Quote of the Day

"There's nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare

Finding escape

Choose something that liberates you and do it on a daily basis. Practice it in all states. Choose something that you can easily escape to and which costs you nothing. Like drawing, dancing, writing, singing, running, jogging, walking, memorizing Quran or poetry, anything. When you're angry or sad, do it. When you're dissapointed, do it. When you're afraid, do it. It might seem easier at first to drown in your sorrows, curse, scream or cry. And it does need effort to redirect your energy and replace your anger. But the outcome is worth it. Go out to a club, a coffee house, a public garden, a spacious mosque, any outdoor place and take a smooth pen (Reynolds would do), or a pencil (don't forget a sharpener) and paper. Sit down and write or draw away your fears. Lock yourself in your room and dance for hours. Your moves need not be sophisticated. Your words do not have to be all eloquent. Don't choose them. Just unleash the energy and let it flow. At first, you might feel speechless -the same with anything else, you might feel helpless- but if you push yourself on, you will find a million of things to say. It does not have to be about what's bothering you. Write about the wind blowing on your face, write about people you see around you, write about the sky, life, your dream car, heaven, this country, about your friends, how you feel, what you had always wanted to do, whatever. You don't have to write longhand if you're not comfortable with it, take your laptop and type away. Push on, at first you'll feel your fingers hurting and you'd want to stop but if you go on, you will forget yourself in the process and you will become one with what you write, draw, with your body, your voice, your mind. It will not be physical anymore, it will transcend your being. Then, you'll be flying free. Don't go back and read your sentences. What you draw does not have to make sense. It should only make sense to you. In this moment, it's all about you. Forget about grammar and rules, forget about dance steps, just let the light -and the darkness- flow out of you. Everything is right if you believe at this moment that it is. Don't be afraid to be you; write something shocking if you feel like it. Write something you never thought you will have the courage to put in words or on paper. Break through. There are no boundaries here, in this moment. There are no wrongs. There are no limits. There is no box. There is no earth beneath, or sky above. There even is no pen or paper or laptop. There is just you and what you need to say or do. You. For once, it's all about you and you alone. Write what you want to read. Forget about judgement or what people might say. Draw what you want to see. Forget about what's art and what's not. Dance like you never did before. Forget about what you look like as long as it feels beautiful to you. You. You. You. For once, it's all about you. Enjoy it. Have the courage to let down your guards and lose yourself. Only then you will find it again; refreshed, whole, and even wiser than when you had let it go.

Remember the little things that make your life perfect

Try this out: Get a pen and paper and write down why this moment in your life is perfect.

Forget about the past, forget about previous suffering. Just focus on the now. Focus on what you have, on little things you own but might have overlooked amid all the clamor and troubles of life. Focus on things that have meaning to you and that are present at this very moment. Your friends, your parents, your sisters or brothers, your partner, your children, your pet... whoever and whichever you think is important and you still have. Focus on the things that you seem to ignore in your everyday life. Your vision, your limbs, your health, the fact that you see, hear, talk, walk and/or run if you want. The fact that you can, while some other people can't. Focus on what you know. Focus on the things that matter. Your intellect, your enthusiasm, your humor, your love for others, your courage, your compassion, your foresight, whatever you believe makes you human and makes you who you are. Why is this moment different? Why today is, or could be, better than yesterday. If you find it so difficult to find beauty in this very moment then remember a time when you were "happy" and satisfied, write down the reasons why that particular moment was beautiful or happy and try to recreate this happiness, this beauty. Remember your state at the time, what had made "then" different from "now"? On paper, you could easily pin it down and as you write you will remember what you lack. It would also be useful to jot down whatever that you have now, which you did not have back then, just to be able to remember that you might be lucky to be here now and not before, and not back then. Remember things you gained along the way.

Just remember one thing while you do all this; that you are responsible for your state whatever it is, good or bad, happy or sad. You alone, your thinking and your approach to life with its ups and downs makes all the difference. If you want this moment to be perfect, you will know how to make it so and vice versa. Remember the little things and the little details that really and truly make life good. See if you've got them and start from there. Believe me, just being here and now is a blessing. Being given a moment to share life, to share with others is something to be thankful for. So be thankful. Be here and everytime you face a problem, take a deep breath, sit at your desk and write down why this moment is perfect. When you finally see that you have all what matters -even if it was hidden from your eyes before- no problem will seem so big, and nothing would be worth the worry and the pain.

Have fun!!

Quote of the day: "Today is a gift. Have fun."

You are here, it is all what matters now

It's everything you want.
It's better than a dream.
It's what you have looked for.

Don't think of the past, don't ponder on the long journey.
Well... you're here and that's all what matters!!

Have fun!
Have a dose of inspiration!

Move on, if you want.
Stay, if you will.

The choice is yours.

Fear no fears.
Fear no judgement.
Fear no night.

There is no darkness here.
Only light.
Only light.

- Pakinam Amer, 24 Oct. 2006