It's a rainy day. Most days and most of the time I would not care. But going through a tough period in my life it's hard being an optimist during rainy days.
While the rest of the family are at work and at school I have decided that during the day I will do as follows:
* A bit of relaxing trying to look at the bright side of things.
* Answer a few emails and thereby get rid of one or two frustrations.
* Make a phone call to my parents to inform them about my situation. It might make things easier.
* One hour of training at the local gym.
* Buy groceries and prepare dinner for the rest of the family.
Reading this shortlist it feels overwhelming but I will give it my best shot making this rainy day a happy day in this wonderful world.
Tuesday 30 August 2016
Thursday 25 August 2016
Recommended Podcast.
The determination to maintain normality is an example of the wonderful world where such seems impossible.
BBC World Service has lots of interesting Podcasts. A few days ago I listened to one that really touched me. The Documentary dated the 28th of July 2016 is called Syria's Secret Library.
"Away from the sound of bombs and bullets, in the basement of a crumbling house in the besieged Syrian town of Darayya, is a secret library. It's home to thousands of books rescued from bombed out buildings by local volunteers, who daily brave snipers and shells to fill it's shelves. In a town gripped by hunger and death after three years without food aid, Mike Thomson reveales how this literary sanctuary is proving a lifeline to a community shattered by war."
It's s disturbing listening to, but still; I want to recommend it.
Syria's Secret Library
BBC World Service has lots of interesting Podcasts. A few days ago I listened to one that really touched me. The Documentary dated the 28th of July 2016 is called Syria's Secret Library.
"Away from the sound of bombs and bullets, in the basement of a crumbling house in the besieged Syrian town of Darayya, is a secret library. It's home to thousands of books rescued from bombed out buildings by local volunteers, who daily brave snipers and shells to fill it's shelves. In a town gripped by hunger and death after three years without food aid, Mike Thomson reveales how this literary sanctuary is proving a lifeline to a community shattered by war."
It's s disturbing listening to, but still; I want to recommend it.
Syria's Secret Library
Wednesday 24 August 2016
Can't help wondering.
I can't help wondering what happens when I mention this at Twitter, The only way knowing is trying, so here we go.
Tuesday 23 August 2016
Summer vacation
This summer we went to Turkey for our summer vacation. We are lucky having family who own a apartment in Avsallaar. We spent sixteen days of sunbathing, swimming and relaxing there. When we came home it didn't take long time until the memories started fading. But then, yesterday, our youngest son came home from school with at drawing that made all the good memories clear again.
During yesterday's dinner we where listening to him showing and telling us about how he remembered the stay in Turkey. His mother sitting at the restaurant at the beach talking to the locals. His older brother taking him for walk at the beach while his sister was bathing in the big waves. And of course daddy who is relaxing under a parasol "doing nothing." The Turkish boys working at the restaurant was having fun, kidding around at the beach. All of us unaware that the cat living at the restaurant had made an escape to explore the wonderful world at the beach.
This drawing, made by the youngest member of the family, brought back the memories from our summer vacation and gave us at wonderful time during our dinner after a hectic day.
During yesterday's dinner we where listening to him showing and telling us about how he remembered the stay in Turkey. His mother sitting at the restaurant at the beach talking to the locals. His older brother taking him for walk at the beach while his sister was bathing in the big waves. And of course daddy who is relaxing under a parasol "doing nothing." The Turkish boys working at the restaurant was having fun, kidding around at the beach. All of us unaware that the cat living at the restaurant had made an escape to explore the wonderful world at the beach.
This drawing, made by the youngest member of the family, brought back the memories from our summer vacation and gave us at wonderful time during our dinner after a hectic day.
Sunday 21 August 2016
Tomorrows lunch.
Tomorrow I am planning to eat my lunch at this spot. Sometimes I love my job giving me the opportunity to experience places like this.
It is a wonderful world. Half an hour relaxing in the sun with this view will make me ready for the rest of the day.
Friday 19 August 2016
Flow.
Have you ever been occupied with something feeling that time and the world around you seems to stop existing?
It typically happens when the task isn't to easy and not to difficult. You have "a kind of perfect challenge."
The psycholog Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is known for describing this fenomen calling it flow. He even states flow might be the secret to happiness. I do not entirely agree with him because happiness in my opinion can be achieved outside the state of flow. But a high degree of flow in your life does probably make you more likely to be happy and state: It's a wonderful world!
This is a short lecture where Mihaly Csikszentmihaly is talking about flow:
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow.
It typically happens when the task isn't to easy and not to difficult. You have "a kind of perfect challenge."
The psycholog Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is known for describing this fenomen calling it flow. He even states flow might be the secret to happiness. I do not entirely agree with him because happiness in my opinion can be achieved outside the state of flow. But a high degree of flow in your life does probably make you more likely to be happy and state: It's a wonderful world!
This is a short lecture where Mihaly Csikszentmihaly is talking about flow:
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow.
Thursday 18 August 2016
Blogging. I'm still learning.
I am a novise in this world og blogging. I am sure there are thousands of things that I need to learn. Now, in this early stage I can't help wondering. What is the most important feature of a blog? Is it the lay out and desing or is it the contents.
Today I have done some changes in the lay out and design, and I am sure it will be more changes as time goes by and I learn more. But my main goal will be to work on the contents mainly praising this wonderful world helping myself open my eyes to it.
Please give me hints and tips. I will appreciate them all as I keep on learning.
Today I have done some changes in the lay out and design, and I am sure it will be more changes as time goes by and I learn more. But my main goal will be to work on the contents mainly praising this wonderful world helping myself open my eyes to it.
Please give me hints and tips. I will appreciate them all as I keep on learning.
Wednesday 17 August 2016
Happy place
Around my family's summerhouse I have several places which I consider as my happy places. This is one of them.
A place were I can sit back, relax and enjoy the silence. A proof that we live in a wonderful world.
Tuesday 16 August 2016
If - by Rudyard Kipling
Literature is among the things making a wonderful world. The poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling is a perfect example.
The poem is written in the form of paternal advice. Three years ago I recited the poem to one of my sons in a speech to him. I can only hope he will follow the advice.
If -
by Rudyard Kipling.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
The poem is written in the form of paternal advice. Three years ago I recited the poem to one of my sons in a speech to him. I can only hope he will follow the advice.
If -
by Rudyard Kipling.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Make Good Feelings Grow
A few years ago. Actually it is almost 8 years ago. I read this article:
Abigail B. Calkin. A Minute a Day Makes Good Feelings Grow.
Now, going through changes in my life I suddenly started thinking about it again. After reading it I suddenly realized that the way I look at myself will reflect the way I look at everything and everybody surrounding me.
I might spend a minute a day making good feelings grow. That said, blogging about a wonderful world is already making good feelings grow.
Abigail B. Calkin. A Minute a Day Makes Good Feelings Grow.
Now, going through changes in my life I suddenly started thinking about it again. After reading it I suddenly realized that the way I look at myself will reflect the way I look at everything and everybody surrounding me.
I might spend a minute a day making good feelings grow. That said, blogging about a wonderful world is already making good feelings grow.
Monday 15 August 2016
Happy moment.
Fantastic moment with one of my heroes. I'm so happy to have had this moment and being able to enjoy it. Makes me happy looking back at it and being present in the moment.
Presence in my own life.
A week ago i decided that I needed some changes in my life. I found myself rushing through the present not enjoying my daily life. It was my youngest son who made me see what was going on. He's 7 years old and therefore much wiser than his father. He is present in the moment and has presence in his own life. He is the child that I have forgotten to be.
For me to be able to see this wonderful world, and to appreciate it, I need to learn from him. Like him I can feel blissfully alive in the now.
I will be focusing on the present when I keep on exploring this wonderful world. Telling you about my descoveries in my blog. And with help from my loved ones I will find the very best, most present me.
Later I will tell you about my resent descoveries, this week end. I've had some fantastic moments with my youngest son and my beautiful wife.
It is a wonderful world.
It is a wonderful world.
Reading newspapers and watching the news on TV might lead us to beliving that the World is a horrible place full of terrorism, wars and crime. The fact is that the human race is full of love and the earth is a wonderful place. My intention is to make this blog a proof of that. Like Louis Armstrong is singing in one of his songs (which was the soundtrack of my 18'th birthday): What a wonderful world.
By collecting examples of those numerous big and small things and incidents prooving the wonderfulness of the world I will convince myself and you (my reader) that we inhibit a wonderful world. We just have to open our eyes, and minds, to become aware of it.
This is the beginning of my journey exploring the beautiful lifes and the beautiful moments of this wonderful world. Please join me.
Louis Armstrong - What a wonderful world
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