Blog by: Lata Advani Viseu

“I will take your hand, and I’ll understand
Share all your hopes and dreams
Show you what love can mean
Whenever life just gets too much for you
I’ll be on your side, to dry the tears you cry

I’ll love you forever, I promise you
We’ll be together, our whole life through
There’s nothin’ that I, I wouldn’t do
With all of my heart, I promise you”
I promise you – Michael Bolton

This past year so much has changed in my life and it has taught me some important lessons.

The greatest reminder this year has been that life is short and tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone. I realize that everything can change in an instant and that nothing ever lasts forever… the good or the bad. It hit me, that every year gone by is one less year remaining in front of me.

Enjoy those days with your little ones, whether it is reading to them in bed, playing in the park or making tents in the living room or listening to them perform a song like their favourite Rockstar. They grow up so quickly and only the memories remain.

We come into this world alone with nothing and will leave with nothing. When I die none of my material possessions will be going with me so instead of accumulating things, I would rather be doing things I like, learning and experiencing new things, making a difference using the tools and skills that I have acquired.

Instead of burdening others with my expectations of them, I realize that I am responsible for my own happiness and no one owes me anything. The greatest gift I can give my loved ones is my own happiness.

I have come to learn that we each are on our own journey. What is important to me may not be important to you. That does not make one wrong and the other right, we each have our own preferences and wants and are entitled to them. All we have to do is live and let live.

I have learnt that wherever I focus my thoughts and attention that is where energy flows. I can raise my vibration by being positive and grateful for all the abundance in my life. This also raises the vibration of those around me and brings about more abundance and harmony.

Every time I react to a negative situation, I have learnt to quickly acknowledge it in my heart and replace it with things that I am grateful for as I know that our emotions affect our health and attracts more of what we focus on.

A great short meditation that you can do anytime, especially when you are experiencing something negative is to breathe in that emotion, feel it in your heart and notice it change as you breathe out love.

If you find that hard to do think of anything that you are grateful for and feel your emotions change. There is always something to be grateful for.

I have learnt that what other people say or do has nothing to do with me but how they feel about themselves. In the end being kind, compassionate and patient are more important than being intelligent or smart.

Some other things I have learnt over the years is that I can change my beliefs that no longer serve me, at any point in time and adopt a different belief that feels right to me.

Every little step I take each day to improve myself, gets me closer to what I want. Goals are important but when necessary I need to be flexible and go with the flow.

I have come to believe that when someone we love leaves the physical realm, there are always signs everywhere that they are with us when we need them. All we need to do is tune in and see the signs whether it is in a song or a message on a billboard.

On our wedding anniversary, March 16th, I was feeling a little sad and waiting for a sign from Louie and this picture which was running on our television popped up – “Always by your side”. This was the first time I had ever seen this picture amongst the thousands of pictures that we had taken on our trips.

I realize that every day is a chance to learn something new. I still must learn that it is okay to say no to things I really do not want to do because I am afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. Life is too short to live with any regrets.

I have realized even more than before that relationships are important and that in times of sorrow or pain, your family and friends are there for you and to always appreciate them and never take them for granted.

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt

“Life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now.” ―Thich Nhat Hanh

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them―that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ―Lao Tzu

“There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.” ― Marshall McLuhan

“But one of the big lessons I have learned from my journey is you can’t please everyone, so don’t try.” ― Chris Colfer

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