alchemy

At some level, it's all about love and passion, nothing more or less.

Un- complicate

- F: Pleasure is never simple, as you very well know.
- J: It is, until we decide to complicate it.

Freud to Jung on the film A Dangerous Method.

Life is too short to...

* not fall in love deeply

* have a job that you don't love

* postpone getting a ticket to go to that place (or places) you've been dreaming of

* not tell people how you feel

* not be who you really are

* not dance and sing MORE

* not spend a quiet day with yourself

* not help make a difference

* not feel gratitude (for the small things also)

* not be a better sister, brother, daughter, son, mother, wife, husband, father, friend, grandfather, grandson, grandaughter...

* not tweet

* not be the best at whatever it is that you do

* not smile

* be too worried about consuming chocolate, coffee, wine

* not read more

* not do sports as often as you can

* not spend more time in contact with nature

* not hug

* not take risks

* not be more curious



Please tell us what other things "life is too short to..." miss. We'd love to know your thoughts on this. xx

The Tao

We recently found a copy of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu. Have you read it? if you haven't, we recommend it. The book was a gift from Michelle's father. In the dedication, he noted that, as a boy, he had the chance to be in a lecture by a famous physicist at the university. He was 16 then. Her father asked the physicist what book would he recommend if he could only choose one. To which the physicist replied: the Tao.

It is, in our opinion a difficult book to understand, at first. Perhaps, a good idea is to read it a couple of times. We value the teachings of the Tao because of how different they are to Western values. We were taught, for example, that when we feel that change is necessary, it can be achieved through effort and perseverance. Contrary to this thought and more aligned with the theory of Acceptance, the Tao, says that we should accept what is in front of us without wanting the situation to be other than it is.

We should study the natural order of things and work with it rather than against it, for to try and change what is, only sets up resistance. It teaches us that nature provides everything without requiring payment or thanks. The idea behind the Tao is to let yourself flow as freely as possible.

Whatever you're trying to accomplish, it will happen more naturally if you stop looking for results and value the "trip", walk that path.

If your mind is calm you will come to "understand" which means "to stand under". Te - which may be translated as "virtue" or "strength" lies always in Tao, or "natural law" in other words: Simply be.

To Westerners who may disagree, or are not willing to accept a different perspective, this may just be a "Chineese tale*"!

But, a good one to think about.



*Chineese tale is the translation for "Cuento Chino" an Argentinian Film with Buenos Aires- born actor, Ricardo Darín

Acceptance

How many times do we expect from another person to be something that they’re not? How often are we dissatisfied because of things that we have not been able to get or achieve? How often does life pass us by, while we are upset because we’d like for things to be different?

It’s not about losing hope or settling for less than our dreams. Comfort and gratitude are good states unless they prevent you from reaching your full potential. It’s about acceptance. It’s about understanding that we don’t have control over everything; we can’t live our lives trying to change things or people into what we want them to be. Accepting is understanding that for now, this is the way things are. At least for now. At this moment in time.

Sometimes, the best you can do is do everything that you can and then simply wait. To accept does not mean that you have to change your plans (although you may want to) it means that you have to  contemplate them, evaluate them all while embracing the current state of things. 

To accept is to live in accordance with your own being. It’s about having the courage of living your own life, and not subordinating yourself to someone else’s plans. Often, the fear of being “excluded” can lead to adapting our wishes, expectations or decisions to those expectations from who we want a (false) acceptance.

To accept is a commitment to ourselves; to be honest about the way WE feel and think.

The theory of acceptance invites us to live our lives now, without travelling to the past or the future, so that we don’t lose focus. To accept is to be in touch with reality, with the present time, with what is happening here and now.

It’s liberating to think that once we stop being a fighting force and let things flow more naturally with what we have, we will breathe and feel a certain clarity and joy, not leave everything to the whims of uncertain times. After the rain, the sun always shines. If it’s raining today, try walking in the rain.

I leave you with a gift, below these lines: 

“Go to the Limits of Your Longing”

“God speaks to each of us as he makes us,

then walks with us silently out of the night.

 

These are the words we dimly hear:

 

You, sent out beyond your recall,

go to the limits of your longing.

Embody me.

 

Flare up like a flame

and make big shadows I can move in.

 

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.

Just keep going. No feeling is final.

Don’t let yourself lose me.

 

Nearby is the country they call life.

You will know it by its seriousness.

 

Give me your hand.”

RILKE

Sources:

Extract from an article I read yesterday.
LNR
This article is written by Jose Antonio García Higuera, a psychologist from Spain.
Translation: Michelle Cameron
Photo courtesy: Vogue UK

Poem: RILKE

Thirty Something

You know that song "Paradise" by Coldplay? there is a part that says: "life goes on, it gets so heavy..."

After thirty, people start to have issues. Not that we don't have them before but when we're twenty, for example, who cares if we screw up? I mean isn't that what young people do? At thirty, however, it's a different story and we become more demanding of ourselves. We expect something more from our lives.

Deep conversations with people in their thirties, friends mostly, have led me to realise the diversity of needs and wishes that people have:

- Some are looking for a partner.

- Some people want to quit their jobs and get a ticket to go see the world.

- Some are looking for a job (or a better job)

- Some are looking for a new apartment or house.

- Some want a husband who is more connected to the family.

- Some people want to make more money.

- Others want a divorce.

- Some people want kids.

- Some people want to fall in love with their partner all over again.

- Some men want their wives to work or study or just do something different than spend all day with the kids.

- Some want to have sex with their wives again.

- Some people don't know what they want.


Those are just some examples, but the important thing, I think, is to not feel alone in whatever your "search" is. Just remember that there are many people in their thirties with issues just like you. Remember also, that there is a direct link between how we see the world, the actions we take and the results we get.

Once we understand this, we are free to make the change or changes that will bring us closer to our truest wishes and needs.

"dusa"

It's always good to ask ourselves questions, no? here are some good ones.


Do you live well?
Do you love deeply?
Are you helpful?

and Three more:

Who are you?
What would you like to do with the rest of your life?
How will you do it?

Knowing ourselves is key in order to define what we want and how to accomplish it.

Plato's cavern

I'm reading Laurent Gounelle's "I Will Not Leave Without Telling You Where I go" and have come across a few passages that deal with something that we sometimes resist: change. The translation is mine because the version I'm reading is in Spanish.

"Today a lot of people live in Plato's Cavern without even realizing it. They are afraid of what is unknown to them and reject any sort of change that affects them personally. They have ideas, projects, dreams but they do not fulfill them because they are often paralyzed by fear. Their feet and hands are held by handcuffs to which they only have the key to unlock. Keys hang in their neck but they never take them.

Life itself is made up of continuous change. It would not make any sense to hang on to the status quo. Only the dead remain still. We not only have to accept change, we also have to start it in order to be able to evolve in the sense that is most convenient to us.

[...] Resistance to change is what makes adults and children differ. Children feel like evolving while adults often do everything they can not to. (perhaps not at a conscious level)
When we no longer feel like evolving, we start to die very slowly...

[...] If you want to be young all your life, continue evolving, learning, discovering, don't lock yourself up in habit that makes your mind get stuck nor in the comfort of what is already known to you because before you know it you could become numb."

Plato's Allegory of the Cave remains a powerful metaphor for understanding the limitations of human perception and the transformative journey towards true knowledge and enlightenment. 

Remember that destiny is also an excuse for not making things happen. You create.

Uruguay

Into the Jungle

Remember that the average life is about 600.000 hours. Are you able to escape from your duties to enjoy some of these hours, like you deserve? Here's a beautiful place to consider. Loi Suites Iguazú. The new, luxury hotel located inside 600 virgin hectares of the Iryapú jungle in Misiones provides the perfect base for exploring both the Argentinean and the Brasilian side of the Iguazú falls.

Large suites connected by bridges and floor-to-ceiling, glass windows provide an intimate connection with the natural surroundings. A Namasthé spa built around ancient rocks, is the ideal place for some serious pampering after a day of explorations and activities in the area. The hotel has a pier in the Iguazú river, perfect for those who (like me!), enjoy kayaking.

The design is austere and beautiful, using materials from the area, warm, earthy colors, and exquisite furniture brought from Indonesia.

There is a pool side restaurant surrounded by whispering trees, great for dining al fresco and afternoon cocktails.

Last and most importantly, the service is great, one of those places where people greet you by your name, and go to great lengths to make sure you feel at home.
A magical place for adventure and relaxation.

Details:
Loi Suites is located 15 minutes away from the falls, 20 minutes away from the airport and just 5 minutes away from Puerto iguazú. Thanks Loi Suites! for everything.