Happy new year

To be useful

Some days ago I had a talk with a student of mine and her words reminded me of our need to make ourselves useful. I think it’s a very noble aspiration, but we risk the sacrifice of ourselves: how we can decide if a behaviour is "service" or not? Are a doctor, an hospital attendant, a teacher, a social worker, a psycologist... always in “service” of somebody? And a road-sweeper, a painter, a trader, a bus driver, a manager, an office-worker, a singer are not?
We need to pay attention to the others to be happy? I think so. And I think it’s important that other people pay attention to us too (I’m thinking about a song: I need a friend to be happy). But does this attention consist only in some activities and not in different ones? I think no. Well, if I’m lying on a beautiful beach and I’m enjoying the sun, my attention could be less evident. But also relax and self-care are essential to our lives. If I’m exhausted, I’m not so helpful. Indeed if I devote myself with passion to what I’m doing, to what I have to do and to what gives me satisfaction, I’m building the presuppositions of my utility, making myself happy.

A little letter for Christmas

Dear Infant Jesus,
today is Christmas’ Eve, and I’m happy because even this year Christmas is here. And it doesn’t worth if I’m ready or not, how I lived this year or what I did today, if I was good or bad. I know you don’t mind of that. Chistmas is here, and nothing else. I like that so much.
In the last days I listened to a lot of different opinions about this feast. Most people are looking forward to relax for a while, and this is good. A lot of them says that Christmas is a consumeristic feast, and this can be true (however I like to give and receive presents). All these words make me feel a little angry and a little sad.
I was lucky, because I heard a special word while I was playing the orgue in the church. We usually think that Advent is a period during which we have to wait in a more intense way the Lord who is coming: we have to make an effort. Don Marco said something that inverted the perspective: Advent is the time in which Lord is coming near.
Then I ask you this present: I’d like that everybody (it doesn’t matter their religious faith) stop a while and feel God close to them.
Cheers

Federica

Merry Christmas

If you want to look at the mystery, you have to be as simple as a child.

Merry Christmas!!!

Give a taste to everything

Yesterday morning I found in my PC some words from a book I read last summer: E' una vita che ti aspetto, by Fabio Volo. Someone will say that it speaks only about sex... But it isn't true. This book tells the story of a crisis. I thought: Oh dear, there are more people in crisis than I can imagine. Well, it doesn't seem, does it?

It probably happens when we are about 30 years old. We try to take stock of our lives: where have I arrived? Which goals have I reached? Am I satisfied? Where do I want to arrive?

I think it's wonderful, even if it can make us a little sad.

But the words I referred to liked me for another reason. The protagonist asks himself if things have a taste for themselves, or if they receive a taste by meeting everyone of us.

It's an interesting thought: it gives us a great power, the possibility to control things. You see, perfumes have a different smell according to different skins. So different people have different perceptions. It depends on us. We probably have a wide margin of choice.
Yesterday morning I felt a little sad when I woke up. I didn't want to get up and come in Milan to work. But when I was in my car I saw the pink sun and I thought about my little interior sun.

Yesterday was a beautiful day.

Dance and the life

I have given myself a wonderful present: from 23 to 25 november I was at the 3rd International Bellydance Congress, three days of classes and shows to meet other teachers and collect new ideas.
My adventure in the world of bellydance began in september 2006, when I was 29 years old. I had never danced before, nor practiced any sport, because I wasn't able to find something interesting for me. Then a friend of mine told me about bellydance: I started with my lessons, she didn't. It has been a beautiful journey from the very beginning, a good way to be with myself, to think about nothing, to share a common interest with other women . Last friday we we were nine from the same school and my friends are all better than me, but their advices were precious.
The first day I felt clumsy, but I remembered what Chiara had told me during the trip: last year I came back feeling more confident. The same thing happened to me. During this weekend I could learn something new, I saw a lot of people dancing, I understood what I prefer, I felt in a deeper way what I was doing.
I saw the beginning of a love story between my body and me. Every gesture speaks to me and speaks about me. I have something to tell and something to listen. I know that this experience will complete the painting too, together with my passion for words and music. I know that this experience will define better my special relation with the time, with my time, with my music.
My friend Sandra told me: the Spirit plays a music for each one, the problem is that sometimes we don't dance on the right rhythm.

dancing weekend

Dear friends, from Friday to Sunday I'll be in Riccione for a Conference on Bellydance. Let's see next week. I hope I won't be too tired!

I want to share a present

Every Monday don Marco sells to his friend a short tale, as a wish for the next week. I'm part of the group. so today I receive a present and I want to share it with you. The tale ended with this sentence:
«I believe in you» is much more than a declaration of love. It's the purest power that exists.
I think so and I liked it so much that someone reminded it to me.

You can find the complete tale here (italian):
http://www.pensieridelgufo.it/Eilgufodisse187.htm

New sights

In the last two months I have known more people than in the last year, and I'm very happy about it. These new contacts have something in common: they have been set up because these people and me share some interests or opinions. Some of these people are only names, we write at each other, but we have never met. Yet, I see something unexpected: conversations often are deeper than usual. I think that it happens for at least two reasons: these exchanges are desired and in some way extraordinary, that is out of the ordinary; nearest people have such a precise idea about us, that they are hardly able to put it aside. Instead people who meet you for the first time have no idea about you, not yet. Then it could happen you receive a new sight on you.

Help the Hope

Hope needs an help too. Never happened to you? You have great projects in your mind and everyone tries to destroy them. Maybe this is the reason for I feel more of earth than of clouds today.

Amusement

Last year a friend of mine told me: do something in which you amuse yourself and become so good that people want to pay you for doing that. It seems not to work very well at the University. But it would be right: someone is very good in doing something, let's give him the opportunity to go on. Well, checking his work. However, if there are IGNOBEL awards, that means somebody funds idiot researches...
I think I'm not doing unnecessary things. I hope the profecy of my friend will soon become truth.

Thank you for being here

Well, the dream of a blog in english came true! I beg your pardon, dear readers, but I'm afraid that for the first time my writing will be really terrible. So, I invite you to help me in getting better. And, above all, I hope you'll soon have fun in reading me.

My main purpose is to open a door to a positive and creative attitude towards life. In the last few years I had to fight a lot against people who didn't accept thing could be different as they thought. I'd like to share my personal survival way and I'll be thankful to you, if you want to tell your opinion about it and speak about your own experience. I hope to meet other dreamers as me.