Blog by: Lata Advani Viseu 

“Hello, darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence”
The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel

The winter blues from time to time, gets me down and I wonder if these long dark nights will ever end. Day after day, night after night, on and on they go.

To change my state of my mind, I decided to listen to some music and write my monthly blog on the way we think and live our lives.

It is always interesting to study people and realize how different we all are and yet so similar too.

Are you a control freak? Do you plan everything exactly the way it is supposed to go and when it doesn’t, how do you react? Do you go insane and lose control, get angry?

Or are you the kind that goes with the flow? You may have a goal and a plan but if things don’t go exactly the way you expect it to, you quickly adapt and accept and go with the flow.

Do you stop yourself from doing things you might enjoy because you think people will judge you or make fun of you?

Or do you follow your heart? Do you dance because the music moves you or, play a musical instrument because you love to, even though you may not be great at it?

Are you impatient? Do people irritate you because they are not as fast or smart as you? Do your parents annoy you because they are so “slow” or they “embarrass” you by being themselves?

Or are you patient and, as you mature you understand that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, that no one is better, just different and you accept everyone as they are.

Do you live by rules and traditions passed down from generation to generation that give you no joy?

Or do you question things that no longer make sense and are brave enough to change and live by your own new rules, evolving and accepting that things have changed?

Do you judge others, feeling all superior, thinking your way is the only right way?

Or do you recognize and accept that although we have different beliefs, we are all one race, the human race?

Are you impulsive? Do you dive into things and then regret doing so? Do you get yourself into situations and then get left with the guilt and shame?

Or do you think things through and ponder the consequences before acting? If you do make a mistake, do you forgive yourself and move on?

There are always two sides to everything, and the choice is ours as to how we want to live, whether we want to control life or sail with the tide.

I have realized that we are only here for a short while and instead of being right, it is better to be kind. Life is too short to hold grudges and the negativity that we carry only poisons us.

After the Winter, Spring will come, and the cycle will continue with or without us. We don’t know whether we have a day, a month, a year, a decade or more ahead of us. Once we are gone, life will still go on so make the most of it while you can and let go of guilt, fear and hate. Live life to the fullest doing things you enjoy.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – ― Albert Einstein

“Be realistic. Plan for a miracle.” ~ Wayne Dyer

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” —Viktor Frankl

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

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