Briefly about TIME

Upon a recent stroll by the side of the ocean, watching how calmly and persistently the waves were washing the shore, I was reminded once again that we all grow in time, live in time and die in time. Joy, sorrow, happiness, success, fame or defeat are all blending together in different proportions as we each walk the path of life, leaving behind footprints in the sand of time.

In science, time and space are woven together like a fabric upon which all matter lies, while on a psychological level, when life speeds up it feels like time is slowing down. 
Yes – time is an opportunity, which can be used wisely or foolishly; time is more precious than money, and it is more powerful than kings and princes – they come and go, but time is forever. Nonetheless, as we each walk the walk, we all realize how powerful time is and that in fact, time and tide wait for none.

Recently I was coming across this short inspirational story, which I find worth sharing further. Enjoy the reading!

Story: This Too Shall Pass

One morning, the boy Solomon saw the goldsmith who works for King David's Palace walking out of the palace very desperate and sad.
Solomon asked the goldsmith with curiosity: - What makes you feel so sad and desperate?
The goldsmith answered: - I have to provide a solution to the King within seven days. If not I will be taken out of my job. I am really confused because there is no solution for what the King has asked.

- What is the solution that the King is looking for?, Solomon was curious.
The goldsmith presented the demand of the King to Solomon as follows: - I need to make a gold ring for the king with an inscription on it which should help the king not to be very happy and forget the eternal truth at his happy moments. At the same time the inscriptions on it should help him not to lose his heart when he is facing failures and desperation.

Immediately Solomon gave what he needs to inscribe on it: - Write as follows: "This too shall pass."

Time
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean,
And the beauteous land
And the little moments
Humble though they are,
Make the mighty age of eternity.

“The only way to survive eternity is to be able to appreciate each moment.” 

September 23, 2019: Happy AUTUMN, dear friends!

      AUTUMN has arrived – enjoy it!
On September 23, 2019 is the autumnal equinox, marking the first day of autumn in Northern Hemisphere.

Autumn is a wonderful time of fruition when the abundance offered us all is acknowledged and honoured. 
The harvest period brings along wonderful occasions to extend gratitude toward all what it has been given to us.

Wishing you a beautiful season! 

The Autumnal Equinox is an astronomical event, nearly noticed by everyone, marking the arrival of autumn in Northern Hemisphere.
During the equinox, the night & day have almost the same length (twelve hours) throughout the entire world.

● A previous post on the same theme: 
AUTUMNAL Equinox – 2018

Alice’s Book Club – SUMMER session of 2019

Slowly but surely the current summer time is coming closer to the end, but this Friday (September 6’19) I was pleased to meet with my group of dear friends for our seasonal book club session. 
Upon arrival, while my guests were joyfully settling in, the soft classical music from the background along with the relaxing fragrance of jasmine & French lavender oils made everything coming together nicely and smoothly emanating at the same time a profound sense of collective peace and shared content. 

On the other hand, as some of us traveled extensively this summer or being super busy with lots of outdoor activities, rather than our usual novel this time the chosen subject of discussion was an essay on communication (called: "Psychology in Communication Process") issued by Stanford University. Additionally, this was conjugated with another brief paper, called “The Importance of Personal Boundaries”.

Needless to say how well these materials were embraced by the entire group & how extensive, interesting as well as stimulating were the subsequent conversations…true heart to heart connections & brain to brain talks. 

From a scholastic perspective, I would like to briefly state that the fields of psychology and communication are closely related, and a distinctive area which is common to psychology and communication is the study of cultural influences on identity formation and social interaction. Aside of that, we all know that psychology has a well-established tradition of examining cultural differences on how the mind functions. Over time, psychologists have also focused on how culture shapes thought by directly comparing people from different cultures, while in turn, communication scholars have theorized and examined the very acts of expression and interaction of cultural processes. Given the historical development of these two areas, psychology is more of an established discipline than communication, so communication may benefit from the consolidated approaches of psychology.

The second paper discussed that evening emphasized that in fact setting boundaries is a key concept ensuring that relationships are collegial, respectful, supportive and caring. Once clear boundaries are set in place, people would become more polite, therefore you can be yourself to a greater extent, graciously addressing your needs without the fear of judgment; as a result, the emotional manipulators would vanish away being replaced by sustainable, loving and mutually respectful relationships. 

Our group conversations that evening were flourishing exponentially making each of us completely forget the time. All participants were truly delighted with the topic, asking for a repeat session of such kind, which of course was music to my ears. 
Like usual by now, we closed the gathering with a light meal, and genuine life related conversations, abundantly ‘seasoned’ with kind fellowship. 
Once again, my sincere appreciation goes to my friends who promptly & enthusiastically responded to my invitation. Wishing them each a great rest of summer! 
Best regards,
Alice

“Only through communication human life could hold meaning.”