Have fun!

Still on my quest as to what makes one happy, I cannot help thinking one of the things to do in life most often is ultimately have fun doing what you do, whatever that is.

But then again, how can you always have fun no matter what you do? In practice this is harder than we may think coz we are mostly involved in "serious" stuff like going to work, driving, riding buses, paying bills...

And still, we CAN have fun WHILE doing all this routine business

Listening to your favorite song whilst caught in the daily traffic jams

Laughing with colleagues during lunch break

Making jokes with the stiff clerk taking care of your bills (and finding out that he/she's not that stiff and grouchy after all)

Looking at the blue sky, at the buildings, cats, dogs, streets, people that you leave behind as the bus hurries down past them on its well-trodden path

and well..actually a million ways to make your day be worthwhile :)

La vita e bella

Intr-adevar, lasand la o parte nervii zilnici pe care ni-i facem de multe ori total aiurea, viata poate fi chiar frumoasa.

Si sunt lucrurile simple care o fac frumoasa. Faptul ca ti-ai cumparat o hainutza vesela, niste cercei hazlii, ca planuiesti o iesire din minunata noastra urbe suprapopulata spre zari mai aerisite, toate astea conteaza. Te fac sa vezi viata altfel. Asa cum ar trebui sa fie de fapt in fiecare zi. Frumoasa. Relaxanta. Vesela. Lipsita de griji. De probleme. De batai de cap. De rutina.

Probabil ca pentru multi a te bucura de un picnic in weekend nu e mare lucru. E doar un picnic. Si totusi, momentul ala e un snapshot de fericire in viata ta. Unul la care te poti intoarce cand esti amarat si te simti coplesit de "ale vietii valuri".

Azi, in drum spre agentia de bilete CFR, am simtit ca ma cuprinde o bucurie tainica. Parca ascundeam un secret de ceilalti, ceva era diferit. Ma simteam plina de elan. Parca as fi putut tine piept la orice. I was ready for the adventure.

Ce bine e sa te poti bucura de micile cadouri pe care ti le face viata: o iesire cu prietenii, chiar si cu trenul, un oras nou, o emotie diferita, o zi departe de the big city. Uitam atat de usor de ele si ne tot gasim surse de autonefericire...

Primavara asta e magica. Sper sa stea pe la noi cat mai mult. Parca si oamenii zambesc mai larg si chiar rad, rad cu pofta, orasul e mai vesel, mai putin cenusiu, vanzatoarele mai putin incruntate si parca si inima ti-o simti mai usoara.

La sfarsit e doar povestea

Am scris posturi despre vise, fericire, motivatie, asteptare, mi-am dat sfaturi (pe care le-am urmat mai mult sau mai putin) si tot n-am ajuns la o concluzie. Pana la urma, ce e cu adevarat important in viata? Ce conteaza? Pentru ce traiesti?

Poate ca, de fapt, nu conteaza pentru ce traiesti asa mult. Poate ca cel mai important lucru e sa traiesti. Sa-ti traiesti viata. Asa cum stii si cum poti. Pentru ca, zic eu, importanta e povestea ta proprie. Si la final, te vei bucura sa vezi ca a fost una frumoasa. Ca ti-ai trait viata bine. Dar ce inseamna asta? Ca ai trait intens, ca ai savurat fiecare clipa, ca ai incercat o gramada de lucruri? Care e masura dupa care apreciem o viata bine traita? Dupa realizarile noastre? Dupa oamenii pe care i-am avut in preajma? Dupa regrete? Dupa bucurii? Sau dupa toate lucrurile astea impreuna si altele inca?

Intotdeauna mi-a placut istoria pentru povestile ei. Pentru ca eu o vad ca o carte de povesti fascinante. Cu totii lasam in urma povesti. Si povestea oricarei vieti este interesanta. Pentru ca ma indoiesc ca exista cu adevarat oameni care nu traiesc. Si impreuna, toate povestile noastre tes trecutul, prezentul si viitorul.


Foarte putine dintre povestile noastre ajung sa fie cunoscute. Suntem pana la urma, o mare masa de anonimi. Dar daca ai inchide ochii pentru o clipa si ti-ai imagina ca intinzi mana si poti alege dintr-o mare de povesti anonime una anume, pe care sa o cunosti, sunt convinsa ca ai avea ce afla.

Oricum ai trai si orice ai face in viata, ceea ce te face sa mergi inainte e tocmai aceasta poveste proprie pe care o tesi nestiut, incrancenat, neobosit. Dorinta de a trai. Si atat.

Waiting too long

I'm not a very patient person. Garfield used to say "I learned that if you wait long enough, things will come to you." But then again, what can a lazy fat cat say but this? Truth is, the more you wait for things to come to you, the worse it is. And some things may just never come to you. Some things you just gotta get out there and grab. Fight for them. Fight for what you what. For what you think you deserve. For what you think that makes you happy. And in fighting for it, evolve.

I know somebody who's on his way to being a better person. Who's trying to find himself. The one he wants to be. I think that's what's important in life. Finding out what you want. What you like. What you believe in and what makes you go forward. Finding a direction. Whatever that may be. Coz once you find it, you're already on your way.

But just as well, sometimes, you need to learn patience. Because things won't come to you when you want them to. And they won't come to you however hard you fight for them. Not then. At that precise moment when you need it.

So, we need to learn when to wait and when to take action, when to be patient and when to just go out and take the bull by the horns. Again.

But if I learned something, is that waiting too long and fighting forever for things that you know deep down to be lost for good is just a waste of time. Sometimes, you just need to learn how to let go.

Zambetul privirii

Cineva mi-a adus aminte ca fericirea se vede in primul rand in ochi. Ca ochii nu mint niciodata. Pentru ca sunt cu adevarat ferestrele sufletului si prin ei te vezi si tu si te vad si ceilalti.

Degeaba ai un zambet larg pe fata, pentru ca ochii te tradeaza de cele mai multe ori. Daca ei sunt tristi, si tu esti trist, chiar daca nu constientizezi asta si nu vrei sa recunosti fata de tine insuti. Zambetul privirii e zambetul sincer al sufletului tau, pe cand zambetul gurii/fetei e cel conventional, social, cel "adaptat la conditiile de mediu". Sunt atatea tipuri de zambete, fiecare om are felul lui unic de a face asta, si sunt oameni care parca iti fac ziua mai buna doar zambindu-ti.

Si totusi, cel mai frumos zambet mi se pare cel al ochilor. Niste ochi veseli chiar sunt a sight for sore eyes.

Ma gandeam, ce-ar fi daca in loc de fete incruntate si obosite, de ochi rautaciosi, invidiosi, fatarnici, care te masoara fara pic de compasiune, am vedea fete relaxate si ochi care zambesc si rad. Daca am alege sa fim altfel, macar pentru o zi. Daca am reinvata sa zambim cu sufletul. Sau sa radem cu ochii. Cum ar fi?

Music is life at its best

There is always one thing that best defines me for the people who know me: music. I said that I live TO music, and that's no catchphrase to me. If I did not have music in my life, something would feel so wrong.

But why is it that we love music as much as we do? Maybe that's coz it makes our life easier at times, much more beautiful at others, but above all, it inspires us to go on. It gets us through the day. When you listen to a song you like, it's like for five minutes at least all your worries go away, you are where you want to be and who you want to be. You just get lost in it and put the world behind for a short while. And somehow, when you're back, things feel a little better, the hard things are a little lighter, the people around, a little nicer, and overall, life is just tastier.

Isn't music our best friend when we are alone and think everybody has deserted us? When we are afraid? Hurting? Devoid of hope or purpose? I may live to it, but there are some who live THROUGH it, who make of music a goal in itself, who want to go behind it and become part of it.

We may not all be lucky to live through music, to know its inside outs and form part of its neverending story, but I say we're still lucky to have it. Coz you know, music is always there for you. You just have to let it find you.

Dreams

Someone asked me what is it that prevents me from pursuing my dream. It's nothing, really. It's just that sometimes, you need to see and accept that a dream is just...dead. And carve yourself a new life. Pursue a new dream. Because if you keep hanging on to the same dream all your life and you never get to make it come true, you will be disappointed and turn bitter. So, maybe the most important thing is to know when to let go. It's good to dream. But maybe at some point it's just as good to see things for what they are and come back to earth. One moment a lucidity every now and then will not kill your dreams, but will actually allow you to see things clearly. And decide if you want to pursue this dream or another one.

I know people who wanted to be something great. Yet somehow they never had in them what it takes for that. And they never realized that. Because sometimes your dreams are far-fetched. Not everyone can be, say, a doctor, or a painter, or a dancer. What if I wanna be an artist but I have no talent? Will I choose to be bad at it just because that is what I always wanted to be, or will I face the hard facts, the 'sad but true' part and just be what I can be?

It's really hard to give up on a dream you've cherished for so long, but it is so much better to set a new goal and in the end actually achieve it. The chase may be good, but would you risk spending all your life chasing a dream that never comes true? What will you look back upon then when it's all coming to an end?

Happiness is also dependent on the goals you set for yourself in your life. While it is so great to dream, it is just as good to be realistic.

Happiness

Someone said "It's good to be happy. Because it can be so fleeting."

I say it's good to be happy. Period. For no reason. Because if you think that it's so fleeting, you can never experience happiness as you should. So, it's good to be happy. Without plan or agenda. Without asking yourself why you feel happy. Or how that happened.

Someone else made a motto out of "Happiness is not something you experience. It is something you remember."

I say he's wrong in believing that. Because if you never experience happiness, there is nothing to remember as such. Truth is we experience moments or bits of happiness. And indeed it is those moments we remember and not a continuum of feeling. Happy is here and there. Now and then. I find it hard to believe that there are people who experience happiness as something continuous. But if they exist, I wish I would meet them one day.

Because it's good to be happy. But it's even better to learn how to be happy. All the time.

Gaudeamus igitur

Stateam si ma gandeam la un moment dat de ce simt as putea sa ma dispensez daca as fi nevoita sa fac asta.

De auz? Greu, ar muri o parte din mine, pentru ca nu as mai auzi muzica.

Vazul? Poate un pic mai usor, am o imaginatie foarte bogata, mi-as putea inchipui culorile, figurile oamenilor, desi nu as sti niciodata cum arata de fapt viitorul.

Mirosul? Poate cel mai usor, nu e o tragedie atat de mare. Intr-adevar m-as da cu parfum cu nemiluita. Si m-as putea regasi in situatii jenante vara dupa un pic de jogging sau la sala after workout, iarna cand esti infofolit cu o suta de chestii.

Gustul? Iarasi as muri un pic pentru ca sunt "pleasures of the palate" fara de care m-as simti incompleta.

Simtul tactil? Greu, dar nu imposibil. Cum ar fi sa nu simti nimic, sa atingi pe cineva si sa nu ai nicio reactie? Eu zic ca ai putea simti pe cineva prin ochi, nas, gura si urechi cel putin la fel de bine. Dar care ar mai fi atunci pentru tine sensul unei atingeri?

Capacitatea de a vorbi? E foarte greu, iarasi, dar sunt atatea moduri in care te poti exprima! Cuvintele tale pot fi mute, dar ar putea lua viata in paginile unei carti, in acordurile unei arii, in gust, miros si atingere.

Adevarul e ca pentru noi, cei care ne putem bucura complet de toate frumusetile acestei lumi, o atingere, o privire, un cantec, o vorba buna, o mireasma, o aroma au devenit parca lucruri normale. Nu le apreciem asa cum o fac altii pentru care cuvintele sunt mute, privirile sunt oarbe, parfumul este o amintire sau nici macar atat, aromele dintr-o bucatarie sunt insipide. De ce iti dai seama cat de important este un lucru si ca de fapt, nu poti trai fara el decat atunci cand il pierzi?

Asa ca haideti sa savuram cu adevarat o prajitura fara sa ne gandim cate calorii contine, sa ne umplem ochii si inima de frumusete ori de cate ori putem, sa tragem adanc aer in piept si sa ne cufundam nasurile in tufele inflorite primavara, sa escaladam copacii ca sa le furam pentru o clipa mireasma, sa spunem prin vorbe ceea ce ne apasa, sa nu uitam sa privim si sa vedem, sa ne facem cadou o atingere din cand in cand si sa ne simtim privilegiati pentru toate astea! Pentru ca suntem, fara sa o stim...In orice moment al vietii noastre, atata vreme cat mintea si trupul ne sunt la locul lor, ne putem bucura cu adevarat de orice. Trebuie doar sa vrem.

The one thing

We all get tragedy in our lives. Little or big tragedies to others, they are all huge to us.

Childish ones like my cat just died and I will never be able to have a cat as a pet in my life or sentimental ones like I just broke up with my long-term boyfriend or put an end to my lousy marriage. Decisions we made and stuff that went all the wrong way.

The thing is we would not be who we are without tragedy in our lives. All the failures and disappointments make us who we are just as happiness does. It makes us whole, well-rounded human beings. And it toughens us up.

Then there's happiness, in as many colors as possible, because to each one of us, it is a different shade of non-white and non-black. There are many things that make us happy but if we can find the one thing that makes us happy and gets us through the day in our darkest hour, life just attained its purpose.

In the end, life is a colorful mixture of tragedy and happiness, letting go and winning back, relishing and enjoying, knowing when to stop and when to resume. So, I say, give me tragedy, for in living it, I may find the one thing that helps me brace up for my happiness.