Excuses.....

A story:
'Did you know there is a huge pig farm outside Riyadh?'
I: '....uh .....no.....?!?'
'It is there for insuline'
I:.........?!?
'I know, pigs are not allowed in Saudi, but they found a solution:
they got soil out of Jemen and the pigs are on that soil,
so they are not on Saudi ground.....'

A few weeks ago,
I was walking in the compound and saw a nice spot:
it showed our 'road in life'.
I decided to go back after my round in the compound,
to take a picture.
When I went back,
it was not as it was and.....
I was disappointed.....
I still made a few pictures and went home.

'Flowers, dead and alive' and 'our path in life, going towards the light'
could be the title .....or something like that....
however, that was not what I wanted to show!

I had a plan and I wanted to follow what was in my head:

first I wanted to walk and then I would make the picture....
-Do you recognise this:
following YOUR plan because you think you know best ;-)?
You focus on 'how' to come were you want to come....
as if this is the only and the best way.......-

A few days later I walked again and:
I saw the stairs again, as it was how I wanted it to be!

This time, I made a detour to get my camera,

and after that, I made a detour again
to bring the camera back home

and then I finished my walk.....

I did exactly what made me happy only......

in a different order...a different 'how',
holding on to my plan and.....

I got everything that I wanted......
and more....

For me THESE are the stairs of life, the road of life.......

It is full of flowers and leaves, some dead, some alive...

These are the challenges and beautiful memory's in life,

those who made you the person you are now............

You even see a gardener on the picture....I didn't plan that ;-)

and perhaps he needs to be there as well:

we get help, we don't have to 'clean' our road all by ourselves....

In the first picture the gardener cleaned already

and the flowers and leaves were put aside.

Sometimes we want these 'clean stairs' as if life should only be fun and easy.......

and not a road to become the best person we can be become.

In school we know we get tests to see if we are ready for the next step,

in life we sometimes want to avoid these tests.....

and go to the next step, even if we are not ready....

We find excuses....

My excuse:

'My plan is the best plan, so I walk first,

because that is what I planned to do  

and there is only one way to do it, the 'how'.

When I did let go of 'the how' -my plan-

but  kept  were I wanted to go,

there came an other 'how'

and I got more then I asked for... 

How was your reaction to the 'pig farm' story?

Do you make excuses?

'I can not come to the party, because I have work to do'

'We should never have gotten married, but now we have to make sure it is good for the kids'

'I hate my work, but I have a mortgage to pay.'

'I am not happy, but am to old to change'

'It is my brother and I know how he is'

'Today is a party so I eat and drink, that is nicer for the hosts'

'I don't ask, perhaps it will hurt them'

'I don't have time to walk'

'I don't have money to live the life I want'

'Mercury is retrograde'

'I have children, I have no children'.......

We are half way of the month of April

Mercury is direct again and

Chiron will leave Neptune. -see the blog from december-

Can we let go of the feeling of being a victim,

can we let go of excuses.

Can we let go of control and trust,

do we have patience.....

Do we realise we get an other chance

and the only thing we have to do

is take it......

When we are in the middle of the stairs and we look back

what do we see......

the flower or all the dead leaves....... 

And if we look up,

do we see there will be lots of beautiful memory's
or do we only see dead leaves and flowers.....

Do we realise that we only have to take one step at the time...

Sometimes it is good to take a step back,
so you can see that your path is always protected.

You are safe to go and are being helped,

the only thing you have to do is take one step at the time...

The story of the pig farm?
I have no idea if it is true or false.....
It could be true and if it is used for insuline,
why can it be wrong?!?
Why does it need to stand on different soil
if it is there to help people?!?
who cares and......

Do you need excuses?
If you don't hurt yourself and the people/environment around you
what could be wrong?
Perhaps these old convictions are hurting You,
are not the best for you.

Perhaps holding on to them, are 'just' excuses....
convictions you can choose to let go,
so you can go Your path.
Then, after perhaps a few years,
when you look back,
you can see that you are exactly were you want to be
even though 'the how' if different then you planned.....

April: clear the way..

This month started with Easter Sunday.
We were back in Bahrein.....memory lane...

In Bahrein, we went back to the compound were we lived in

and to the hotel we stayed in when we visited Bahrein after we left.

Interesting to realize that memory's are not the same for everyone 

Jaap and I had different memory's about the time we had there

and we were open for each others views,

so we got a 'clear view' again.

There was no need for either of us to 'be right'

and.....that made all the difference....

If you choose to stand in the shoes of someone else,

you understand why the memory's are different....

and....you get a clear view again :-)

We celebrate Easter, as a day of resurrection,

feast of the light, transformation.

Most of the time we 'forget' that Good Friday comes first!

If we cannot accept the 'dead', the pain,

then there is no resurrection, transformation,

no light, no Easter.....

Sometimes we have an idea how something has to go,

and if it is not going as we have it in our mind,

we choose not to accept it 

and stay in 'Good Friday' instead of going to 'Easter'.

We are fighting against instead of going trough it

and.....then there can not be light....

transformation has to waith......

This month, it was 50 years ago

that Luther King was assassinated.

Winnie Mandela died and

I saw the movie 'a United Kingdom again.

-the story about Seretse Khana from Botswana-

They were standing up for something good,

instead of fighting against.......

These people, who helped change the world,

had to deal with the media, with integrity...

In there own way they went from 'Good Friday' to Easter.

They helped change the world.

How far did we come?

Are we ready to look beyond the surface?

Can we, like them, live our own life?

'Peace starts within.....'

'Do your best each day, each one matters!'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24_LitcLXCc

Jane Goodall talks to young people.

She talks about respect for each other and the world around,

and....'peace starts within'....

Uranus in Aries is in his last degrees:

young people are again standing up,

they are the future and....want a say in it!

When Uranus went into Aries

the Arab Spring started: young people wanted a change....

Now, at the end of Uranus in Aries

again young people stand up.

Martin Luther Kings granddaughter spoke up:

she has also a dream......a world without guns....

Next month Uranus will be in Taurus:

will we see a world without guns the coming years?

Will Saudi Arabie show the change without war?!?

We will see and

WE will be the one who can change it,

starting with ourselves.

Feeling a victim is old.....

you are 'powerful beyond measure...'

This is a picture made when we went back to Holland after Bahrein and before going back to Saudi.

I made the outline of the children and they drew themselves.

I am sure it was great when they finished it and it was on the wall.

I don't remember what it looked like and....that is not important....

Important is that they 'made' themselves......

Do you let your children be yourself? and......

can YOU be yourself?

Can you go through Good Friday to Easter

or do you stay in 'Good Friday'.....

It is time to let go and sometimes we don't see it clearly.

As you see in the picture: there was lot's of sand in the air....

.

This month is a month for memory lane,

a month to be confronted with some unsolved issues

and a month to heal,

to be nice to your self.

Till now there was a lot of sand in the air,

only the last days there was rain and thunderstorms.

Good metaphor for the energie for this month:

sometimes you don't see it clear,

and rain and thunder,

can clear the air.

Have patience with yourself

and go YOUR way

step by step,

and....ask for help if needed.

Do we have patience,
or do we compare ....do we judge ourselves.
In the compound there are trees letting go of leaves....
I associate this with autumn only....
these trees need to let go now,
because summer is coming.

We don't judge these trees....they do it there own way on there own time....

Can we look at ourselves the same way?

With Uranus going into Taurus next month,

there will be another energy,

I hope we can make the change ourselves:

take time, enjoy nature, have patience, feel at peace,

knowing we have time to do what we are ment to do

That we enjoy the road, it is not a race.....

we are, like these trees, also nature.

If we can not do this, yet,

then Uranus will 'help' us do it,

most of the time in unexpected and radical ways...

So use this month to get a clear view :-)

This was after the sandstorm.....

I wish you all a clear view

and the courage to go through some old pattern and habits.

You are perfect, just the way you are....

You have all the time you need and everything

that let you believe that is not the case is old

and not needed anymore.

Let the energy of April help you clear the way!

Enjoy!