for yourself!

Today it's March 19. And for the last three days, winter is cycling back. It must have taken the wrong turn. Or it got lost. Or maybe it's time to adjust our calendar and start Spring in April. Or May. Maybe the hemispheres are swapping. Maybe...

How was your last day of winter?

Vlog Fever - Why Moldovans Don't Hike & My Favorite Places...

So... Did you see my previous post? I was testing my vlogging abilities.

It's one thing to speak smth in front of a camera. Is another thing to make it meaningful. AND an entirely different thing to actually post it, so that everybody will see. I admire those who have the gut. For some I wish they didn't. LOL!

But let the ranting about hiking continue.... with part 2.

Why Moldovans Don't Hike?

And yes, there is part 3...

My Favorite Places to Hike

I hope it's somewhat useful and entertaining... Once I learned to laugh at myself, it cracks me up every time I watch it - esp. part 1.

Thank you for taking the time. Big hug!

Leave a comment. Even if cheesy. 

My Failure at Failing

You’ve heard of Max Lucado? Considered one of the best writers of our times, he's got this amazing writing style where his prose flows like poetry. Beautiful.

Yet here is one striking fact about Max Lucado: as great as he is, nobody wanted to publish his first book. Do you think he gave up? Obviously, no. But he had to send his manuscript to fifteen publishers before one finally said yes.

John Maxwell, the famous leadership expert, asked him if he felt discouraged and ever considered giving up. Here is what Max Lucado replied: "No. Every time I got the manuscript back, I thought: Well, I’ll just try another publisher”.

Good thing somebody said yes before he ran out of publishers. J

Thumbs up for Lucado. This is what Maxwell calls: the ability fail. I wish I could say I’m good at it, but I’m not. Why? Maybe because nobody likes to fail, me including, and even less people want to admit it. We are geared towards success and we want to tell everyone about our successes. We want people to know us for our successes, don’t we?

Look on Facebook, Instagram or other social media venues. Everyone posts exciting vacation trips, happy family pictures, romantic moments, best shots. Nobody knows that on that trip they had the worst fight and most of the time they were bored; that that family is on the brink of divorce; that although smiling that apparently successful man is in deep depression, about to lose his job, or considering suicide. Many cringe inside, comparing their deepest feeling of misery to others’ most exciting moments, while still hitting like. 

Comparison. The biggest enemy of self-image. The birthplace of a failure mentality, for that matter. But is failure such a bad thing after all?

I’m learning that failure is not failure unless you fail to get up and try again. This is how unsuccessful people think. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit. After all, if life is a journey it is ok to hit potholes and bumps, to run out of gas, to get lost, but quitting gets one nowhere.

I’m learning that every successful person has failed many times and that there is value in failure. The founder of Honda Motors said: “Many people dream of success. To me success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success only represents 1 percent of your work that results from 90 percent of that which is called failure.”

I’m also learning that there is a difference in failing and seeing yourself as a failure. “I have failed” is different than “I’m a failure.” Somebody said that making mistakes is like breathing. But if you regard yourself as a failure you will never be successful, or hope for an improvement, because you’ve made failure your identity.

I’m learning that although many people will measure my success according to how often I have failed, or didn’t succeed, it’s been estimated that most successes failed an average of seven times before they succeed. So, it’s ok. Even if I’m only one step better than last time, I’m making progress.

So, depending on your attitude toward it, failure can make you sink to the bottom or help you along the journey. And a lesson to learn is how to fail forward. 

To do that, I thought to adopt a different attitude when encountering failure, inspired from smarter people, like J. Maxwell:

1.  Not to take it personally – I've messed up. No doubt. I’ll do better next time.
2.  Let it be a learning experience & use it to grow – unwillingness to be stopped by failure & willingness to learn from failure.
3. Not to give up, regardless of what other say – failure comes easily to everyone, but the price of success is perseverance.
4. Let failure redirect my life – it’s just an adjustment, it’s not that I’m bad or wrong. But if the passion is still burning in my heart, the right thing to do is to keep going.
5. Keep a sense of humor – it’s easy to laugh when everything is going great, but it’s important to laugh when everything is going wrong. I love this quote.

There are always possibilities out there. If not, we have the capacity to create them. Look around, everything was created by humans, just like us. Surely, there is a door somewhere. Seek and you’ll find. Knock and it will be open onto you. Even, if sometimes we have to take detours. And when you really want it, someone said that the whole universe will join in to help. I call it the hand of God.

p.s. To the point -  watch and be encouraged.

My Wonderful Life in MD: Warm Me Up with Love!

It's bloody cold. It's been like that for over 2 weeks. Lately it also started raining. I don't mind any of these. Not at all. Not if...

…if I just could return to a warm home… It's that simple. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude, to be brave. I tell myself: this is not a problem, it's ok. Except, I hate the cold. I hate the way it makes me feel, the way it impairs my capacity to... anything. But... I've got to be brave. I can handle it.

I like the good intentions of our mayor to turn on the heat in the city. The only small, insignificant thing is that they don't warm me up. But I've got to be patient. It just isn't my house's turn yet. Why can’t we just turn it on when WE need it? Wasn’t c o m m u n i s m just a wonderful idea?

A Midsummer Nightmare (not by Shakespeare)

Whew! What a life! Can it really be more thrilling? Listen to this...

I'm sitting here in my little room in my big, empty house after a day of work. And what work? I'm almost afraid to say, 'cause you might get jealous. But I'll risk. Carrying clay and horse manure for my aunt who is helping me repair the stove... winter is coming. Yeah, that's what we use here for such works. I've got to mention gluing wallpaper to the walls... have I ever dreamed of anything like this? But it's worth the reason. 'Cause see...

... another exciting thing is the small group with the teen girls from the village. We talk about life and adventure and traveling and my best friend J. Oh, we also play fun games and drink hot tea. So, I'm getting the room ready. :)

However exhilarating that may sound, I must tell you, it is not the last highlight of the day yet, 'cause then I retreat to my little room to watch one of my favorite movies, the kind with spiders and magic. Yeyyyy! Spooky stuff. And... I hear some increasing noise under my sofa, around my desk, scratching and trotting... Like something is coming... Hoah! That would have scared you, but not me. I'm used to that by now - my all time companions, the mice! Now, I have to admit they are going a little over board this time...

USA in Retrospective: Curiosities and Impressions (continued)

On Culture…

In the Pacific Northwest there is a large cultural variety, freedom of expression and artistic creativity. People dress from very sloppy to very weird, wearing 18the century costumes, or bright outfits on streets, driving unusually shaped motorcycles and engaging easily in a conversation with a stranger.

Art
The variety and options one has are endless. There are all kinds of dance classes one can take, all kinds of dance clubs one can go to: ballroom, Irish, Hip-hop, Arabian, Bhangra (Indian), pure Salsa, 80th, soul & funk, etc. All genres of music to learn. All these for any age- 3 to 80. All kind of churches to choose from.

Art takes all forms of expressions, whether it’s paintings, handmade items, music and there are opportunities to learn just about anything: leather crafts, such as beautifully impregnated belts, etc. wood carving, jewelry making, beads making, fancy cooking, dog training, acting, instrument playing…

In Portland you will find plenty of gigs in acting, singing, dancing, modeling, and so on and so forth, taking into account the artsy mood of the place. Many theaters and two film schools are in the area. However, art, as anywhere, is not well paid, so the artist often has to get odd jobs to pay the bills.

Cuisine
There are all kinds of cuisines to be tried: Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Greek to name a few. Lots of places to go and have dinner. There are lots and lots of jewelry and items from all around the world for sale. There are stores ranging all styles and prices. Very accessible price wise.

Science
US is where a lot of scientific research and development is taking place, so there are as many possibilities to explore science, as exploring arts. Young boys and girls already know what they are getting into when they decide to pursue sciences.

Being a place of great diversity, Portland has a lot of IT geeks, especially with Intel Company there. However, many broke away from Intel, unwilling to deal with its rigid and demanding culture, that sucks all out of you. So, there is a lot of intellectual capacity that go into start-ups.

Live IT forums take place usually at local breweries, such as Green Dragon, etc. micro-breweries being a trademark of Portland. That’s where any IT savvy can exchange information with other, this being seemingly a great opportunity for keeping up to date, as well as developing community.

Tourism
There are many beautiful places to visit, such as mountains, the ocean coast, the arboretum, the zoo (animals living in a close to natural environment, not in cages) river walks, beautiful bridges across Willamette river, the mountain gorge with waterfalls, the downtown with light decorated trees, etc.

Since there are so many cultures around, there is room for all of them to practice their own religions, traditions, interests as well as open up, inviting others to experience it, via their dances, food, art, religion. They set up businesses: restaurants, shops, neighborhoods (ex. Japanese Gardens, China Town).

USA in Retrospective: Curiosities and Impressions

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On People…

Portland is very much community oriented. People are usually very friendly, networking, creating relationships, open to help each other, hang out with each other, that’s why the laid back feel of Portland as opposed to cold, living in a bubble lifestyle in cities like New York and Los Angeles.

People in US can be as miserable as in any country where the living conditions are far worse. There is discontentment with what they have, worry, anxiety, stress and depression. There is lack of values and purpose in life. People commit suicide.

There is much more superficiality in relationships. People are nicer outwardly, but it doesn’t always reflect what they mean. They are just as reluctant and hesitant to trust others and be open. They usually hide their true feelings under a smile.

In the Pacific Northwest particularly, people are very environment conscious, almost going to extremes, telling you when going into a forest were you are supposed to step and where not. They care about animals and wildlife, sometimes more then about people.

On Lifestyle…

There are many old people, living alone in huge, large houses, with lots of stuff accumulated: furniture, canned food, cleaning supplies, tools, clothes, electrical appliances, cookware, etc. etc. This will all get thrown away or sold for pennies after they die. I thought of the many in Moldova that lack the basics.

There are plenty of gay people outwardly showing their orientation. There are pastors who are gay that live with their partners. The mayor of Portland is gay involved in a scandalous affair, because he lied he had sex with an intern, prior to his election in the office, before that boy turned 18.

A lot of the bums there are dressed better than many people in Moldova, meaning you’d never guess that is a bum. There are services that take care of them, so that according to the official statements, there is no reason for anybody in Portland to go hungry.

People there are used to recycling everything, so they will never throw all trash in a pile. They separate glass, paper, newspaper, carton, tin cans (after are cut, washed, bent flat, and the paper tag removed) yard waste (leaves, grass, branches), plastic, and then what is left goes to regular trash.

On Religion…

There are all kinds of churches, however, people follow various religions, a lot into Buddhism and its various implications. Churches that accept gay people usually hang out a multicolored flag outside the building. Churches remain rigid and opinionated about things, this way often pushing people away.