KEEP CALM IT'S JUST JAPAN!

Here is a little something mainly to help all the newbies that have decided to come and see what Japan has to offer in their lives. But I’m sure the oldies can relate and benefit just as much J

So after a lot of thinking (ouch!) and gathering some perspective from other teachers, here are the ten top tips to conquering culture shock living in Japan. Gambate!

1.       Learn a little lingo. It’s true you don’t have to be a master at Japanese to survive in Tokyo, but even a few basic words will get you pretty far in sticky situations, and it’s best to avoid those in this weird and wonderful place. Plus you really impress the locals when they hear you trying, just a few words and to them you would already be very ‘jouzo’(good at) . Not bad for the old ego too J

2.       Giggle… at yourself. Messed up a little? Said something completely wrong in Japanese, or parked your bike in a no parking zone area without realizing as you may be unable to read the signs, resulting in it being towed away? (that one is probably only me). LAUGH at it. There will be many things going on around you every day that will leave you guessing forever, and they make amazing stories that can be shared with other foreigners living here and soon you will be comparing to see  who’s story is the funniest and who messed up the most, leaving your sides hurting.

3.       Eat the weird and you might get wonderful. Guaranteed you will go into a convenience store and turn your nose up at most of the stuff to eat in there when you first arrive.  You may even lose a few pounds and be put off eating well for a while. But Japanese people are known to live a very long time, and studies have suggested that there is a very high chance  it could be down to their diet.  So although it looks horrifically different to anything you may have tried before,   once you dive right into it you’ll be pleasantly surprised how fun all the different tastes, textures and combinations of food you’ll discover is. You’ll be saying ‘mmmm oishiii!!’ before you know it, and may have extended your life by a few years.

4.       Say goodbye to homesickness. Let me guess, you are missing baked beans, Cadburys chocolate, frozen pizzas, English breakfasts, and a good old pint of British ale or stout from somewhere south western, Wiltshire or Devonshire prehaps. Well I’ve only be here 7 months, and I have found them ALL. There’s an abundance of English pubs, and international supermarkets, even a Waitrose section for you upmarket folk.  Tokyo is a city full of surprises, keep asking around with enthusiasm, and you’ll find whatever you want.

5.       The silence is only temporary. You will do lessons sometimes and wonder if the student your teaching may be slightly mute. Let me tell you that’s very improbably the case. You may find the reserved personalities a little shocking at first, but please know that it’s not YOU, you wouldn’t be offending anyone as I’m sure you’re a great guy/girl. Being shy and reserved is part of the culture here, especially when meeting foreigners (we are a little scary at times it’s true) so keep smiling, keep eliciting and keep being yourself, and within no time the students will feel comfortable, open up more,  and may even be best bud material.

6.       Oh the mystery…What are they thinking? Sometimes when you have no idea what’s going on in a situation, it won’t just be because of the language barrier that there may be(unless you have a super brain and picked up how to write 2000 Kanji characters just walking off the plane).  But even then, languages aside, you will find a tendency for a lot of thinking to be happening,  but not enough talking, saying what it is  they are thinking, even if it’s important. You will find this especially on the trains when you will be crammed left right and centre like sardines in a can. No one will speak but it will be obvious that everyone will be getting on everyone else’s nerves. What I’ve done in this situation is just simply understand and accept that that is how it is. Worrying about it will only cause unnecessary stress. Besides, this allows the ‘bum shuffle’ to be totally acceptable to do on the train (a term we’ve recently come up with for cramming yourself backwards when you enter the train, making everyone else shuffle up and suffocate just a little bit more) It’s all fun and games of course J

7.       I. AM. ROBOT. But it’s OK not to be too. Tokyo is an exciting place to be. But you may notice that there is a certain robotic-ness to the daily life routines. People will be doing the same things, dressed the same way go to the same places every single working day. Some people have called it being ‘plugged into the matrix’.  And it’s so easy to get caught up into that matrix yourself. My advice here is mix it up a little. Take a different route, go shopping and eating in different places (there is ample to choose from!). Go check out some crazy museums, robot restaurants, cat cafes, kendo  and ninja lessons, maid… well, whatever takes your fancy, each to their own. It will take out the mundane feeling from daily routine and help you feel you are making the most out of your experience here.

8.       It’s not just any plan. It’s a Japan Plan! Got some holiday coming up? As amazing as Tokyo is, get out and about in the rest of Japan as much as you can. It has everything you can imagine, from bungee jumping in the mountains to scuba diving in the tropical islands, anything you want,  you’ll find it. The only limit is the one you set yourself.

9.       Drink. Find a local bar and get in there as much as you can. Plain and simple. Even if you don’t like alcohol (non-alcoholic beer is a bigger thing here). Friends will be made, amazing people will be met, opportunities will be placed in front of you on a silver platter, and your Japanese language skills will sky rocket.  Trust me on this oneJ

10.   Actually, you’re quite special. Oh go on then, a lot J You will look around sometimes and think, my god, I’m an alien. Yep, we are not in London, where your best mate may be Polish, and your Dad Indian and your cousin Jamaican.  It’s pretty daunting, and you will probably get stared at, and get given a fork instead of chopsticks every-time you buy something from a convenience store .  125 million people live in Japan, and we only make up  1% of that. But this small percentage does not have any effect on what you are worth. Understand, accept and enjoy being different, let your uniqueness shine through you and the adventure that you came here looking for may well exceed your highest expectations. 

The only way is UP

Going from one phase to another in your life and not sure the best way of going about it? Yep, me too. At such a crucial stage in your life however, applying the right mind set and viewing it from the right perspective could have a huge impact on where your next phase takes you.

So here's how I decided to go about it. It's a little bit of an adventure, but everything seems to feel right. I've written it down, hoping it can inspire you to embrace every aspect of the changes that are happening to you.

Happy reading! 鼓舞する!


The batteries died.

No matter how much energy I tried to squeeze  out of them, there was no output anymore. As I desperately continued to slam the buttons, hoping with all my might it would magically start working again, flashing lights, music and all, a sudden fear started to creep into my heart, as all of my attempts failed. A realisation. It's time to let go, before any more damage is done. Let go and overcome the fear. The outcome of this decision will benefit you and everyone involved, even if it will take time for anyone else to see it. Don't struggle anymore for the fear of loss. Just let go.. So I did. 

Then woosh. 

Magnets started pulling.

I was swept away by a crazy tide during a thunderstorm. Where I was going, why I was going there, how I even ended up on the crazy journey in the first place, I didn't have the slightest clue. But I felt like I was being  magnetically pulled. Control was something out of the picture. Of course, I could have tried swimming against the current. But would I have survived doing that in a raging storm? Who am I to defy the laws of the almighty nature? So I rode the wave, letting it take me to new unknown destination, with fear in my mind, but courage in my heart. Eyes closed, here we go...

Settling sand, new found land.

Then there was calm. Looking around, waking up, I realised I had been beached. I was on unknown land. Infact, it was new soil. freshly settled sand had fallen and created a new platform for me to stand on. As I felt my toes sink into the sand, instinct told me that this new land had all been built just for me to survive, explore and thrive. How thankful I am to life for such a beautiful gift of mystery, enchantment and excitement, where all things could be made possible and all dreams could come true. 

Theres no one around. The silence is daunting. Could the emptiness surrounding me be too much for me to  cope? Theres so much to get started, and the way in front of me is free. I have two options. I can let the fear swallow me up and never really know what could have been in store for me, living, then dying, full of regret. Or I could explore this wonderful new land, living experiences and eventually filling the emptiness by giving pure unconditional love to everything I do and everyone I meet along the way.

As I walk along the shore trying to decide, I've realized that in my heart I've already made the decision. And in the gentle breeze, I can hear a word in the wind being whispered to me.....完璧

Freak in the Far East

The next Japanese Proverb I'd like to bring to your attention really stirs up emotions inside me that I feel has to be shared with you all.

出る杭は打たれる。 Deru kui wa utareru 

The basic translation - The nail that sticks out will always get hammered down.

As I walk around this unique city everyday, in awe of the activity going on around me, I try to listen inside, to what my instincts are saying about the people that are surrounding me.  I ask myself questions such as, can I connect with these people? This culture and their way of thinking? And as I stand on a jam packed train everyday completely full of people, where personal space ceases to exist, for 15 minutes the entire train rides along to it's various destinations, in complete and absolute silence. Not a word is spoken. Not a smile is shared. Nothing is being eaten or drunk. Couples show no personal affection, not even holding hands. Can I catch someones eye, give a smile and spread a little joy? The truth is,  It's very difficult to.

I've met some people recently, that have told me they don't like to listen to music. This came to me as a surprise, as music is one of my mains sources of happiness, and calmness, warmth and emotion, which adds obligatory flavor and spice to my life. A life without music would be, for me a very dull existence

The thousands of people that catch the trains everyday, what is their main job? Most of them seem to be dressed as office workers and business men. But so many people have so many creative talents that they could exploit and embrace, creating more art, music and doing a job that they love rather than have to go to. I remember England being a country that supported anyone who showed any bit of talent, to embrace it and help them show it to the rest of the world. I loved it for that and still do.

The happiest I've seen people here in public is in a nightclub, people expressing themselves through dancing and laughing, happily sharing joy with each other. Until... the police come and raid the place because dancing without a dancing license is illegal. So the happiness evaporates as quickly as it came.

After putting all of these things together, the above proverb started to make total sense to me. What if you are special in Japan? Different from the rest? Stick out like that nail, stand out from the crowd? Are you looked down on by the rest? That nail, that person expressing themselves differently because it feels more natural for them to do so, gets hammered down, to the place where everyone else is, to BE like everyone else. A population is much more easily controlled when everyone has the same type of thinking, no rebels to deal with only people who nod agree and do what they are told.

What kind of life is this though? The more important question, actually is, WHO's life are you living being this way? Yours or the person who is telling you how to think and feel everyday of your life?

This world is such an amazing place, and what makes it the most spectacular place to be is, that each of us, as human beings, are individually and interestingly different, making every person as special as the next. If everybody realized their uniqueness, their passions and acted upon them, upon their instincts and feelings rather than a way of thinking, it could definitely be said that it would take the monotony out of the every day life that we all feel caught up in sometimes. 

It's easy to get caught up in it, to give in, the be hammered down to the level of the rest. Who wants others to think badly of them? No one of course. But this thinking only imprisons you. Your whole life becomes shaped by what other people think of you. But everything you do, dress and say being based on what people think about you is not living a life of freedom. Freedom is a right everyone should have, and  gaining it is much easier than you think. The only step that has to be taken is to stop caring what other people think of you. Most of these people are in the street, and will probably never seen you again, and therefore will have no more effect on your life. Once you stop caring, and you will have the key to your freedom. It's a kind of bliss. Once you have mastered it, trust me, it's one of the most liberating feelings in the world.

 I've been brought up to believe that standing out is the greatest thing to do to progress and have an interesting and adventurous life. Standing out = being remembered. If you are remembered, the dreams that you have are more likely to materialize in front of your eyes. 

The truth is, every great opportunity I've had in my life, is because I have stuck out and done something different and out of the ordinary. I'd do extra research of companies before job interviews and even little things like changing dull homework activities in my classes to something exciting and personal that the students can relate to. Students never forget things like that. Takes some people years to speak Japanese? My objective is in another few months to have lengthy conversations in just Japanese. Different? Oh well, doing this will open many more doors in my life, as I'll be able to communicate with thousands more people, help and inspire and so the circle goes on. 

This is what I call living. And so I'm sorry to say I'm not getting hammered down any time soon. I'm reaching for the stars, and I intend to get there one way or another. 

Let's all stop caring what others think of us. Let's do only what we love the most in life. Let's act on our feelings, listen and trust only what our most inner instincts are telling us. Then we will be able to all  rise together and wherever we go, wherever we end up, we can make miracles happen, all around us. :)

Living in the Land of the Rising Sun

There's a Japanese saying, and the translation goes a little something like this:

A rolling stone gathers no moss. 

To the Japanese, this had two meanings, a positive and a negative. Of course, the yin and yang, the light and dark, the two sides of the coin.

First, a person who moves from place to place, never has to build attachments that weigh them down, and they have a free spirit, putting down their roots wherever the wind takes them.

The second is that people who stop moving and put their roots in somewhere, can build those attachments, of love, friends, routine and familiarization and live a content life this way.

So it's all about perspective, like everything in life. What's my perspective? Well actually that's what I'm still trying to figure out............


I've moved to a distant land, far far away. It's a land of magic. Everyday I wake up with genuine excitement, not knowing what I will see or experience that day. Japan is just full of surprises.

I love the Japanese's enthusiasm in what they do. Everybody who works, does so with the utter most passion, It doesn't matter what their job might be, they will do it with precision, concentration and cheerfulness. When they provide a service, they do so with Love and make it obvious they are grateful for providing that service to you, whether the person receiving is or not.

They appreciate whatever they have in their lives. If their house is small they will make the most out of the space that they have. Cook them food, and they will remember your kindness forever.

It's easy to put a smile on their face. Talk to a Japanese person and they will always smile about something.

Their mentality is inspirational. I haven't met anyone with split personalities, or mental illnesses. And they live for such a long time. They must be doing something right in their way of thinking, something I would like to learn from them.

But it seems they have two sides to their lives. While in public, their interaction with each other is zero. Sometimes on the trains, there could be 100 people in one carriage alone all squashed up, and it would be completely silent. Strangers will never talk to other strangers. In public they are very reserved. But then you will see a big advert on an outdoor TV of an anime, with crazy cartoons shouting and screaming, colorful and action-packed. The media that they make to entertain themselves seems to be completely the opposite of their public behavior. Not sure why that is yet. There are still many things I'm trying to understand.

But this country is the safest I've ever been in. You can walk down an empty alleyway at any time of the day or night, and no one will bother you. You can loose money, phone, whole bags, and you will always get it back somehow. But they have the death penalty here. They are completely OK with the idea with killing another human being if they are bad enough to be killed. Which is not part of my thinking at all.

When it snowed, I saw people coming out of their houses in the middle of the snow storm with a shovel, removing the snow from the roads. I thought it was to clear their own driveway for their cars, but later realized after I asked someone that they do it only for other people to be able to walk down those roads. They seem to live with love of the service of others. And it's such a beautiful thing to realize, that their are people, well a whole nation that still have this mentality in this crazy world that we live in.

Their love for nature is also admirable. They look after all trees, plants and even though their idea of keeping pets is a bit askew, also animals too. Even though I live in one of the most metropolitan cities in the world, with the amount of parks and wildlife reserves they have here, I still feel so close to nature. Even the sitting and sleeping on the floor makes me feel closer to the Earth. Also the uncontrollable nature, like snow storms out of nowhere, earthquakes that wake me up in my sleep.....it's removed my fear of these things, and instead I'm just in awe at the uncontrollable forces that happen right in front of me. It's also a great reminder that sometimes in life, we are just not in control of everything that happens.

I am though, 100% lost in translation. From travelling to the right destination, shopping in the supermarket, receiving bills and important post, are somethings ten times harder then they have ever been before for me. 3 Alphabets and a language far different from anything I've ever tried to speak. Even after learning how to read 2 of the alphabets, my vocabulary is not extensive enough to even understand what I'm reading, And with many ways to write one word that has many different meanings..... well it will be a long old journey to mastering Japanese. But teaching English over here, I've never felt so rewarded. Sometimes I leave my work, not tired, but uplifted, with a smile on my face all the way on my journey home. It's the exchange of teaching one thing and learning another, be it language or anything else, it feels so good that I never want to stop doing it.........

................... Even with these feelings of adventure and excitement for living, everyday I am reminded that I have in fact, embarked on a journey that has taken me physically away from everything I love, everything I'm familiar with, everything I've ever known and everything positive I've built in other lands. I've chosen to live life as that rolling stone that never gathers any moss.

And within me right now, behind the eyes that are the window to my soul, there lives a tiny obstacle of Fear. Fear of others peoples memories of me fading away into darkness.....Fear of peoples promises to me being broken and not being implemented, Fear that I am unable to do anything to help the ones I love while not being physically present, and Fear that I may be unable to communicate  that no matter how far I am from them,  the people that I left behind mean and will always mean so so much to me.

But one message I received today, telling me that the positive things I taught to others were being still being implemented, growing and changing peoples lives,  removed that obstacle, that Fear for a small while, and it was enough time to make an important realization. I may be a rolling stone, but while I've rolled around, I've left an imprint of Love on the ground, And because this imprint was made with Love, it's permanently engraved. Forever. Memories, promises, Fear itself may not last forever, but the EFFECT that I had from the actions I made with love in the past will live on - infinitely.

Just like the most influential musicians, artists, scientists and leaders, even if they have passed away, they acted only with Love, and their teachings will forever be in the minds of the people on this Earth.

So until it's my time to start gathering moss and putting down some roots, I guess I'll keep rolling on....

Say 'Thank You' - Create miracles.

"if you rejoice in the way

things are, the whole world will belong to you."

Lao Tzu

If we are all honest, when you say the words ‘thank you’ it feels amazing. And this unique and special feeling also arises when someone say it to you. This is the MAGIC inside of us, by the name of GRATITUDE. It can lift your spirits on a bad day, warm you on a cold day, and generally wherever you are, whatever your doing  and however you are feeling this beautiful feeling is guaranteed to put you in a good mood.

But do you know, it’s so much MORE than this. We underestimate the power of these words, not realizing that actually, they have the power to give you EXACTLY what you want, to completely transform your life from something that has constant up’s and down’s to something that stays on a constant level of love, peace and happiness.

How is that humanly possible you may ask? Isn’t life suppose to be full of these up’s and down’s? A rollercoaster ride? Well in the society that we live in now, it’s very easy to be dragged along a rollacoaster ride of madness and think that it’s completely normal because everyone else is also hopping on the ride too. But the TRUTH is we aren’t alive in this universe to experience these ‘downs’. The universe wants to give us EXACTLY what we want, of course, it wants to be full of happy people!

How do we unlock the precious knowledge of getting what we always dreamed of? Well actually the truth is we’ve known for centuries, but we have just forgotten along the path of history. The passage below came from a holy script written by Gospel of Matthew many years ago.

“Whoever has will be given more, and he will

have an abundance. Whoever does not have,

even what he has will be taken from him.”

It’s a little confusing but after researching  and reflecting, I discovered that it was talking about GRATITUTE. The MORE you GIVE it, the more you will RECEIVE, the LESS you have the MORE that will be taken from you.

Every single day of our lives there are so many things to be grateful for, which we never give thanks to. And when things go wrong and we tend to keep thinking negative, forgetting that there are still so many things to be grateful for, and so things tend to just get worse and worse.

But even in negative situations there is so much to be thankful for.

Everything that has an action has a reaction.

Give thanks to the universe and it will give to you the help you need to reach your dreams. And this is how you do it:

1^st step

Start every morning just after you’ve woken up, before you get out of your bed, search for 10 things in your head that you are thankful for. It could be the air you breathe, or the amazing dinner you had lastnight, or the beautiful sun that’s shining through your window, or the excitement of seeing your loved one that day. And say THANK YOU for each one. You will also start your day in good spirits by doing this.

2^nd step

Try to say thank you as many times as possible during the day, for little things that make your life easier for example my health that allows me to walk and work and cook, to big things like a friend helping me when I really need it. The MORE gratitude you have, the QUICKER your dreams will come true.

3^rd step

Every night before you go to bed, think of all the best moments of that day and say THANK YOU for each one. You will also be guaranteed a goodnights sleep this way.

4^th step

Make a list of your top ten dreams of all time. Ten things that you want more than ANYTHING.  Imagine yourself fulfilling each dream, spending one minute on each one. Write THANK YOU next to each one and put it in your purse/wallet. Once a day take it out, read it to yourself and say THANK YOU.  

5^th step

Before something important happens in your life, give thanks for the opportunity, imagine everything going smoothly and say THANK YOU. And everything WILL go well.

6^th step

When a friend is unhappy and you want their happiness, say THANK YOU for them being in their life, IMAGINE them happy and say THANK YOU for their happiness. And watch their lives transform in front of your eyes.

After these 6 steps you will notice a profound change in your life, in your mood and in your every day perception. Everything will shine!

AND to prove this method works, I will write 5 things that I most desire the most. In the next few months I will write here again, telling you that they have all come true.

Good luck with yours. 

Oh and thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all of you for reading this.

My five top ten desires.

• -      For the next phase in my life starting in January to go as smoothly as possible without complications
• -      To enjoy my next job and make lots of new friends.
• -      For the man that I love to become the Superman he is destined to be and be forever happy
• -      To help many people along my path
• -      For all my friends and family to be happy

Diwali - The festival of lights.

Can you imagine a country in the world without a Christmas celebration? Wouldn’t it be awfully dull at this time of year?

Well, although India hardly holds these types of festivities, it still doesn’t miss out on  the fun and magical potential that’s contained within the winter months.

In fact this time of year for the people in India is exceptionally special, as Diwali, the festival of lights is celebrated by all, taking place every November.

Over a magical period of 4 days, the whole of India is lit up with every form of light that you can possibly imagine, including candles, lamps, fairy lights, firecrackers and fireworks. People will usually place these lights in any place that can be seen with the naked eye, on rooftops, around gardens and courtyards.

What’s with all the fuss about light then, you may ask. Well believe it or not, the original story is very lovey-dovey, a typical romantic fairy tale, with a ‘once-upon a time’ and a ‘happily ever after’.

In the land of the Hindu God’s, Prince Rama and his wife Sita, were banished by the king of the land to live in the forest. They dwelled there for 14 whole years, when there was a sudden turn of events. Ravana, (who happens to have ten heads) decided to kidnap Princess Sita.

And who better to come to the rescue then the almighty Monkey god, Hanuman!  With the strength of both Prince Rama and Hanuman, together they rescued the princess. As they set off on the journey back home, it just so happened that that night was a moonless night. They were as blind as bats and couldn’t see a thing in front of them. The people of the village decided to give a helping hand, and so they lit many small oil lamps along the path to guide them back safely home.  When they arrived, Rama was crowned King.

And it’s this very special light that gave birth to this beautiful celebration, signifying light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.

It’s a great way to remember that no matter how dark and evil the place is that you may dwell in in your life, the strength and power of goodness will always conquer.

Try lighting a candle of your own tonight and see for yourself how easily darkness can be defeated.

Knock Knock - Time for change

'Knock knock. '

'Who's there?' 

'It's Time.' 

'Time who?'

'Time for Change.'

'Ah....'

'Open the door and take my hand'

'I'm too comfortable here. I want my life to remain the same. Even if I'm not happy with my life, I know what to expect. And knowing is better than not understanding. I'm sorry, but I don't want to open the door.'

'But not understanding is mystery, and mystery is the gift of beauty that life has given to you. Even if you do not wish to open this door, my force will eventually be too strong and knock it down completely. There will be no more barriers and I will enter your life against your will.' 

'But I'm afraid.'

'Don't be scared, child. The more you resist, the more you will be hurt. And my intention isn't to hurt you. I'm only here to help you grow, progress and guide you safely through life's mysteries and unknowings. Open the door and embrace what I have to give you, and I promise the fear and pain will go away.'

And so after eradicating the fear in his heart, left with only love and light, he opened the door. And Mother Nature's circle of perfection continued it's due course, unbroken by the egoistic human mind. 

Autumn turns to winter.

Winter turns to spring.

Birds leave their nests they worked so hard to build, only to to migrate miles away, work just as hard, and build others.

The fluctuating force of the wind changes the surface and appearance of our seas.

The rising and falling of the sea changes the shape of our land.

The face of the moon changes each day, to give us something new, fresh and beautiful to look up to every night of our lives.

It seems just about everything in Mother Nature is constantly changing, with such a force of which we have absolutely no control over.  So why is it only us, also a great part of Mother Nature, the only living thing on this planet that FEARS change. Struggling everyday against an uncontrollable force, even doing things to prevent and avoid change entering our lives completely. Well, don't we sound just borderline crazy........?

Change comes knocking on our door at various different moments of our lives. It could be in the form of something small, like the supermarket doesn't sell the product that you always buy, and so you are forced to buy another one. Or a new person comes to live with you or work with you, and changes the normal course of events throughout your usual day.

Or it could be a stronger knock, moving house, changing job, letting go of someone who you love that is starting to have a negative effect in your life.

And what do we tend to do when we hear these knocks? Ignore them of course. We think, 'if I just pretend it's not there, it will go away.'

'I'll stay living in the same town my whole life, because I know where everything is and moving will risk losing all my money, time and effort and I might be left with nothing, and then who would I be? What would I be worth?'

"I'll try to keep my body and appearance looking young, even while I'm entering elderly years, because I'm scared of looking at myself in the mirror, knowing that I'm nearing my death'

'I'll stay with the person that I've been with for so long, even if our flame of passion has well and truly burnt out and there's nothing positive left between us anymore, because I'm used to his/hers behavior and I might never find someone else who loves me and wants to be with me again. I don't want to be alone.'

I'm here to tell you that none of these thoughts are solid, or real.

Just like the seasons change the environment around us, changing YOUR environment, moving house, town or even country, revitalizes your soul with the food of magic that is needed to keep your spirits high and your mind healthy.

Just like the flowers that grow in the fields, that bloom until they reach their maximum beauty, and then begin to wilt, never losing their beauty because it still exists within their GRACE, embracing the aging process of your body with the same grace brings a glowing light of wisdom and respect to your spirit, which can be felt by your children and grandchildren and you in the end you become a source of inspiration for them. The elderly who always complain about their aches and pains and are miserable are usually ignored or harassed by the younger generation, and then it's hard for anyone to remember them as a positive person when it is their time to pass away.

And just like the ever changing positions of the stars in our endless sky, constantly exploding into birth or death, the energy of love within a long lasting relationship changes throughout our lives. From the start where the love is enriched with passion and romance, a change eventually occurs, as the passion and romance starts to die down, the love is then filled with an energy of appreciation for each other, grateful for each other's dedication to one another. And after these two people grow elderly together, the love changes again into an energy filled with pride and gratification because of everything that they have achieved in their life together, the beautiful children they have brought up onto this Earth and the grandchildren that have been brought up in the same loving way.

And if certain events happen that stopped the possibility for the love in a relationship to be exploited by one another, letting go and going separate ways does not mean  that this love has disappeared. Again it's just changed into another form that allows them to be separate but still have the strong need to care for each other, being there for each other for the rest of their lives if they ever needed each other's help.

There's a change knocking at my door right now. I'm not going to ignore it. In fact, it's sound is very familiar to me. I know exactly what to do.

I will love everything positive that I have in my life right now, but do so WITHOUT unhealthy mental attachments. And when the day arrives that Change will open the door, reach it's hand out towards me, whispering into my ear 'it's time', I will grasp it firmly, letting it pull me into the next stage of this limitless life that we all have truly been blessed with. I will bring with me all the goodness that the last chapter of life has provided me, and enter the new chapter, with joy, acceptance and enthusiasm. And I will tell stories of the past, teach others and learn from others, inspire, love and exchange all my energies with everyone I meet,  until the very day of my death.

Whether you are waiting for a change to happen in your life, or avoiding it, just have faith. When the time is perfect, you will hear the knocking on your door. And when that day comes, you will know exactly what to do. Just like I do. With no mind and all heart, go on, and live.