A Trip Down Memory Lane

 

Imagination and memory follow the same neural path.

Have you ever considered how easy it is to snap out of the loop of negative thoughts you may be experiencing?  All you need to do in that moment is to CHOOSE to be different.  Stand up if you’re sitting down.  Look up if you have your head down.  Close your eyes and bring back memories of a beautiful event.

In fact, next time you’re looking at a site that’s taking your breath away, make a picture memory.  You may be at the seaside, or the mountains, or your favourite restaurant, or a friend’s wedding.

Notice what you see, hear and feel.  Notice the colours, the sounds and the textures.  Notice the scents and the tastes.  Then when you’re in need of cheering up, recall the picture memory and the sensations associated with it.  It’s magical, it really works!

Mini me and I were in Venice this time last year and fb keeps on teasing me with memories of a year ago.

Looking at the crowds in this featured picture, I’m wondering…

About how silent, even eerie the side streets and the canals in the enchanted sunken city of Venice must be, feel and look today.

How relieved the locals must feel on one hand to have their beautiful city to themselves.  And yet how much of an economic struggle this must be for them on the other hand.

I’m also thinking about how I took life as I knew it for granted.  The wonders of the world I was lucky enough to explore.  The touch of my loved ones which I miss incredibly.  The ability to jump in the car and enjoy a day at the beach.  A short train ride to London to immerse myself in a few hours of culture.  Even the simple pleasure of taking a trip to the local drugstore to buy hair colour and a new shade of nail polish just because…  All of these and more that I had at my fingertips, I took for granted.  We all did!

So today, instead of finding ourselves in another beautiful European city, mini me and I are going to look at old pictures.  We will use the power of our imagination to reminisce about a life we once knew and the precious memories we made at every location.  A life I hope we get back sometime soon in the future, albeit I cannot think for sure what that would look like anymore.  Because I know the world we knew has changed for good, as have the people in it.

If nothing else, I’ve learnt to be more present, to look for pleasure in the pain I face and to say thank you more often… There are lessons in every adversity we face.

Happy Easter everyone

 

Much love, Easter eggs and strong coffee

Vafa

How Do You Cope In Times Of Adversity?

 

Happy New Year ✨🥂✨

2019 threw me so many curved balls that I now feel, I can rise in the face of adversity and win hands down.  No matter what cards I’m dealt!

EVERY TIME I thought things were going my way, the universe tested my patience and resilience.  But you know something?  The universe forgot I was a war child and I’ve faced what many of my peers couldn’t even imagine as their worst nightmare.

I’m not saying I was ready to attack the challenges face on immediately.  And I’m not saying I didn’t feel scared, hurt and angry at times.  And there were times I crawled back into my shell and wished I could hibernate for a season like my favourite nocturnal creatures, the hedgehogs.   But my beautiful and emotionally intelligent boy, and the undying support of my very close network of friends and family got me going.  Not forgetting my gorgeous and incredibly talented accountability buddies who guided me out of the potholes I found myself in.

I decided to acknowledge the pain, rather than bury and ignore it like I used to.  I found strategies around dealing with the unrest and the uncertainty.  For me, this was in the form of taking long walks, reading, and having pow wows with my buddies to check my sanity.  Until I found solutions to the many challenges I faced.  ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME…

I’m curious…. How do you deal with the serious, surprise life challenges that are thrown your way?  Are you aware of the immense guilt and the shame you feel in those situations as I did?  And do they stop you from reaching out and seeking different perspectives?

Here’s to believing in ourselves and the hidden powers within us more… In the famous words of one of my favourite poets, Hafez:

“You have in your soul, every ingredient necessary to turn your existence into joy.  All you have to do is to mix your ingredients”

 

Love and strong coffee

Vafa