June 21, 2022: SUMMER solstice

Hello, SUMMER! June 21^st marks the first day of summertime in our Northern Hemisphere. Everything is flourishing around us, and with much anticipation, we will observe all what nature has to offer as the new season unfolds…lots of different flowers are always blooming, offering a large display of bright colors and everyone could feel their amazing fragrances in the air. Enjoy this marvelous time of the year, dear friends!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: SUMMER Solstice – 2021, 2020, 2019

June 19, 2022: Happy FATHER’s Day!

The first person who taught you how to ride a bike, to play chess or the one who strictly waited for you after those late-night parties…your father!

Our fathers play a special role in our life and they deserve every source of happiness.
May we celebrate this day in order to honor our dads, their contribution and the role they have! Happy Father’s Day!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: FATHER's Day – 2021, 2020, 2019

Believe in HAPPINESS

How many times have you told yourself, “I just want to be happy?” There is a plethora of research about the science of happiness, and results conclude that each one of us can work towards the goal of happiness. To further emphasize this point, here is a short, life-inspired, tale:

The story

There were 200 people attending a seminar. At one point, the speaker told the group they were going to do an activity. He gave each attendee one balloon and told them to write their name on it. Then, the balloons were collected and moved into a very small room.

The participants were then asked to go into the other room and were given 2 minutes to find their balloon. It was chaos. People were searching frantically for their balloon, pushing each other and running into one another while they grabbed a balloon, looked at it, and inevitably tossed it to the side. At the end of the 2 minutes, no one had found the balloon that had their name on it.

Then, the speaker asked the participants to go back in the room and pick up one balloon at random, look at the name, and return it to its owner. Within minutes, everyone had been reunited with their original balloon. The speaker then told the group, “This is what it’s like when people are frantically searching for their own happiness in life. People push others aside to get the things that they want that they believe will bring them happiness. However, our happiness actually lies in helping other people and working together as a community.”

The Moral: You will get your happiness if you help other people find theirs. It is believed that if you want to be happy, you would need to practice compassion. Helping others makes us happy because it gives us a sense of purpose.

In fact, a study from the London School of Economics found that the more you help other people, the happier you will be. The researchers compared the variance in happiness levels of people who don’t help others on a regular basis to the happiness of weekly volunteers. They found that the active participants (those who help others) had the same variance in happiness as those who make $75,000 – $100,000 annually vs $20,000 (these being the ones who don't help anyone).

Helping others brings us happiness for three reasons:

1) Diversion: When you worry less about your own needs–in this case, finding your own balloon–the stress of that hunt decreases. Taking your focus away from the fact that you can’t find your own balloon lets you divert your attention away from your own problem. The feeling of compassion replaces the feeling of need.

2) Perspective: Having concern for other people helps us remember that we are all facing similar problems in life, no matter what the individual severity of the issue is. Sometimes when we are focused on our own issues, they get put into perspective when we encounter the true suffering of others (for example, a severe disability). It’s easy to then realize the excess amount of attention we’ve been giving our own problems. Having compassion helps us put our problems into perspective.

3) Connection:  Connecting with others by helping them could bring happiness into your life. Humans are social beings that need to have positive connections with other people in order to be happy. Connecting with other people enriches our lives and gives us a sense of fulfillment.

Interesting, isn't it? My wish is for everyone to seek and find happiness at some point in their life (if they haven't yet), as the option is out there...benefit from it!

If you are willing to help other people to find their happiness, this will bring a lot of happiness to you too…believe it!

NATURE – the best “healer”

It has been stated by so many people that nature in itself is healing in every way!

Consider the following….walking through the forest, smelling the scent of a beautiful flower, filling the lungs with fresh air after a summer rain, admiring a rainbow, marvel at the force of a thunderstorm, feeling the fresh green grass under your foot, cherish the vibrant beauty of a sunset and the sound of the ocean waves, wonder at the innumerable stars of the sky while resting after a long hike on the mountains trails, and so on….yes…all these are natural ways of…healing.

The simple question is though: how often do we do one of these things?

The common argument is that we don't have time. But who said that time passes? Time does not pass. We pass.

Life is full of beauty, which we do not take into account. It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you feel that you do not have "beautiful eyes" then stop for a moment, open your eyes as wide as you can, and ….start seeing!
Start by looking up, then look inside you, and then…look outside, around and on front of you…you will be amazed!

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature….it will never fail you!

June 1, 2022 – INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's Day

On the first day of summer, June 1, the world celebrates International Children’s Day. This holiday was established by the decision of the Congress of the International Democratic Women’s Federation in November 1949, and began to be celebrated since 1950. According to the established tradition, various events dedicated to the protection of children are held in many countries, as well as various fund raising & charitable activities.

So, on this day (International Children’s Day), may we all be reminded that every child deserves a better future, build on Peace – Love – Respect – Freedom.

● My previous greetings on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's Day – 2021,  2020, 2019

Alice’s Book Club – SPRING session of 2022

As the current season is nicely unfolding, on Friday (May 20’22) we had a brief spring session for my book club series, this time discussing “marriage”.  A nice and pleasant on-line gathering together with our core group of dear friends.

To everybody’s delight, this evening Sandu Oprea (who holds a qualification in Psychopedagogy) presented us a concise material called: “The secret of a happy marriage” based on which our group discussions further evolved.

My guests this evening were a mix of several generations, and as you can imagine, the chosen topic was on everybody’s reach, leading to meaningful debates, filled with timeless wisdom and practical tips. 

Respecting the privacy of the personal matters discussed, here are only few thoughts of general interest as well as some additional concepts issued by scholars, which might benefit the interested reader/s:

- A successful marriage is based on several solid pillars, such as: love, mutual respect, loyalty, effective communication, trust, good listening skills, patience, compassion, commitment, help and honesty

- If you want to have a strong marriage it is essential to be optimistic, grateful & share responsibilities

- By being willing to learn what marriage is about and what are the most important things in your marriage, you could determine how to enjoy married life and how to further solidify your marital relationship

- In order to have a happy marriage it is important to work in unison, not against each other

- During lifetime, every marriage goes through ups and downs, but in order to create a solid foundation and even out the eventual rough patches for a long-term happy marriage, make sure you understand the true meaning of marriage and when it is necessary, clearly express your love to your spouse

- The relationship needs to grow and evolve with steps taken into the right direction from both partners

- If you wish to have a solid marriage then it is essential to create a deep connection with your partner

- Without any doubt, marriage is one of the biggest commitments in life, and it requires love and a lot of hard work, patience and wisdom to make it successful

- Couples should enter marriage with realistic expectations, adopt a problem-solving approach and openly discuss their wants and needs with each other

- No single factor and no special event can make a marriage work…partners need to work at lacking aspects and progressively, improve them every day

- A happy, healthy and successful marriage has a number of important elements beyond love; it means the couple understands the traits of honest compromising, the implications of vulnerability, and again, the paramount significance of mutual respect & good communication

- A marriage is a union of souls, but it may not be necessary for those two souls to be the same as each other. Differences would be imminent no matter how much we look for similarities when searching for a life partner. It’s how you work with those differences that take a marriage forward.

As usual, our group talks were lengthy, honest, interesting, enjoyable and balanced, leaving each of us with a very pleasant feeling of benevolent camaraderie.

Before I’m ending my brief update here, once again I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to those who honored my invitation.

Till we meet again, my warmest regards to all!

Alice

“It is the fragile threads of love and sharing, which sew people together through years of marriage.”

May 2022: Happy MOTHER’s Day!

Mother’s Day (annually celebrated on the second Sunday of May) is a very special time of the year when most countries of the world honor motherhood. 

This is also a great opportunity to be reminded that a mother is the first teacher for every child, being a symbol of genuine affection and care.

To all beautiful mothers out there: HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: MOTHER's Day – 2021, 2020, 2019

4 Years Anniversary of ALICE & FRIENDS CIRCLE™

Romanian literary evening featuring 4^th year anniversary of ALICE & Friends Circle™

as well as Mutual Respect & Loyalty

With much appreciation I’m sharing that on Wednesday (May 4, 2022) we celebrated the fourth anniversary of ALICE & Friends Circle™, together with the core friends of our literary & socio-cultural group. Even-though this event occurred during a regular week day, for us it was special because it offered a good occasion to ponder and appreciate what life has to offer.

On the other hand, despite the fact that nowadays the pandemic related restrictions are more relaxed in our society, for everybody’s convenience, I chose again the online approach. 

Further commenting about our meeting on May 4^th, I’m glad to brief that after my opening remarks were delivered, I presented my guests a comprehensive slide show (below are published only few highlights), amongst other things, reiterating several beautiful moments of togetherness occurred over the last 4 years at our gatherings. Needless to say that those memories filled my heart with so much gratitude!   

Then all my friends that evening expressed their feelings and conclusions about our Circle, about our activities and about future projects.
Everyone was happy that we made it so far as a well-organized and smooth-running group.

Additionally, our discussions referred to the significance of mutual respect & loyalty, concepts most of us pay close attention to, and our dear friend Dorina read for the group an interesting material about respect (which is published in comments section).

Also, as I usually do, below I’m sharing with you only several highlights of the evening as well as few supplementary points, while keeping the confidentiality of the personal matters discussed:

● Few thoughts about the significance of MUTUAL RESPECT

- Mutual respect means to treat others the way you would like to be treated

- Mutual respect creates harmony & it is a key concept in keeping relationships alive and healthy

- In order to show someone respect, first you must be able to show respect for yourself, but be aware that showing respect only for yourself and diminishing others it is considered an unhealthy narcissistic behaviour

- In today’s world, where disrespect has become the norm and acceptable in our daily lives (unfortunately), mutual respect seems like an elusive goal. Sadly, many people take the concept of respect for granted and fail to put it into practice

-  Treating another with respect means having a belief in every human being’s dignity

- Mutual respect is the way of showing a polite attitude and decent etiquette that creates a positive environment

- Crossing boundaries in a relationship is totally disrespectful & unacceptable

- Respect is a two-way street…in order to gain respect, you have to be a giver of respect as well

- There’s a basic level of respect that we should show for everyone, regardless of the circumstances

● Few thoughts about the significance of LOYALTY

- Loyalty is one of the most important qualities in a person, and it is one of the most endearing and supreme morals of human society (past and present)

- Loyalty is one of the traits that people generally say is important to them in any relationships, be it romantic, friendship, business, or otherwise; yet some people, unfortunately, don't make it a priority or give it enough credit

- Loyalty is based on respect

- On a more personal level, loyalty stands for commitment and dedication to another, while allowing respect and trust to flourish

- Loyalty is important in both business and our personal lives.

                                    Besides, here are few links of some short materials I wrote some time ago about these concepts: 

                                    “Few insights about RESPECT & SINCERITY”  as well as “What is LOYALTY?”…enjoy the reading!

Characteristically, our group discussions were pleasant, genuine, making us completely forget the time. You all know how enjoyable it is to talk to people who are on the same wave length, right?! So, our evening together was not an exception, and we each liked every minute of it. 

Last but not least, before we adjourned for the evening, we toasted for our group, each raising a glass of champagne for our success, wishing each other only the best!

Also, the famous song called “La mulţi ani!” was referred to, this being practically an old melody which deeply warms our hearts each time we cheer it.

Moreover, given that on this part of the world people celebrate Mother’s Day (on May 8’22) at this time I’m sending along my warmest regards to all mothers who are part of ALICE & Friends Circle™ wishing them good health, joy and happiness!

Once again, dear ones, thank you so much for your loyalty, respect, support, encouragement and friendship along the way…you make my heat sing!

Until we meet again, my best wishes to each guest of this very special evening!

Alice 

"When we seek to discover the best in others, somehow we bring out the best in ourselves."

Mesaj personal din partea lui Alice, adresat la ceas aniversar

Dragii mei,

Doresc să vă mulțumesc şi pe această cale pentru că ați fost alături de mine într-un moment important, când împreună am putut să ne bucurăm de a patra-a aniversare a Cercului nostru literar şi socio-cultural!

Într-adevăr, timpul se scurge foarte repede şi ni se aduce aminte că pe nimeni nu omite.

Se spune că ”fericirea ne este menită tuturor. Fragilă ca un fluture, frumoasă ca o floare. Nu încape în versuri.
Se percepe în clipe şi locuieşte în inima noastră, dincolo de timp. ”

Deci, în măsura în care putem, fiecare să continuăm să semănăm frumosul în jurul nostru pentru că la vremea potrivită o să îi culegem roadele. 

"A spera, a căuta, a găsi, a continua..."

Cu preţuire,

Alice

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” AliceFriendsCircle.blogspot.com

This event has been delivered in Romanian Language, featuring Romanian culture.

● Previous anniversaries of ALICE & Friends Circle™ – 2021, 2020, 2019

NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed). 

April 22, 2022: INTERNATIONAL EARTH Day

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events in more than 193 countries. The theme for year 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet”, focusing on engaging more than 1 billion people, governments, institutions, and businesses to recognize our collective responsibility and to help accelerate the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all. 

Everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. 

● Relating articles: “Invest in our planet” | “Today is Earth Day: here's 5+ things you can do to help our planet “
● My previous greetings on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL EARTH Day – 2021, 2020, 2019

NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed).