No life - that was meant to be

Celebrities speak for Syria and other countries in dire need of help, e.g. food and other daily necessities. There are countless adverts on telly and the radio, videos shared on social media to get the attention of people who can spare an extra few pounds, dollars, euros or other types of dosh, per week to ease the poverty challenges of those less fortunate.

Where do I take my anger?
Where do I take my fear?
Where do I take my sadness?
Where do we go from here

The lines of Thomas Helmig's song struck a cord with me as I was driving south from a lovely weekend in North-East England. Not in the sense of their harsh bitterness but moreso as a reminder of the fortunate incidence that happened to bring me into life in our abundant world in the western wealth. It brought into my mind the total imbalance of resources and effort - also in the light of the lack of help to the good people of the flooded areas in parts of the UK.

If it takes money,
why don't we print some?
If it takes food,
why don't we give some?

The words streaming out on the car stereo reminded me of the butter mountain and wine lakes that were piling up in the EU storage space back in the 70s to  mid-80s when we first learned about the excessive abuse of abundance in the wealthy countries of the west. All the overproduction of food that was just laid there instead of being shared. The overload and false expectations that lead to the beginning bankrupcy of many little farmers across EU - or EEC as it was called back in those days... They had to find different ways and different means to survive.

And in the meantime, people shrivelled because of lack of food and water. A bit like today...

Where was justice then? Where is justice today? And if not justice, where is compassion and love?

Human Beings suffer,
why is out of our hands?
What's wrong with these people,
don't they deserve a chance?

When are the elected leaders of this world - whether elected by people or self-proclaimed - going to step up to their responsibility and create the change that is needed? Where are they?

Life is not about achievment.


Life is about contribution.


The world needs leaders who are on a journey of contribution and not looking for personal gain and own win. It is the only way to change.

Where do I take my dignity?
Where do I take my love?
I'll take it to my daughter.
And pray that it's enough.

Baby, there ain't nothing stronger than the love that you carry within!

And then I laughed - because there was nothing else I could do while I was driving. It was liberating and comforting to laugh at all these thoughts that were created by one song spinning faithfully on the cd player seemed to soften and become ideas for playing for change.

Laughter is the most powerful expression which unites us all when we share it in good spirit. It can release any tension and create a sharing environment instead of stress and disagreement.

When will governments realise the potential of our mutual language? It only takes one person to listen, and another, and another, and another...

So when do they start listening?

Listening to The Elders and people who know about what matters!

As long as there is a world being fought within, there will be a war outsite. Make peace with yourself and peace will be.

Laughter Yoga is for peace in life and for World Peace!

Just a word or two on laughter or something like that

Ha ha and then some he he he or perhaps even ho ho ho ho!

I would even go so far as to say hruf hruf hruf... but that is kinda advanced laughter...

So anyway.

Laughter.

I have had the privilege to laugh with a great variety of people for the past many years and the past week all these different people seem to have been embedded into the groups I had some great laughs with in just a few days.

Of course that is not true because every single person is an individual and it is simply the fact that my week was manic in terms of laughter work and I loved every minute I spent laughing with fantastic people ranging from business professionals to cancer support groups to teenagers to young stressed-out people to vulnerable women to people who wanted to learn and then there was the laughter club people. And this reminded me of all the wonderful people I have met over the past many years of laughing for life.

Oh yes, what a wonderful week full of fun and laughter as well as challenges and rainy weather!

How is it that laughter is made out to be so amazing?

Well, first of all - it is not just 'made out to be amazing', it simply IS amazing and totally awesome in the way it touches us all.

No one who gives laughter a chance can honestly say it doesn't work. Truth.

However, it is easy to say no to laughter because it is a safe place to be when that is the only know place. There is comfort and safety in the known even when it is not great.

People have walked out on my workshops and trainings in the past because 'it was not for them' but I don't take offence, I feel great compassion because I know it is not easy to leave the familiar and try something a bit edgy - something that challenges confidence and requests removal of inhibitions and the well-known 'what-so'.

Yes, I know all about that and I salute every person who has made it, and also those who didn't quite make it but at least gave it a go, but no one can say it is not right unless it has been tried.

That is of course in my opinion.
And deciding based on reading a book does not count!

All I can say, and I may have said it before, is...

Laughter Yoga has changed my life.
Laughter Yoga can change any life.

I laugh therefore I am.

Laughter, Rain, and Bladder Control

Going to Bridgend on Wednesday was exciting!
I was on my way to meet an MS Society division and laugh with people living with MS.

All ready and only a three hour drive.

Things changed from normal-M25-traffic to rainy about 20 minutes into the drive and no matter how good time you feel you have when taking off, there is no such things as being in good time when the motorway starts piling up with rain and traffic.

A Sunday evening on M1...

The more I was stuck on M25 the more I sent a loving thought to the M1 which I frequent most weekends.

The chance meeting with a motorway service station becomes a risk to the 'being on time' challenge that has not been presented owing to what seems to be the Heavens' having opened their flood gates for no particular reason than perhaps 'it rained for 40 nights and 40 days'...

Or did I get that one wrong?

To people in Somerset it must feel as if that is the truth in the rain. Even the News Presenter commented on the scenery as being 'almost biblical' in the way it looks from above. My thoughts really are with everyone who is being affected by either floods or drought or any other weathery measures that seem out of proportion altogether.

Back to the journey and the choice of stopping for a quick relief or continuing the journey without weeping too much. Now, there's a word you don't want stuck on your mind when you got to go and you REALLY got to go... Weeeping wiiillows, peeeople whiiinging etc. And on top of all that - the sound of water running freely down the windscreen, happy as a little clucking stream... Stress?

What can you to, though? If you drive past the next service station it will be quite a few miles before the next one and the next one and the next one.

So - what???

I started laughing. A tough one and not very accommodating for the situation but after a while it actually takes your mind off any challenge and I arrived safely and dryly in Bridgend in well good time for the laughter session.

So, if you are in need then start chuckling, it can potentially provide the mindshift that is required to remove focus from the urgent need!

Not the M25 either...

Lesson learned - even if you can never fully foresee how the journey unfolds - even if it is M25 or any motorway in the UK. 

However, the bottomline is that with a long journey ahead of you it is always a good idea to have served the ways of nature and emptied what needs emptying - even if it's just the ash tray...

Fare well out there all you M25 inhabitants plus the rest of us on our journeys.

A day late... and a lot of apologies...

So I had this thought of trying to blog a day later because it is one of my things... being on time...

Funny that.

I learned about this whole hooohaaa about personal and professional integrity which includes being on time and in a timely way a log time ago - and it has kinda stuck to me.

I believe I may have mentioned it in past blogging over the months but it seems to come back to haunt me on the odd occasion.

Good thing is, I get less uptight about it now than I used to (honestly!!!) - although sometimes it seems my buttons get pushed more than others but that is a while ago (honestly!!!)...

So. What is it about time and being on time?

Well, first of all, it is about respecting other people's time and not just! but also the self-time - and it is also about missing out on important stuff that happens for everyone on time.

Why?

Even if the person being late may seem completely stressless upon arrival, there is no doubt that being late has an effect on everyone including the 'perpetrator'.

By the way, please read this knowing that I have a smile on my face. I can't help laughing thinking about the past few weeks where I have been made fun of for having a time-strickt gene but I suppose as a teacher/tutor/trainer there is a certain truth in being time-static - it still makes me grin, though, because it is true about me.

I have always had plenty of time to get somewhere when going somewhere but somehow I have always been dealt people who have been totally laid back and I think I have been the one stressing them by tapdancing around trying to get them on their way. I do apologise ever so much for causing stress to other people - no matter what the cause may have been in the past.

While writing this I feel there is a lesson for me hahaha...

The thing about this whole topic is that it is intriguing to think about where in our lives we may be to laid back or may be hung up about things that are not really important.

And does it matter if we are in fact comfortable in our own skin?
Really?

Whether people are late or not does not prevent the on-timers to kick off their planned schedule.

And at this point, I would like extend my apology to everyone who has ever waited for me and my own lateness.

You are all alright and I love my people who are on time as well as my people who are late - there is a bit of it all in me, too, and we all get there in the end - with a little help from our friends!

Luckily I can laugh at myself for having this element of stressiness in my life which is otherwise (mostly) stressfree.

Yup, goes to show, I AM human after all.
And aren't we all - early or late?