November 11, 2020: REMEMBRANCE Day

On November 11 is 'Memorial Day'...the perfect time of the year to remember and honor our veterans since they gave their tomorrows so we could have our today...lest we forget...

● A previous post on the same theme: REMEMBRANCE Day – 2019

The ’art’ of WELLBEING

Nowadays, given that the entire world is still facing a multitude of challenging situations, lots of people began considering more seriously their state of well-being. But before I will share with you few insights on this matter, I would like to briefly refresh what well-being is. According to varied scholars, well-being is the experience of health, happiness and prosperity, which include a good mental health, high life satisfaction, a clear sense of meaning (or life purpose), and the sound ability to manage stress.
All seems to be pretty straight forward, but when it comes to the practical aspect of it, so many people stumble badly, and the big question is why? Hard to draw a general conclusion because every person is different and the subject in itself is truly vast, but here, I will list very few concepts from classics, which I find worth sharing further:
- In life, moving toward a greater sense of well-being is an ongoing journey, made of many small steps
- For a well-being seeker it is recommended to constantly be active, be positive, be social and be mindful
- Have every day a clear sense of purpose and sound resilience
- Create for yourself a healthy mindset (remember, a positive mindset is an investment on your overall well-being)
- Stop blaming others for your life failure/s (also known as 'the victim syndrome' or 'the victim mentality'), analyze yourself (in a mature & objective manner) and then take full responsibility for your behavior and actions
- Stay connected with people through meaningful relationships (in other words, be a good friend...if you don't know how, grab a book and learn the skill)
- Be grateful (appreciate every moment, every sunset, nature, and everything which surrounds you)
- Keep learning new things and smile every day
Generally speaking, when people think or speak about well-being, they are tempted to consider that only big things in life could make a big difference, but more often than not, the many little things, done consistently, with a bright smile on the face, have the biggest impact on one's life
So, as I wrap up my brief comments here, I'm glad to leave you with an excerpt, helpful to meditate upon...enjoy!
"Never forget that the skin wrinkles, the hair turns gray and the days turn into years...but what it is important remains: your strength and determination are ageless. It is your spirit that removes the spider webs. Beyond any point of arrival is one of departure, beyond any success is another attempt. As long as you live, you feel alive. If you miss what you've been doing, do that again. Don't get lost among the photos yellowed by time...carry on, especially when everybody expects you to renounce. Don't let your strength perish and by doing so, instead of pity, you command respect. When you can't run anymore, take a trot; when you can't do that either, walk, and when you can't walk freely any longer, take a cane, but never give up." (Mother Teresa) 

Alice’s Book Club – AUTUMN session of 2020

As the autumn is softly unfolding, on Friday (October 23'20) I was glad to be able to organize my last book club session of the current year, with a small group of close friends, this time discussing trust. 

Given that officially our world is still functioning under lots of restrictions relating to the ongoing pandemic, we are continuing with online programs. 

For our evening together, the selected reading material featuring "trust" included a relevant article published by the "Harvard Business Review" conjugated with another paper issued by "Psychology Today", both in addition to personal perspectives as well as individual insights and factual life related episodes. 
Also, since my previous book club session was more of an intimate nature and my guests loved it so much, I decided to carry on with the same group size, which helped our conversation reach a much deeper level, to everybody's delight.

The subject discussed is actually quite massive, but for the purpose of our gathering we covered only some fundamental perspectives, applying to the current period the entire world is going through.
The phenomenon of trust has been extensively explored by a variety of disciplines across the social sciences, including economics, social psychology and political science. The breadth and depth of this literature offer a very rich insight, and this is noted in the common elements that appear in the definition of trust, but here, on this briefing, I'm sharing with you only few points, thoughts and statements, concisely touched on that evening:

- Trust is a feeling of confidence and security

- The way people behave and talk are a clear evidence if they can be trusted or not

- To be a trusted person is an honor 

- Trust is a clear indicator if other people evaluate you positively or negatively
- The person who doesn't trust, won't be trusted
- In order to trust people, first of all you need to feel good about them
- Positivity, good judgment and consistency are few key elements of trust
- Trust is an attitude of hopefulness about life, a sense that the power of love is the greatest power 
- Discovering who you really are (self-knowledge) leads to understanding and trust
- Trust is an essential part of all human relationships, including romantic, family, spirituality, business, politics, education or medical practices (for example, if you don't trust your doctor, it would be very difficult to maintain a good & steady relation or to follow his/her professional advice)
- Trust is the most important part of a relationship ...and so on...
Wrapping up this sharing, we all agreed that quite often than not life is hard and difficult, but ultimately it is really trustworthy!

Our talks were open, warm and genuine, from heart to heart, mind to mind, and as usual, our time together flew by very fast. At the end of the session, as my guests were weaving 'good bye' it was very heart-touching for me to hear them wish we could meet more often in the future as our gatherings bring them each a lot of joy! What else could I ask for?!
Also, for your convenience and enjoyment, here is a personal briefing I wrote some time ago on this very subject, called: TRUST...the 'glue' of life...peaceful reading!

While at this page, I would like to highlight an old truth, which says:
               "It is important to understand the difference between a person who joins you in his/her free time and a person who makes time for  you." 

As this was the last book club session of the year, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all my loyal friends who each time (not just occasionally) made themselves available to connect & genuinely support the "Alice & Friends" community initiative...their beautiful contribution is well noted & highly appreciated!
Alice 

"When you completely trust a person, without any doubt, automatically, you'll get one of these two results - 
either a FRIEND for life or a LESSON for life."

October 2020 – Message for THANKSGIVING Day

Dear friends, I wish that this beautiful time of the year finds you thankful, with many reasons to be grateful for! Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Appreciation could change a day, a month, a year and even a life.

● My previous greetings on the same theme: THANKSGIVING Day – 2019, 2018

September 22, 2020: Happy AUTUMN, dear friends!

Dear friends, today (September 22'20) is the first day of autumn, and by this note I'm sending you each a bunch of good wishes for a peaceful season!
Autumn is a beautiful symphony of impermanence and change.

As time goes by very quickly, while days continue to become shorter and colder during autumn time in our Northern Hemisphere, many cultures around the world celebrate a variety of festivals emphasizing goodness and abundance, marking in a way the beginning of a symbolic holidays' season.
Also, I hope that you will find a way to show your appreciation for all what you have achieved throughout the year. Have a beautiful autumn, dear friends!  

● My previous greetings on the same theme: AUTUMNAL Equinox – 2019, 2018

Alice’s Book Club – SUMMER session of 2020

Many of us feel that this summer was flying by very fast, but before is completely over, this Friday (September 18'20) I was happy to organize a video-conference with some of my available and loyal friends, discussing hope for our seasonal book club session.

While our province is slowly reopening more and more, there are still a large number of pandemic related precautionary measures in place - so, in this light, all things being considered, we are continuing with our activities, adopting (for the time being), the "on line" approach.

Aside of that, instead of a typical novel as reading material featuring hope, a concise study issued by Stanford University was chosen, combined with a relevant, related, article presented by "The New York Times Magazine". Of course, in addition to these materials, personal experiences and individual perspectives were amply discussed, making our evening together really special. 

Even though at this session our group was fairly small, the conversation was very interesting, filled with rich perspectives varying from general to personal, with lots of useful tips, fluctuating from theoretical to practical. Hope is fascinating in many ways & we all agreed that in life everybody needs hope, regardless of age, race, culture, etc.

As I usually do, here I will share with you few questions and concepts, which surfaced during our talks, trusting that by doing so, it might trigger a moment of contemplation, and perhaps (at the personal level) more insights (about hope) would emerge, in a beneficial manner:
- What does it mean to have hope and how it affects life? | Is 'wish' a 'hope'? | Are we, as individuals, more similar than different? | Is hope really universal?
- How can we find hope and maintain a healthy level of it? | What keeps us going when we feel tired or overwhelmed? 
- To what extend hope is or it is not interconnected with faith? | It is crucial to recognize hopeless situation/s and change focus in a timely fashion.
- Hope is determined by positivity or the other way around? ...and so on.... 
Definitively, lots of meaningful comments and profound remarks were smoothly flowing all directions emphasizing once again that nowadays hope is highly regarded throughout the entire world, given the ongoing circumstances. 

We all agreed that if we continue to stay focused on our dreams and goals, for sure hope will allow us to approach any given situation/s with a positive mindset, fact which could increase our chances of success.
Once again, my most sincere appreciation to my dear friends who honored my invitation, and until next time, my best regards to all!
Alice

"Where there is Hope, there is life; it feels us with fresh courage and makes us strong again." (Anne Frank)

Remarks about the value of HOPE

Scholars, unanimously agree that hope is a highly desired, optimistic state of mind, based on which one could expect positive outcomes, relating to different life events or circumstances; basically, an amazing life force that keeps us going. 

Hope is incredibly important in life, as it could influence positively health and happiness, as well as success. For instance, having hope could make a difficult situation be more bearable and eventually assist with envisioning a better future; in essence, such approach could motivate people to take necessary steps to the right direction and make good things happen. Implicitly, this leads to optimism, and extensive research studies show that optimistic people are more likely to live gratifying lives, with less stress and more enjoyable experiences.

Without exaggerating, we could safely state that hope is that beautiful feeling of trust and some sort of security, an inspiring reason which keeps people going, an ardent wish of the heart, a feeling of exciting expectation, as well as a candid desire for something specific to happen. 
But, how do we really find and maintain hope, given that more often than not, people are facing all sorts of challenging and disruptive life related situations?
Psychologists believe that in order to find hope, it is important to follow a number of specific steps, such as:

- finding a clear path in life (like knowing clearly what do you want to do with your life)
- do what you know you can do best (like finding and using your talents in appropriate circumstances) 
- each time you can, perform random acts of kindness

Aside of that, here are few thoughts on how someone could maintain hope:
- when you feel weak and disoriented, turn toward your family or a trusted friend, who could restore your positivity
- embrace your faith
- remind yourself, lovingly, that you do the best that you can, with the available tools that you have 
- continue to take good care of yourself, in a non-judgmental manner

Definitively, we could say that the power of hope is tremendous, but it is also equally important to realize when a particular situation is really hopeless, so you could re-organize yourself appropriately in order to avoid further regrets.

Whether we deliberately think about it or not, hope is a valuable part of everyday life, and everyone, regardless of age, at one point in time, had hoped for something.
As I wrap up my comments here, I would like to encourage everyone to continue to be helpful and hopeful toward one another, because such a positive attitude might enrich someone's life, including yours.
                    "When the world says, give up - hope whispers, try it one more time!" 

 

August 2020: Summer talks

  Summer related conversations with few Romanian friends (locals & around the world)

As this unusual summer is slowly coming to an end, on Friday (August 28'20) I was very happy to be able to organize a video-conference with few available friends, discussing several facets of the current season, as well as personal experiences, impressions, revelations, unique situations, personal journals, poems (own or loved), and different concise writings suitable for the moment.

On the other hand, given that officially the entire world is still operating under the rigors of the ongoing pandemic, when many restrictions on group meetings continue to be in place, I am calling for this responsible way, using again technology to relate with each other.

Further, I'm so grateful to share that my circle is expanding, making the emerging talks even more interesting and relevant. Definitively, there is a lot to be grateful for! Aside of that, for this very gathering, few Romanian friends from other parts of the world joined us (even from Romania), making the entire audience feel that physical distance is not really an issue, which I find truly beautiful.

So, on Friday evening, until everybody settled in, I offered the group a fairly brief classical music fragment, called "Concerto No. 21", by Wolfgang A. Mozart.
Further, after all personal introductions concluded, the program continued with a number of presentations - poems (personal compositions & from universal literature), travel journals, a song (personal composition), reflections, statements, as well as few personal perspectives about literature (in general), smoothly braided with genuine questions, notes, thoughts, opinions and life related wisdom.

The entire material that has been presented, discussed or analyzed that evening was interesting as well as heart-warming. For instance, the poem "Mi-e dor", by Ionica Dragomir (entirely published in comments section) and recited by Ileana made each of us travel far back in time, flooding our hearts with the unforgettable joy of our own childhood. Memories and even more dear memories!

Also, in addition to all the guests of the evening, a number of authors were part of the group, and below I will acknowledge their presence (in presenting order):
- The author Dorina Aldea (a former corporate world professional), joining us from Vancouver. Dorina wrote the book "Crampeie de viata", and she is an on-going correspondent of "Observatorul" (from Toronto) & "Formula As" (from Romania).
At our gathering, our dear friend Dorina shared with the group few parts from her essay (with Dorina's permission, the entire material is in comments section & published by "Observatorul" from Toronto as well) featuring her summer vacation this year. Also, she briefly mentioned the poem "Viata la tara", by George Toparceanu (the entire poem is published in comments section), and at the end of her talk she brighten the spirits with few anecdotes, all well received.
- The author Luminita Aldea (joining us straight from Malini, Romania) who wrote few novels, and here I will list them: "Nisipuri miscatoare", "Acasa" (4 volumes) and "Ce dulci sunt fructele amare".

At our gathering, Luminita read a very brief fragment from a personal summer journal (the entire fragment is published in comments section), and then she told us her perspective about this uncommon summer. In addition, here she sent for publishing her message for grade VIII students, prior to their first summer exam. 
- The author Dean Philip (a professional, with additional background in journalism & law), who joined us from Calgary, Canada, wrote the book called "Din tara lui Cain". Dean is also a former correspondent of the Romania's well known publication called "Romania Libera", and of a few other well established publications from Western world. With Dean's permission, and for your reference, here is the interview he offered to the local television.  
At our gathering, Dean also made a number of general remarks about the history of the Romanian literature.
- The author Teodor T. (a former technical professional) was joining us from Vancouver. He wrote two volumes of poetry, called "Balsam pentru suflet".
At our gathering, Teodor was kind to share with us a summer song and a poem (both personal compositions).

As the evening progressed, it was inescapable Eminescu's name not to be mentioned, in a form or another. You all know that several times by now, I emphasized that Mihai Eminescu is Romania's national poet, genuinely acclaimed and cherished by many generations, while regarded by numerous significant critics as being the most important voice of the Romanian literature. His poem "Luceafarul" is a beautiful masterpiece, belonging to national and European's Romantic poetry. 
I'm mentioning all these details because Rodica Phillip was kind to share with the entire group a special book, one of her uncles gifted her with. 
This special book contains only this poem ("Luceafarul") - on one page it has several stanzas while on the opposite page there is a painting depicting the actions the lyrics refer to. For your reference and with Rodica's permission, below I've put together a descriptive photo collage.
Also, proposed for the evening and for your enjoyment, below I will share two more video clips:
- the poem called "Si daca", composed by Mihai Eminescu, and recited by George Vraca
- the song called "Vara vietii mele", interpreted by Tudor Gheorghe.

After few hours of talks, our evening gathering came to an end, so we wrapped it up on a positive note, with plenty of heart-warming remarks and trusting that we will see each other again. As always, the time we spend together flies by very fast, but nonetheless, pleasant in every way.

Once again, much appreciation to each of my guests who were willing and able to join me for the session, and until next time, my best regards to all!
Alice 

For your reference and with Rodica's permission, 
below I've put together a descriptive photo collage, of the famous poem "Luceafarul".

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

Contemplation: 2020 – a summer like never before

Generally speaking, summer is the perfect time of the year we all are looking forward to with much excitement, but unparalleled, this year our warmest weeks unfolded differently as none of us expected a season of cancelled vacations and enforced social distancing throughout the entire world - without any doubt, decisions hard to make, but believed to be done with health and safety at the core. 

Even thought it might look or feel like a summer of missed opportunities (like missed friends, missed bonding time, missed exotic travels, missed group trips, etc., etc.), the summer still occurred and we all had to become more creative in finding ways to remain optimistic, as well as to continue to support each other despite the harshness. And so we did!

In a way or another, we all adjusted and came up with a variety of ideas and activities doable from the comfort of our homes or availabilities within the local reach, at the same time following the rules in place.
In a way or another, we each continued with our lives, learning on how to face the current challenges and grow from them, while moving forward in a positive way.
In my opinion, this is the time when our spirit, resilience and determination could shine brighter than ever before.
This is the time we all could deepen our understanding on what compassion really means, or what kindness feels like, and why not, what unity through diversity could look like.
If we are willing to dedicate some time to contemplate, we realize that during this difficult stage, our perspective on what it is important in life might change and improve if we choose to do so.
For instance, from small to big, from irrelevant to relevant, from trivial to significant, just by simply changing the conversation openers, we could make a positive change; from "How are you?" to "What are you grateful for today?" or "What is the best thing that happened to you today?" we could move the focus of a conversation toward a positive direction and that's very important during trying times. There is a huge difference between replying and having a conversation, and it is important to notice this variance! Sharing a positive thought is a simple and beautiful way to encourage a deeper response and to shift a person's perspective for good. Great questions definitively spur a great conversation; a great conversation always builds bridges of trust, and ignites the sparks of joy, all leading to valuable insights able to restore a little fun and happiness during this uncommon summer!

"Keep your face toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind."