This week, we will live with creativity. Let’s make our dreams a reality. Let’s dive into ideas and projects, let’s materialize what live in our head only.
Creativity is my answer to the world, I think. If I feel something really strongly, I know that my answer to this feeling, positive or negative, it doesn’t really matter actually, will be by creating something to honor it. When I feel confused, I usually write, or draw. When I feel stressed, I grab my crochet or my tin whistle, or my pencil too… When I feel sad, music is my way of dealing with it, as well as writing, painting. If I feel happy, I will draw, play music, dance in the middle of my living room, sing, take pictures… When I need answers, I will tend to dive into a bigger project, that will need me to think about solutions to problems I may encounter and thus set my mind in a problem solving mode… Usually, the answer I was looking for will appear while doing something unrelated to the subject, but that required my attention and focus.
And when I am angry, or frustrated, I love to pile rocks… because in order to do so, I need to focus and find balance, within and in the rocks. This is also when I go and look at nature, when I let my bare feet play with grass while drawing or writing something, when I let the air help me breathe into my tin whistle. When I reconnect with the world. Some would say when I ground.
Creativity is part of my alchemist way of seeing things. To materialize ideas, concepts, feelings. To express my will to act on something or to honor it, in making it ‘real’. To build milestones, to measure my path, to measure my progression too.
Creativity is everywhere when you let it enter your life. it can be in those little things I cherish, or in bigger projects. It can be part of your life for a short time, allowing you to enter a realm you never thought about, or for a life time, breathing through each of your cells.
So this week, let creativity take the lead, for a short time or longer. Dive into its reality and enjoy each step of the process!
Cette semaine, je n’ai pas eu à aller chercher le mot bien loin. Parce qu’en ce moment, je fourmille d’idées créatives, j’ai même fait une petite liste de tout ce dont j’avais envie, avec le temps et le matériel requis, dans laquelle je peux puiser dès que je ressens le besoin de créer quelque chose. Ça va de boites en cartonnage à des jeux de cartes en passant par des illustrations, des projets d’écriture, des cahiers d’apprentissage dans divers domaines, des bidules en macramé ou au crochet, des dessins, des gribouillages digitaux, de la peinture sur divers supports, des morceaux de musique qui me viennent à la flûte… bref…. j’ai de quoi faire pour des mois!
Je subis de plein fouet un tsunami créatif, et j’avoue, je surfe allègrement sur cette vague. Parce que je ne me sens jamais aussi bien que lorsque je crée quelque chose, lorsque je donne vie à une idée, sous une forme ou une autre. Parce que pour moi, c’est presque de l’ordre d’une mission de vie: rendre l’immatériel matériel, donner une existence physique, ou perceptible par les sens à quelque chose qui n’est que pensée, idée, sans existence concrète. C’est ambitieux, mais ça ne concerne que de toutes petites choses, ces petits riens qui me paraissent à moi si importants. Le reste, d’autres s’en occupent bien mieux que je ne pourrais le faire.
Cette semaine, donc, je me suis laissée emporter par le tourbillon de la créativité, des bouts de papiers partout, de la colle sur les doigts, de l’encre qui coule et qui tache… Et je me suis sentie vraiment bien. Loin de me drainer, tout ça a enclenché une nouvelle dynamique, nourri de nouvelles envies, de nouvelles idées, et le plaisir de voir ses idées prendre vie, pour les partager, les garder pour soi, peu importe en fait. Mais créer, agir, impulser.
Einstein avait dit « la créativité, c’est l’intelligence qui s’amuse. » Et oui, mille fois oui, c’est jouissif de se laisser porter par la créativité, de laisser ses idées affluer, de les ordonner pour en faire un projet concret, de résoudre les questions de matérialisation du truc, d’expérimenter, sans craindre de se tromper puisque ça fait partie du jeu, de ce qui donne tout son intérêt à la chose, et d’apprendre, de comprendre, de se laisser aller à des découvertes, de se lancer, de se réjouir. Par exemple, un des jeux de cartes que j’utilise souvent n’avait jusqu’ici qu’un étui en papier que j’avais bidouillé puis plastifié pour le protéger… Clairement, ce n’était pas suffisant… Et puis « comme par hasard », un tuto pour faire des boites en cartonnage apparait sur mon écran d’ordinateur… Ok, mais pas de carton…. sauf qu’en découpant les pages de mon bloc de papier pour un autre projet, je m’aperçois que le fond est en carton de l’épaisseur et de la taille parfaite pour mon projet de boite…. me voila donc à récupérer le carton… soit, mais il me faut de la colle blanche… je pars en mission archéologique dans mon matériel de bidouillage. J’en avais acheté pour faire de la porcelaine froide, il y a pfiou, un moment, mais je dois en avoir encore quelque part…. et j’ai retrouvé le pot, encore utilisable sans souci… soit, mais il me faut de quoi la recouvrir ma boite…. héhé, j’ai du papier scrapbooking quelque part, c’est sûr… Me voila donc avec tout ce dont j’ai besoin pour faire ma boite… première tentative, le papier est trop petit… pas grave, j’en fais une boite sans carton, juste pour le fun…. Deuxième tentative parfaite, mais au lieu de suivre le tuto à la lettre, j’ai préféré opter pour ma méthode infaillible du pifomètre absolu… Le couvercle est un peut trop petit, pas de souci, un petit bidouillage plus tard, il s’applique sans souci sur la base…. une couche de colle partout histoire de solidifier et de protéger le tout… ça coulisse tout juste, mais ça… colle…. un peu peur de tout abimer, et je n’ai plus de carton pour recommencer… et idée!!! Un peu de cire sur les arrêtes de la base et les plis du couvercle, histoire que les deux ne restent pas collés mais coulissent… je dois avoir des bougies chauffe plat quelque part dans un placard, et hop, application de la cire et succès immédiat! Bref, je suis partie de mon idée, j’ai mis en application des connaissances diverses et variées que j’avais acquises d’autres projets, j’ai expérimenté, j’ai réalisé, je me suis trompée, j’ai imaginé, j’ai créé, et j’ai surtout pris un grand plaisir à faire tout ça… Mon jeu a désormais une maison bien plus solide que la précédente.
Même chose pour un cahier que je voulais faire pour un projet au long cours qui me demandait de mettre par écrit divers éléments afin de les structurer et de les conserver… J’avais surtout besoin d’un support unique pour regrouper toutes les informations, mais aussi qui me permettrait de moduler son contenu, histoire de pouvoir retrouver ce dont j’avais besoin facilement… pas de classeur, je préfère le côté cahier…. et puis je voulais créer une couverture spécifique pour ce cahier qui va m’accompagner un petit moment, histoire de me l’approprier vraiment… hop hop hop, j’ai repris le système de cahier à anneaux, j’ai retrouvé ma perforatrice, j’ai découpé mes pages à la taille que je voulais (et j’ai pu récupérer le carton pour faire des boites, ha!), et j’ai bidouillé une couverture personnalisée avec mon ordi et du matériel que j’ai trouvé en ligne, découpé des intercalaires dans des intercalaires A4+ que j’avais dans de vieux classeurs, en attendant d’en bidouiller des plus adéquates… J’aime ce mélange des genres, du digital et du bidouillage… bref, me voila avec un cahier ultra personnalisé pour un projet au long cours qui me passionne. Je pense déjà à lui faire un étui en tissu quilté à la main, inspiré de Teesha Moore mais dans mon style à moi…. histoire de le protéger lorsqu’il voyagera dans mon sac.
Et puis je me suis lancée dans la confection d’un jeu de cartes comme ça, pour le fun, parce que j’en ressentais l’envie… Cette fois, tout s’est passé sur la toile, j’ai jonglé entre deux sites qui m’ont permis de faire exactement ce que j’avais en tête… et je devrais recevoir le produit final à la fin du mois…. Pour de vrai. Si je suis satisfaite de ce que je reçois, ça m’ouvre un nouveau champs des possibles…. je pourrais reprendre mes cartes des années précédentes et en faire des jeux plus solides et pratiques… à suivre!
Ces projets créatifs répondaient à un besoin de ma part. Et j’avoue que je préfère et de loin créer ce dont j’ai besoin, afin que cela corresponde exactement à ce que je veux, plutôt que de me satisfaire d’un truc à peu près correct. Parce qu’en général, ces projets correspondent à des choses qui me tiennent à coeur, qui sont importantes pour moi, qui veulent dire quelque chose. Et j’avoue que j’aime relever ce genre de challenge, voir si je suis capable de concrétiser ce que j’ai en tête. Ce que j’aime par dessus tout dans ces moments-là, c’est que chaque problème rencontré trouve sa solution rapidement, c’est fluide. Parce que je ne me bloque pas sur quelque chose de précis, je suis le flux de la créativité. Si je suis en attente de matériel, j’avance sur autre chose. Si je dois attendre que la colle sèche, j’en profite pour avancer sur autre chose, sans aucune rapport… Si je peux récupérer du matériel ou une partie d’un ancien projet, je le fais. Ça fait partie du jeu: récupérer autant de choses que possible pour créer quelque chose de nouveau, recycler, donner un nouveau sens. Et je note toutes les autres idées qui découlent de ce que je fais, au fur et à mesure qu’elles viennent, pour plus tard. Je m’amuse, surtout, et c’est ce qui compte, je pense. D’autant que le plaisir de faire, de répondre à ses besoins, quelque soit le domaine d’application, nous apporte tellement de satisfaction, de fierté, de plaisir, de joie. C’est le processus qui compte, et non seulement le résultat. C’est le fait de passer par toutes ces étapes qui donne de la valeur à ce que l’on crée. Qui le charge aussi émotionnellement, de manière très positive.
Alors cette semaine, libérez votre créativité, pour des projets aussi bien petits que grands, lancez-vous, et prenez beaucoup de plaisir à créer, à matérialiser. Soyez créateurs de votre réalité!
This week we will open ourselves to others and leave the door open so they can reach us too.
Time has come for us to get out of our comfort zone, to confront ourselves to what’s happening in the world. Now that we have harvested all that we needed to peacefully journey and grow for a while, and that we have planted seeds for the next harvest, we can focus on something else that our survival or our mission. Let’s see what can be learned out there! Let the sun shine on us too, on what we’ve already accomplished. But most of all let’s share it!
To be open is to let others see who we are. Plainly. I surprised myself walking with a smile on my face lately, expressing confidence and warmth. I still have my armor and axe in reach if needed, but I don’t really need them anymore. My whole self express dignity and confidence. I am fearless, proud of what I have accomplished so far. I have nothing to hide. I know my worth. I am also fully aware of my weaknesses, exposing them too, but I am not focused on them right now. I don’t need to. They may be good conversation starter, though… So I leave them there, for everybody to see. They don’t bother me, I accepted them a long time ago. They are part of me, and as I want to be as genuine as possible, I have to let them show. By doing so, I only express another of my strengths: humility. I am far from being perfect and it’s not something I am interested in. My only goal is to be myself. Truly myself. Fully myself. And I am rather proud of what I have accomplished so far, so I let it shine for everybody to see.
So I can easily be reached. But I also can easily reach anyone who is willing to be. I am open to any new experience, encounter, lesson. I know that my open doors to my universe let people see what’s there, and that some of them may feel the will to go further. I welcome them, and I am even happier if they let me access their own universe too. It’s the whole point: comparing, exchanging, sharing, and parting with a little more than we had when we met.
I am so used to be by myself, that I didn’t know how I would react by opening myself that way… Surprisingly, it was easier than I thought. I feel no fear to be hurt or to hurt. I learned to control this nature of mine. I know that if needed I an reassure my boundaries, the healthiest and strongest way possible. I have then nothing to fear. And those who come with bad intentions will only have a new lesson learned after we met. I am fearless. And it shows. This self confidence that send the message: « do you really want to play this game with me? « . I know that if needed, I can make them go away easily. I was and still am a warrior, it’s in my nature. But I chose to live peacefully. I am not weaker, but stronger. So I know how to defend myself. I make them respect the one I became… I know how to play, I just chose not to.
So this week, be open to whatever, whoever may come, and greet them with warmth and respect. Enjoy each moment and fill yourself with new energy. It will nourish yours and open new paths, new possibilities.
Cette semaine, nous allons voyager avec l’ouverture. Maintenant que nous avons récolté ce que nous avions semé et que nous avons initié un nouveau cycle, nous pouvons nous ouvrir à ce qui vient. Puisque tout est en place, et que le reste murît et évolue à son rythme sans que nous ayons à nous en préoccuper pour le moment, nous pouvons nous permettre d’aller un peu plus loin, de faire de nouvelles expériences, de rencontrer de nouvelles personnes qui nous ouvriront à leur tour sur de nouveaux possibles.
J’avoue, j’ai la chance de pouvoir vivre à mon rythme en ce moment, de pouvoir suivre mes désirs et mes envies, de me laisser porter. Je profite de ces instants de sérénité et de calme intérieur et extérieur pour m’ouvrir en toute confiance à ce qui vient.
Je me surprends même à avoir une attitude différente, plus amène, plus abordable. Un peu comme si mon être appelait la prise de contact, sans crainte, avec une assurance toute personnelle, des limites claires mais qui sont franchissables dans le respect de soi et des autres. Et j’avoue, ça m’a fait sourire plus d’une fois. Parce que je me suis rendue compte que c’était à la fois plus simple et plus naturel pour moi d’agir ainsi. Et que si besoin est, mon armure et ma hache ne sont jamais bien loin, prêtes à défendre mes limites et repousser les intrus qui s’essaieraient à les franchir.
Mais jusqu’ici, tout se passe bien. Je ne crains pas de faire preuve de vulnérabilité, ce qui est quelque chose qui mérite d’être explorée, sans doute dans les semaines à venir. J’accueille ce qui vient, j’explore également des domaines qui jusque là n’avaient été qu’à peine effleurés. Je me lance dans l’inconnu avec le même enthousiasme que dans le connu. Je m’interroge, je m’intéresse, j’apprends, je conceptualise, j’expérimente, je matérialise, je construis, je partage. Et je prends plaisir à le faire.
Je n’ai pas peur d’être drainée par tout ce que je reçois ou que je perçois. Parce que je ne subis pas l’afflux d’informations ou démotions. Je choisis celles qui me paraissent intéressantes de suivre à cet instant précis, et laisse les autres de côté, pour le moment du moins. Je me réserve le droit d’y revenir quand le temps et l’envie seront venus. « La liberté n’est pas l’absence d’engagement, mais la capacité de choisir » a dit Paulo Coelho.
Je choisis ou non de me plonger dans tel ou tel univers, et je n’ai aucune justification à donner à qui que ce soit. Je suis mon intuition, et je savoure le voyage. Il n’y a pas de bon ou de mauvais choix en la matière, juste une envie qui se fait plus forte que les autres et qui retient mon attention.
Je suis ouverte à des tas de propositions mais je me réserve le droit, la liberté, de les refuser, ou de les mettre en attente. Parce qu’elles résonnent moins avec ce que j’ai envie de faire ou d’apprendre en ce moment. Mais je ne leur oppose pas un refus sans appel. Elles seront peut être exactement ce dont j’aurai besoin plus tard. Et je les accepterai à ce moment là. Pour le moment, je me concentre sur ce qui me fait le plus vibrer, et j’avoue que je profite de chaque instant.
Parce qu’en étant ouverte, sans fortifications à défendre, sans crainte de se faire submerger non plus, je peux me consacrer pleinement à ce que je fais, ce que j’apprends, ce que je vis. Et m’en nourrir.
J’apprends également à faire preuve de plus de douceur envers moi. Ce qui est un pas énorme dans une direction que j’ai longtemps refusé d’emprunter. En m’ouvrant sans crainte, j’ai aussi pris conscience que je n’avais pas à craindre de blesser autrui. J’ai la chance de pouvoir percevoir les points faibles et autres failles d’autrui. Mais j’ai aujourd’hui la maturité et la maitrise nécessaires pour m’en servir à la compréhension de ce qui l’anime et non plus comme potentielle arme contre cette personne. Encore une fois, mes limites sont claires et saines, je n’ai plus à les renforcer, à les défendre. Les relations que je peux entretenir avec les autres suivent ce même schéma. Je n’ai plus à me défendre ou à me protéger. Je peux entrer dans des schémas de relations plus sereins.
Je ne suis plus sur la défensive mais sur la pleine expression de ce que je suis. Si j’ai ouvert les portes vers l’extérieur, j’ai aussi ouvert les portes vers l’intérieur, et j’autorise à autrui à entrer dans un domaine qui m’était jusque là réservé. Je fais preuve de vulnérabilité, mais elle est soutenue par une force qui se suffit à elle même. Je me réserve le droit d’accepter ou de refuser les propositions qui se présentent, sans ressentir le besoin de me justifier, parce que c’est ce qui m’appelle en ce moment. J’accepte également de devoir attendre la manifestation de ce que je désire, qui se présentera le moment voulu, les portes étant grandes ouvertes.
Bref, cette semaine, faites preuve d’ouverture, aérez votre univers en lui apportant une douce brise de renouveau.
It’s time for us to harvest what we have planted. I love to see my way of life as planting seeds. Seeds of hope, strength, serenity, knowledge too. Whatever I find on my path, I process it and then give some away. Sometimes, I just let it on the side of the path, as I don’t have any use for it at the moment. Now is time to go back and find what grew. To harvest and let it complete some parts of myself that need to be.
It’s something new for me. I usually plant seeds and walk away, letting Nature and time do what they do to allow them to grow. My job is done. I gathered seeds and planted them. But this time is different. I strongly feel that I have to see what I have contributed to do. I already had the luck to discover some of it, and it gave me the will to do more. Not for me, I am just planting seeds, that’s it, a kind of mission I gave myself. But because of the impact these seeds may have had on others’ life. And it made me happy.
During years, I gathered knowledge on all kind of realms, I gathered experience too. I used them to build the seeds. I gave them to people I felt were in need of them. Sometimes, I proceeded the other way: I build the seed because someone needed it. Let me give you an example: I am a teacher. And I usually have this kid in my classroom that feels he or her doesn’t fit. It’s not easy, for him or her, for me, for the other kids, to be able to do what we all need to do during hour class… Those kids are one of the reason I do this job. Because they throw me out of my comfort zone and push me to look for solutions. They help me be creative and create something special for them. Or for the other kids, while I attend this special one… As I am who I am, each time I create something I give it on my professional blog, so other teachers may find a solution the quicker way, ha! Last month, I was contacted by a teachers magazine. They offered me money to publish one of my work on the magazine. It’s something I put online almost 10 years ago. At first, I thought it was a joke. After all, I gave it away, and still do, for free. But it was a serious offer. So here I am, soon to be publish in a magazine, earning money and perhaps an increase of viewers of my blog, which will bring me money too… for something I did 10 years ago, and gave away. Harvest. They are interested by some of my other work, so it may only be the beginning. I never ever thought I would be published, especially not in this magazine, but it became a reality. And I am really thanksfull to be able to see that my work is appreciated to the point of being bought.
I planted a seed, and now is the time for me to harvest its fruits.
The beauty of all this is that I do it because I feel like it. it’s in my nature and I never think about a reward. Someone needs something I can give him or her. To me, it’s natural to give, if I can. And I am happy to do so. Because by giving, I give impetus to something potentially bigger. I won’t know, and it doesn’t matter to my own life, but the simple thought of it, the potentiality of it, makes my day.
Intentions are another way of planting seed. By clearly expressing our needs or desires, we send seeds in the air. They will eventually land where they can grow and give us their fruits, when time has come to do so. So I try to be as clear as possible in my intentions, as I know that they will materialize as I formulate them. I have no doubt about that. And now is time to harvest them too.
So what will I do will all these fruits? Well, some of them will find their place within, as they will fit in parts of me that were incomplete. Some of them will bring me more than I need and I will send them back as seeds. Some of them ill be kept preciously within, till the time I will need them. As I harvest what I have planted, I also get ready to a new page of my personal saga. I will have all I need to go further, deeper, higher. And to get new seeds ready to be planted .
So this week, it’s time for us to celebrate, to gather and to enjoy abundance. I wish you a good harvest.
Cette semaine, il est temps de récolter ce qui a été semé, de rassembler ce que nous avons laissé mûrir et de nous en nourrir en continuant notre chemin.
J’ai semé des tas de graines dans de nombreux domaines tout au long de ma vie. Et j’ai commencé à en récolter les fruits, petit à petit. Dernièrement, j’ai ressenti le besoin de revenir sur mes pas, et de récolter ce qui y a poussé. Ce n’est pas un détour, mais un retour aux sources. Dans ma détermination à avancer, je n’ai jamais vraiment pris le temps de le faire. Aujourd’hui, je me le permets, et j’ai bien conscience que ça fait partie de mon cheminement. Les graines que j’avais pu disperser aux 4 vents ont pu germer, s’épanouir et m’apporter ce dont j’ai besoin aujourd’hui, pour me nourrir et me confirmer que les choix que j’ai pu faire ont porté leurs fruits.
Ici ce seront des bribes de connaissances que j’ai depuis étoffées et qui ont su s’enraciner profondément dans ma vie quotidienne. Là ce seront les ronces de ma désorganisation qu’il s’agit de tailler, et qui m’ouvrent un nouveau passage. Pas à pas, je récolte ce que j’avais laissé sur le bord du chemin, dans l’espoir d’y retrouver quelque chose de sain, de constructif. Et c’est exactement ce qui m’est offert. Les quelques lacunes que je pouvais avoir sont ainsi complétées. Les questions jusque là sans réponse ne le sont plus. Et puis il y a encore tous ces cadeaux mystères dont je ne comprends pas encore l’utilité mais qui correspondront exactement à ce dont je vais avoir besoin. Parce que si ils ne sont encore que des intentions, elles sont sur le point de se concrétiser.
Récolter c’est d’ailleurs aussi matérialiser ce qui n’était qu’intérieur jusque là. C’est aussi ouvrir les portes de son abondance à ceux qui en ont envie. C’est l’entraide, l’émulation, le partage. C’est s’émerveiller devant un projet, c’est organiser son espace personnel à la fois intérieur et extérieur. C’est se sentir bien, dans son entièreté.
Récolter c’est aussi prendre conscience des conséquences de ses choix. C’est la validation du chemin qu’on a choisi de prendre. Il n’y a pas de mauvaises herbes, chacune a son utilité et ses propriétés propres. Et je suis aujourd’hui capable de les distinguer. C’est aussi pour cela que le temps de la récolte est venu. Non seulement les semis ont donné, mais je suis aussi capable d’en tirer le meilleur.
C’est donc à la fois avec sérénité et une certaine impatience que je découvre ce que mes semis ont donné. Je n’ai aucune inquiétude. Je sais que quoi qu’il arrive, j’aurai de quoi me nourrir et partager pendant un bon moment. Et puis c’est le signe de la fin d’un cycle, alors que j’ai déjà commencé à semer le prochain. Alors je prends le temps de revenir sur mes souvenirs, sur ces graines dont j’ignorai alors la nature, et qui sont aujourd’hui de solides ancrages ou ce qui rend ma vie unique et si riche. Ce sont toutes ces petites choses qui me rendent le voyage plus agréable. Avec toujours cette idée que l’on récolte toujours ce que l’on sème, et que j’ai encore beaucoup de graines à planter. Ce détour qui n’en est pas un est aussi le témoin de ce que j’ai pu être, de mes sources. Et du chemin parcouru.
Je clos donc ce chapitre de ma vie en en retirant beaucoup de satisfaction, de souvenirs, en faisant une récolte abondante et foisonnante. Aucun regret, aucun remord. Juste la satisfaction d’avoir eu la chance de récolter ce que j’ai semé.
Cette semaine, je vous souhaite de vous aussi récolter ce que vous avez semé sur votre chemin et de ressentir à votre tour cet émerveillement devant ce qui s’est épanoui.
This week, we will focus on freedom. We live in a time when we are told that we are sired to this or that, and that we need to reclaim our freedom by following this or that movement… which to my point of view will lead to be sired to it… Maybe this is not the answer to this feeling of submission we may feel in certain situation…
To me, it’s a bit different. I claimed my freedom a while ago. I accepted to obey the basic rules of the society I live in, of my job too. But other than that, I set myself free. My allegiance is to my values, to my principles, and only to them. If I find myself conflicted between what is required from me and what I feel I should do, I try to find a way to be faithful to my soul.
I am lucky though. I live in a place and time where and when as a woman I can live the way I want without fear or having to hide. I sense that Among my ancestors, some where less lucky than me, but that they just followed their paths anyways… Being that fierce is written in my blood, I can tell, it doesn’t come from nowhere haha.
I am free to say, to be, to do whatever I want. And it’s easy. Because I am led by integrity, truth and righteousness. I don’t want to cause any harm, I don’t feel entitled to lead a revolution. I just walk on my path, in peace. In order to do so, I had to set clear boundaries, and remind them to those attempting to cross them… explicitely if needed. I am now a peaceful warrior. I expect to live peacefully but I acquired strong skills that enable me to fight and reaffirm my self if I need to. I am not exhausted, I am not weaker. I just chose to live my life differently. But the skills are still here, within, and I can use them whenever I need to fearlessly.
It seems to me that I wasn’t wired to be a part of anything. And if it was difficult in my youth, when you feel like you need to belong to something, to a group, to anything, in order to be a part of the society, I just smile at that thought today. I accepted then integrated that I was the way I was, and that I didn’t need to belong. I was a free spirit, I am a free spirit. And I love my life the way it is. I am not afraid to set things clear when needed. I chose to discover who I was, turning my back to whatever I was told or taught, but with that knowledge to be used in comparison of what I encountered. Choosing once again what made me vibe, what made me feel aligned, alive. On my way, I was in contact with a lot of differents ideologies, philosophies. Some resonated within, others didn’t. And everything was fine the way it was. Because I was lead by this flame within, this spark that was my soul reclaiming what was its own. My truth. My path.
On my way, I met people animated by a similar will, and open to share, to compare, to understand. We created bonds, and the respect we felt for each others allowed each of us to go a little further on our respective paths. Teachers as well as students, human beings attuned to Life. Despite our differences, we all had and still have something to bring to each other. By acceptance, we opened ourselves to a better understanding on what animated each of us. And that is really what matters. To be able to learn from others.
So I go on my path peacefully, freely. I sometimes look at what is going on around me with a lot of compassion. I try to intervene when I feel the need to, oftentimes to help people put things into perspective. To help them be more attune to their emotions and not to what they are told to feel. I may be living in this time and place, but I don’t feel I belong to any time and place, actually. I freed myself from that too. I just walk on my path, planting seeds, wandering and learning and teaching, and sharing, and loving. Anything else is meaningless to me. It doesn’t mean it’s meaningless or that it should be meaningless to anyone else. it’s just not my call. I am here to plant seeds and go on.
The most interesting part is that I thought that choosing this path of mine would be far more difficult, and painful. While it’s actually because I chose it that I could overcome the difficulties and pain in my life. We are taught to belong, to fit in the mold they created to keep us in line. I was lucky to never be able to fit in any of them. So I didn’t have to make a sacrifice. I just had to accept it and create my own way. Expanding my curiosity, exercising my skill to understand and learn, becoming the warrior I needed to be to set healthy boundaries and protect myself and those I love, opening myself to others and sharing with them.
Being free to reinvent myself at each step of the process, and enjoying it.
So this week, set yourself free, and enjoy your own journey!
This week, we will focus on everyday magic. These little things that bring sparks in our life, these moments when we feel something special is happening.
On my french article on the subject, I focused on how everyday magic can materialize in our life. This time, I want to talk about how we can be a manifestation of that magic. How we are magical beings.
I am magical. I can take anything and change it into something good. For me, for others. I just need to want it. I am an alchemist. It took me a long time to master the key to it: we just need to change our point of view on any subject. Sometimes, cause and effect relations are not as obvious as they seem. Sometimes, our mind tricks us to believe that this or that happens because we didn’t do this or that…. while it’s the opposite way. Usually, it’s hidden into the idea of bad luck. ‘I am unlucky, because everything always seem to be challenging to me’, it’s never simple.’ While in fact, you are lucky because you are strong enough to face these challenges and build onto them. You are strong enough to grow in spite of the challenges you are going through. And that’s pure luck. To be given the opportunity to grow, to evolve, to learn. To be open to change, to transformation.
I am magical because I can change people’s life. By doing something as mundane as listening to someone, or smiling to someone, or telling someone something you feel you need to. I love doing random acts of kindness. Whenever I feel like it. It’s my way of being. If I can bring something to someone, anonymously is even better, I do it. The way I see it is to plant seeds. You plant seeds in people’s heart and soul. You don’t know if they will grow into beautiful flowers or trees, or if they will perish because nobody cared for them. But the seeds are planted. And they can rest a long time without care… they only require a drop of water, sooner or later, to grow. And that, my friends, is magic. I go even further: I give the kids I teach this taste of planting seeds in people’s heart. I know some went on, long after they left my classroom, to plant their own seeds. The beauty of it, is that if you are lucky, the Universe will let you know they grew. This is probably my biggest joy in life.
I am magical because I am empathetic. I am able to feel people’s feelings, and choose to lift them up, or bring them my warmth, my presence. I am human, truly. When you open your eyes, you can see. It’s that simple. When you open yourself, you can feel. And I really love to share my vibes with people. I really love to sense theirs, to share the moment. I love to radiate enough to bring some sparks to people who need them.
I am magical because I can share my vision of life and maybe someone will feel good about it. I am magical because I can use those symbols on my keyboard to materialize my thoughts. And they can reach whoever needs to be reached. I just give impetus. And that is magic.
I am magical because I walk in plain sight. I don’t wear a mask. I am confident enough to be aware of my weaknesses but most of all my strength. I embraced my darkest and my lightest sides. I am complete. And I walk my head high. I don’t need to fight anymore, for anything. Because I do whatever I need to do, in love and understanding, to be the best expression of my self. I am a warrior at soul. I am fearless. Which allows me to pick battles I feel the need to fight, without feeling obliged to do so. My gender, my nationality, my way of life are not weapons to be used by any movement. I am loyal to my soul. I am loyal to my values. And I will fight in my own terms, with integrity. I am a free spirit, and that is my magic. I can choose, I am free to do so. I will do it wisely. But most of the time, I will focus on what I can give, not on what people can use of me. I am wild and free. And I love that.
I am magical because I can feel. Feelings and emotions are the most magical things I know. Learning to recognize and use them wisely is our own special power. They can create bonds, lift people up, warn us from a danger, protect us. They are magic in essence. And we should all acknowledge their power in our life. Love can bring us through hell, sure, but it can also bring us back to life stronger. It can make us climb mountains, cross oceans, fight like a thousand warriors, be as gentle as a flower petal. Anger, when mastered can give us the energy to go further, higher, deeper, without loosing ourselves. And there is far more to discover about them and the others… I let you dive into their flow and experiment by yourself.
I am magical because I attract whoever and whatever I need in my life when I need it. Ia m also part of a bigger vibrating web, and resonate with my fellow magical beings. I just need to surrender to the flow to feel them, to give whatever is needed while receiving it too. This is pure magic.
I am magical because whatever happens along the path, I know I can and will face it, and make the best of it. Because this is the way I chose to live my life. No regrets, no remorse, no grudge. Growth, strength, integrity. Taking whatever comes and change it into something beautiful and warm.
This week, a word came again and again in my mind and in my conversations: power. So I guess I have to do something with it… even if it’s a notion I don’t really care about most of the time… Maybe was it time for me to look into it more deeply.
I tend to be really critical about people exercising power… mundane power, that is. Political power, economical power, spiritual power even… I was raised in a society where your learn at a really young age to take responsabilities, to exercise your rights, and I am thanksfull for that. It’s also a society based on cultural traditions that find their roots in religion and a certain idea of government. For centuries, power was in the hands of the well born, the religious ones (who belong to the same families, actually) and the wealthy (who weren’t well born, but wanted to live as such). And this ‘tradition’, as it lasted a millennium or so, is deep rooted in people’s mind.. Nowadays, economical power is all mighty…
I chose to follow my own path, away of all these considerations… probably because it’s deep rooted in my blood. My ancestors lived through history being humble people. And I have no doubt about the fact that I owe my fierce personality to some of them…
I decided to learn history. To understand where we all come from, and to go deeper into it. I specialized into history of mentalities and everyday history. My master was about testaments in late Middle Ages, before, during and after the Black Plague in a spanish city. I learned a lot, and never stopped read and learn about what make people live, believe and go on the way they do. This is probably one of my powers: being able to put into perspective what I witness in my everyday life.
I was also interested in the way religion exercise a power on people. Throughout all history, and even before, spirituality is something that plays an important part in people’s life. I am not a believer myself, and being raised in a catholic tradition probably didn’t help me in that matter. But I can understand that people find comfort in belonging to a group that believe in the same values, that obey to the same rules. It’s just not for me. I am probably to free minded to be able to follow this kind of path. And my way of seeing my own evolution is not something that can fit into religion, I guess… But it’s ok. I spent time learning about religions, about spiritualities, about philosophies, and I can understand why they make sense to people. I just chose to follow my own flow.
My own power express itself in this idea of freedom I guess. I am free to believe in whatever makes sense to me, to follow whatever path presents itself, to be who I choose to be, to live and leave wherever and whenever I want. it’s the life I’ve chosen for myself, helped of course by some…. ‘events’.
I am now in my mid 40s. Strong as ever. This inner strength life gave me by putting me into some storms, making me go through my personal hell several times. I survived. I learned a lot about people and myself in the process. It is the path I chose to follow. I don’t regret it. It was made and meant for me. It made me the one I am now. And I can enjoy each and every moment of my life without being afraid of anything. This is my true power: knowing that whatever may come, I will be able to face it and learn from it.
In a time where power seems to be given to people only desiring to be powerful, without the single ability to exercise it with decency, I step back and look at what really matters: people I care about, things I can do, and most of all, seeds I can plant. I don’t know if or when they may grow, but it doesn’t really matter. My only duty is to plant them… seeds of empathy, understanding, care, integrity.
So this week i wish you can exercise your own personal power and shine in the darkness or these troubled times. We are the beacons.
This week, we will focus on respect. You can’t enjoy your inner journey if you don’t express and feel and live respect.
The first thing to understand and to do is to respect yourself. Respect your rhythm, respect your needs, respect your self, body, mind and soul. This is different for each of us, but it starts by taking care of yourself. And accept yourself. Love yourself. Be aware of your strengths as well as your weaknesses and embrace them all. Look for what makes you vibrate and dive into it. Try to spend even a few minutes a day doing what you love, what you need, what makes you happy. We all have those simple things that bring us joy, peace, laughter. Those are the ones you need to reach. And enjoy. Then go on to self affirmation. Be proud of who you are, be proud of what you lived. Look at past errors as the most valuable lessons you received. Thank them and go on. You don’t need to remind them anymore. They were true for the one you were then. You are not the same person now. So they became irrelevant in your life. You learned your lesson well, you moved on, you grew, you assimilate what needed to be. It’s time to part. Let them on the side of your path, and go on, without the burden they represent. Forgive the one you were then. Whatever was done, it belongs to the past, to the one you were then. You are entitled, now that you evolved to a better version of your self, to forgive the one you were. Be gentle with yourself. There is enough adversity out there, you don’t need to be your inner enemy. Treat yourself with respect, acknowledge your errors and stop being your own tormentor. Be your best friend. Don’t elude your defaults, but accept them as part of who you are, someone evolving and dealing with what needs to be dealt with, step by step. If perfection is an illusion, improvement is not, though. So as long as you improve the way you live your life, your vision of it, your way of walking on your own personal path, you are doing what you are supposed to do. People will always be judgmental, but you don’t need to be, especially with yourself. Be gentle. Set boundaries and goals. And do your best, with what you have on hands, to reach them. Enjoy your life, honor it by truly living and learning. Honor the one you are, because you worth it. Each of us worth it. And we owe to ourselves to honor the luck we have to experiment a meaningful life, whether we are aware of it or not. Open your eyes on who you are, who you truly are. And straighten this crown on your head, keep it up high.
Respect others. This is the second step on our journey to respect. Honoring and affirming yourself doesn’t mean denying others. You are the sovereign of your own personal kingdom as they are of theirs. And it’s something to honor, truly. We are all walking on our paths, at our own pace. When I meet people who are only at the beginning of their journey, I tend to share some of my own experience, or hints. But I accept that they choose to do whatever they need to do their own way. This is a learning process. And I respect that. I made the choice to open my eyes, mind and whole self to what was my life. And my vision of it switched from a meaningless existence to a meaningful one. But life gave me the opportunity to do so. Not everyone has this luck. I also went through hell several times, so i understand the value of life, of existence itself. And i chose to honor it. But not everyone had this opportunity, at least not yet. Who am I to judge people on their choices, or the way they live their life? Compassion is something I often feel… well, not really compassion, because I don’t need to suffer as they do to sense what they are going through. But I can recognize their pain, and put them in link with my own, those I used to feel… those that are part of me now. So I tend to respect people, no matter what they are living… I even surprise myself to feel sorry for those who are playing games… they don’t have a clue of what they will have to face when time has come for them to grow… it’s not my business, I can only give hints to escape to those they play with… if needed they know where I am and will reach me when they are ready to go on their own path. I also have a huge respect for those who have walk further and became wonderful teachers… Those we can spend hours sharing life experiences with. Those who make us grow by sharing their ways, their own vision of life. Those who live in their own truth and find peace within, peace they usually share with enthusiasm. The beauty in those, is that some of them ignore what wonderful teachers they are. They just are themselves, walking their own path. Some of them are old and wise, others are so young you wouldn’t believe what they can bring you. As a matter of fact, anyone can be your teacher. And you can miss a valuable lesson by not respecting the teacher life sent you to teach it to you. Then you will have to go through a whole new process to change in order to be able to learn it.
Which leads me to my last point: respect the process. We are so lucky to be able to take our own inner journey, to grow, to share, to live it. This is something we have to honor. If we make the choice to walk on our path, what it will be made of doesn’t entirely depend on us. We will have choices to make, and they will lead to other crossroads where other choices will be offered to us. And those choices will make us take paths we never thought we would take, those exact paths we need to grow and evolve. So respect the process, even if you feel lost and stuck. Be aware of what surrounds you. You may have miss to notice something you need in order to go on… the little things, those we are so used to live with that they become ignored while their value goes far beyond their actual worth. It’s only when you look at them with an open mind that they will reveal the secret they always concealed to be found by you when time has come. When you feel stuck or lost, take time to care for yourself, to rest. We sometimes need to focus on our self care, on enjoying life as it is, before going back on our journey, stronger, more in peace, ready to face whatever may come. And when it happens, we are ready to enjoy each and every piece of it. Trust in the journey, respect the process. And live, truly, fully live!
So this week, I wish you the joy of feeling and receiving respect.
Yep, lazy me is enjoying the fact that for once I only had to make one, as the english and french words are spelled the same way… and mean the same too! Not something that happens a lot!
And it was a perfect time to be so as I have a new computer, that will allow me to go further in what I want to explore. So this week end, I really was happy to just take the time I needed to set it up exactly like I wanted it to be… Now I am ready to see what I can do with it… it will be fun, for sure! It’s also the perfect example of what I live for a few weeks now: everything is falling into place as I let myself go with the flow… Keeping an open mind, open eyes and open arms… You never know what may come, but you can be sure it will be exactly what you need when you need it to do what you need to do… I am grateful to be able to experiment this… And I wish you to feel the same!
Césame et ses états d'âme 