Things to love about life!

                          

I thought this would be a good idea for a blog post, to act as a boost for us all to remember and smile about the simple, yet beautiful things life has to offer. These are a random list of things, feelings and moments which, when I dwell on them, make life worth living and bring me so much happiness.

You know we all think about the big purpose in life, me included, and for us who enjoy it, who says we should stop? However, one very important element to our own happiness is surely the little things, the often unexpected moments which never really pass on but stay with us to hopefully be repeated again and again...

• Cherry Blossoms.....in abundance, everywhere and anywhere.
• Really cold apple juice
• Hitting the pillow after a long, busy and productive day!
• Netflix... simple as... 
• That first bite of a chocolate bar, especially if you're hungry.
• Being called pretty or finding out someone likes you! 
• Finding the perfect temperature in the shower!
• Having a number of things on in one day, and also having absolutely nothing to do for an entire 24 hours...
• Gazing out the window in the morning to a beautiful, sunny day.
• Bouncing a tennis ball on a racket outside, and watching it soar into such an infinite sky with so many possibilities
• Being in an environment where you feel welcomed and wanted.
• Being so captivated, the time flies.
• Getting something done you've been putting off..

• CHRISTMAS!!!!!
• laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing...
• Replaying all the moments in your head where you were with that one person you like, thinking of all the little things they do
• Those times when your whole family are getting along
• Travelling
• Eating out.
• Being inspired, motivated and put in utter awe. 
• Having periods of time where you literally could not give a damn about what others think!
• Receiving kindness from another as well as giving it successfully and genuinely.
• Being inside when its raining 

• The perfect hot chocolate.
• Getting something you've wanted for ages 
• Thinking.
• Watching the elegance of snow falling
• The cinema
• Having really long, deep conversations
• Holding eye contact with someone
• Feeling like you've really helped someone.
• People listening to you, and caring!
• Keeping calm despite someone else's behaviour
• Hope.
• Reading or seeing something that stretches your mind
• SURPRISES
• Gorgeously warm baths...

• Teddy Bears!
• The beach... The sound of the Sea
• The feeling that you've impressed someone.
• SMILES, TRUE AND BEAMING SMILES
• Cake!
• Green Tea (and the peaceful feeling at the end of the mug)
• So- delicious- no -one- talks pizza
• Freezing water to a parched throat
• Being able to relate to something
• Our power to FORGIVE.
• Gratitude
• Technology
• Music
• Long car journeys

• Cuteness
• Art
• Freedom
• Nature
• Scents with memories
• Being completely alone to reconnect with yourself
• When someone has faith in you and doesn't give up
• Imagination
• Dreams
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Dim rooms with elegant lights
• Being trusted
• Colours
• Hearing "God bless you" from an elderly person
• Accomplishing something
• Being addicted to a story
• Cloud watching

• Canopies
• That feeling that you're making a difference
• Feeling completely comfortable around someone else
• People getting your joke
• Receiving respect
• Having your mind blown
• An exciting text 
• Fast internet
• Songs with a killer beat
• Settling down to watch something or read a great book
• Learning a new skill
• Being greeted by your dog
• Feeling really cleansed
• That glimpse of good in even the most cruel seeming folk
• Winter
• An idea pops into your head
• That moment when everything is surreal
• Holidays abroad

Share some of your favourites from the list in the comments below or let us know what additional "little things" give a spark to your life!

                                                Love,

                                                                          Rachel! =)

Forgiveness

I recently had to forgive someone, I had to push away the pride and the temptation to hold on and think over and over again of all the things that had happened before, the temptation to immerse myself into the injustice and the anger and the pain and the frustration. Right after I had done it, I tried to sum up my feelings in words and this was the best I could come up with...

"The necessity of forgiving is one of the most energising yet peaceful things I've ever experienced. It shines the light of prosperity on the future and remains one of the largest leaps in moving forward."

I believe forgiving is very much necessary. I would hope that no one, including yourself, has ever done anything that's hurt or made you angry towards them, but I realise that is very unlikely. Because with all the pain and confusion among humanity, its very easy to hurt people, its very easy to make mistakes and to do the wrong thing, and what's horribly annoying is that its so difficult to forget the wrongs we or others do, you can never go back and change the past. The next best thing to backwards time travel though is forgiveness, and unless you want to forever hold the demons of yesterday inside you, you are going to have to use that power, the power we all possess.

Do you agree with me when I say that you feel so, so energised after letting go of a grudge and forgiving someone for something they've done to you? I felt like I had a new lease of life, all sluggish or laziness had departed and my eyes seemed to stay open more freely. It makes a lot of sense, you're removing weighty chains from yourself and allowing the negative energy and thoughts to be dropped. Not only have you shared compassion and kindness to another by forgiving them (which adds to the positive energy), but you've performed a hugely compassionate and kind act for yourself. The energy makes you feel younger and like you're starting afresh. Its beautiful.

At the same time, I think you feel an immense sense of serenity along with that new found energy.You have made peace with yourself, the other person and what's happened before. And one of the huge benefits of forgiveness is that you have decided that another person's problem will not become your problem. Forgiving them loses all ties with that negative place they were in and the negativity they tried to instill in you. The peace you feel is like one that cannot be stirred or shifted because you took the power and made the decision to go out and achieve it.

You can't talk about forgiveness without mentioning its impact on your future. When you've successfully forgiven someone to their face or even in your mind, you have created a sense of hope in the both of you. And hope is a precious thing. You feel excited and ready for what the future brings after this cleanse and all your worries ease. Essentially, you become happier because you can now move on, and one thing we humans love is progress. Its like taking a deep breath in and continuing to walk down the path you had previously been standing still on, constantly glancing back at a dark and winding road that you could never walk again. "To forgive is to move forward", so if you want to move forward in your life, move on to new and happy experiences then forgiveness will have to play a huge role.

And if you still can't bear to make that other person feel even slightly less guilty or unhappy by forgiving them then remember how vital forgiveness is to yourself. It is not all about them, you are doing it to free yourself from them and what they've done to you. Don't let what they did hurt you even further. Choose to be happy.

On another note, make sure to forgive yourself for the mistakes you've made! We can be so hard on ourselves and since you're always around yourself, its important that you are kind and loving to your human clumsiness. 

So! I'm going to ask you to do two things before clicking out of this post, 

(a) Forgive someone in your life for something they've done to you. Remember, you really need to feel it, if you just  say the words then, well, nothing's changed has it? Words mean nothing without feeling.

(b) Forgive yourself for something you've done in the past. You are only human and should not feel in any way resentful towards yourself or less of a person, for making mistakes.

Try and sum up how you feel when you've done the two tasks and embrace the feeling because its one of the best!

Love,

Rachel! =)

Boredom

Boredom:The state of being bored. (Inspiring definition)

It has only occurred to me recently how crime worthy boredom is! How dare we allow ourselves to become restlessly uninterested in a world that is so mind blowingly and bizarrely full of things to do!

What's crazy to think is that the prime time for boredom is when people (usually the younger a person is the more prone they are to it) are on breaks! Summer break from school etc...

Can we think about this objectively for a minute please???

 

A young person with so much energy and creativity is free from a scheduled, restricted routine under which they have no control , and you're telling me you have nothing to do?... Now are we beginning to see how ridiculous this notion is? 

 Don't hold up the excuse of bad weather, lack of people or trips to justify your boredom because they don't matter. Boredom is simply a state of mind and with what the world has to offer, you could easily never experience the negative feeling for the rest of your life.

Its a bit like a numbing, isn't it? A lack of passion and fascination for a  world that is.. quite.. astounding! Age and circumstance is irrelevant because "the world is vast and meant for wandering, there is always somewhere else to go" We all have a very limited time here in this life. We may hope there are more to come but you can never be sure, you can never be sure if you have the next moment and as cliche and overused as it sounds you only have right now, right this very moment as you read these words and while it would be extremely difficult to withold that mental awareness for your entire life, its important to stay present in your current situations and activities instead of looking to to future ones or behind to what's gone. When we take into consideration this value that life has and how extremely lucky you are to be in it and a part of it do you really want to waste anytime being bored?

        
 Nothing on TV? But darlings, don't you see? There is always an enlightening book to read, film to watch, game to play, laugh to have, conversation to engage in, information to learn which almost expands the world right before your enlarged eyes, scrapbook to make, drawing to paint, message to express, blog to write, person to understand, thought to ponder on, masterpiece to create,skill to improve, hobby to take up, recipe to perfect, sunset to watch, story to write, song to dance to along with new music to discover, different place to explore, innovative project to commence, exercise to be done, goals to be reached, help to give, tea to relax with,.... There is always something to be mesmerised and inspired by in life.


So don't ever let yourself be convinced that you're "bored".


                                                                 Love,
                                                                     Rachel! =)