Expectations

I went to a meditation retreat in Thailand and witnessed exemplary lives, I went to see the sunrise and got only rain, I thought it was going to be difficult but I almost ran away, I went looking for a small part to complete my puzzle and I got a completely different game, I went looking for a Thai monk and found lovely European people, I went to meet an enlightened and a dog bit me, I went for breakfast and got a wheat beverage, I went to a tropical country and had to use winter jacket, I went for explanations and received smiles, I went to take pictures and was the main attraction, I went to be happier and got control of my mind, I went for a glass of water and got my head shaved. That’s what happen when you have expectations.

Possibilities

In the last months I made a great trip around some Arab and Asian countries. This exposure, made me realize a lot of things, such as the reason why I didn’t went to China (something I didn’t understand when happened), and my main conclusion was how self-limited we are. After being amazed by 5.000 year old inexplicable constructions, after witnessing one of the most desirable metropolis in the middle of the merciless dessert, after being surprised by creativity without resources and after understanding the wealth of the poor, I can only say we limit ourselves to what we know and to what we think we deserve, only that we know almost nothing, and what we think we deserve is only a small fraction of what we could have.

Take a deep breath and go ahead

It’s going to be three years in a few months, and after all the process, my life changed for good. Although sometimes I feel like from another planet, as my decisions and obvious common sense guesses seem odd and not too common for the rest, I firmly believe I’m on the right track.
But is this right track the only track? Is it the fastest or the shortest? Can we go faster?
It’s time to speed things a little, but how to do it? Well, as it has been happening in the last years, I bump in to the places and situations I need.
There’s an inefficient visa process I have to follow, to renew my visa in Brazil. In the mean time I have to be out of the country for at least three months. What to do during that time? My boss suggested taking all my vacations and taking a license to complete the time. Ok, sounds reasonable, and what to do with all that time? My initial plan was to study business and art courses in different countries in Europe and then travel to India for tourism. But as all happens for a reason and what happens is the best, I couldn’t get my Shengen visa in Brazil, business courses dates didn’t match my schedule and what was the result? India for one month and a meditation retreat for 35 days in Thailand. And how did it happen? A friend met a guy in the internet, the guy took my friend to a course, in the course my friend met another outstanding person, and my friend send me this person’s email. He lives in Thailand and as soon as I wrote, he answered that I had a room reserved for a retreat. As soon as I read the answer I knew that was it!! I didn’t know how a retreat wasn’t my first option, but in the end, all the obstacles, coincidences, and luck will take me to this place, and I’m sure this is the highway. Maybe is not the only one, but for sure it will take me to another level on this process.
This is a trip that will change my life again, if I was in a comfort zone, this will mess things around; I was expecting it, and I love it.

Economics

What is the Gini index? Yesterday I saw a young couple arriving in a restaurant to have lunch, driving a car obviously bought only for sunny weekends. They gave the keys to the valet parking driver who would have to handout his monthly income to have one meal at the same restaurant, or work more than 312 years to gather the money equal to the price of the car. This is a Gini index of 56,7 the 10th highest in the world, and shows that something is completely wrong.

Spring

As much as I would like to fight the idea, the sun has huge impact on the mood of almost everyone. Not only each person isolated quits the resignation mood from clouds and grey skies, but the collective mood creates a synergy with every person process, accelerating change and bringing consequences as more laughs, less stress, equilibrium, motivation an at least superficially happiness.
In the process of generating happiness only from the inside, I would love to isolate external factors, but I have to accept the sun helps, and helps a lot. I suppose we as animals can’t avoid influences from the environment. Welcome again sunny days!!

Framing

I have a friend that says that we all have just three opportunities in life, and we have to be aware, to be able to make good use of them. He claims he already lost two, and he’s waiting for his last one.
I refuse to believe that our destiny is not in our hands. As the Boss ad says, the day is what we make of it. I think there are a lot of opportunities every time, is just the way we look at things and situations what enable us to discover them.
There are situations in life that make us change completely the way we think as an accident, an experience or religion among others. I have another friend in the middle of this process, and although might be terrible to feel clueless for some time, as soon as new priorities and objectives begin to appear in the shadows, a myriad of new opportunities come to light. Is just our decision to maintain this optimistic and motivated view.

Greener grass

Why is it that many of us have temporary satisfactions and can’t stop moving between sides? While working, we dream about being entrepreneurs and have our own business, but in the fears of independence we constantly seek for the security of a job. When single we fantasize about that special someone that will take us to another world with a secret smile, and when it finally arrives, a lot of small but painful disappointments appear and only hope our freedom and peace could return.
The same happens with vacations, resting, friends and many other things in life, not to mention pity objects.
Is it that what we want changes constantly? Is it that the situation we are in changes our point of view? Is it that we and the situation change at the same time?
I personally thing that change is objective in itself. To move, experiment, try new things, new places, new routes, new choices, etc.
The only thing we must accept is that although there are situations that seem perfect, everything is subject to change and we should face transition normally and not expect to force untenable alignments.