August 18, 2011 / by carina / Make A Comment / Filed under Gratitude
So, this summer has been a time of great change. Not so much around me, but in me. What do I wish for me and my family, what do I want for my business, and what do I want to spend my time working on.
I love writing in english, and I truely feel that I have something to say. However, I have had to make a decision. What is this blog and why do I spend time writting. And for the moment I have made the choice to change this blog from an english version to a danish.
It has been a hard choice, as it means letting go of a dream I have had with this blog and what I wanted it to do. But as a lot of you know, once you do let go of something that is “weighing you down” it can feel so liberating. I have always been the kind of person who wants to change the world. I am sure I will… 
But I have to start closer to home – with me… he he. We will see how it goes.
So from now on you can read this blog in Danish. Thank you all for leaving your comments, and sharing your thoughts, it has meant the world to me.
Here’s to new dreams and moments unfolding.
xox
Carina
January 15, 2011 / by carina / 3 Comments / Filed under Gratitude, Mindfulness i praksis
I was listening to Daniel Goleman on TED talks (iphone version – it’s great). It was a talk about compassion. He starts off talking about a study that was done, I won’t go into the specifics, but a group of theological students were asked to give a pratice sermon and they were given a topic. Half were if given the parable of a good samaritan. The rest had random bible topics. One by one they were asked to go to another building and give their sermon. On the way, each of them passed a man who was bent over and moaning, and clearly in need. Did it make a difference that they were contemplating the act of the good samaritan and how many stopped. It didn’t! What determined who would stop – was how much of a hurry they thought they were in, they felt that they were running late, or they were caught up in what they were going to say.
So even in the proces of talking/thinking/writing about compassion, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are.
Are we really too busy to be compassionate people? Are we too busy to hold other people’s suffering not to mention our own?
Do we stop to help the elderly even if we are in a hurry, do we hold the door for disabled people, do we donate money to people in need and do we feel true compassion for others? Or do we keep running and say “I’ll do it next time around”?
What are we waiting for and running towards? And is this the trend of today? Waiting for and running towards the right moment to be; compassionate, have children, a partner, get married, do something nice for others and yourself, feel happy, lose weight, give a compliment, take action, take NO action, sit down and look at the children we might have found time to have, giving a hug, forgiving, loving, letting go.
We are waiting for a right moment that is constantly passing. We have the opportunity now, and are we present in the now to take it?
We don’t have to go anywhere else to find compassion. Not to a Himalayan monastery or even a meditation retreat. We don’t have to sit at the foot of a guru or stand on our heads. We won’t find compassion in a book or a blog or an inspirational quotation. There is only one place to practice compassion: the one you’re in. You can never leave this place, but you can turn it inside out. Do you want to live in friendship or fear? Paradise or paranoia? We are each citizens of the place we make, so make it a better place. Karen Maezen Miller
Thank you Karen you said it for me.
January 7, 2011 / by carina / 7 Comments / Filed under Gratitude, Ro i hverdagen
The AIM2011 task this week is to declutter.
It’s funny because there is a series on TV at the moment about extreme hoarders. I am trying to cut back on TV but somethings just fascinate me too much. It is very easy for me to shake my head, and ask how can anyone live like that. I’d go crazy in that mess.
Last night an elder women was close to being evicted if she did not clean her house. Her children were helping her and she was getting very angry. She could not allow her family to throw away her things. As she said “they are never here with me, but my stuff is with me all the time”. The autopilot started to judge her. “Why doesn’t she just call them, be more pleasent so they would want to come over, get her act together” etc. As they started to clear her house, and she was panicking and trying to hang on to every little piece of paper, I felt it sting a bit.
I might not have piles of “junk” everywhere, but I for sure have things that I cling on to. Things I feel represent me, things that give me a sense of self. I can relate to the feeling of that self leaving me if I ever threw those things in the garbage. I have books that are there because I feel that I stay bright in their presence, birthday cards so I still feel loved, clumps of clay I don’t know what is anymore – to remind me that I was a child once, t-shirts I would never wear, from festivals I danced around at when I was a fun person, clothes I can’t fit anymore, from a time when I was a better looking version of me… and I can go on.
It is in boxes, stuffed away in the attic, and maybe they will only come out again the day I am no longer here, and someone has to clear it out. So is my sense of self stuck in a box in the attic?
I have no intention of getting rid of everything I own, but I will definitely have a look at the reasons for why I hang on to certain stuff. Can I feel in touch with my childhood, feel loved, feel smart, be a fun person without a storageroom to define me? Maybe we all hoard to a certain extent. It must be harder to be present when we can’t let go of the past in fear of losing ourselves. Maybe the memories and feel of self, don’t get the place they deserve because it has become an external thing.
Since everything is forever changing, I have the intention of letting go of the fear, that the proces of change will lose me if I don’t hang on. And try to trust mySELF.
- The picture is painted by a man that I will never forget – Norman Knott. The day I met him I will always hold dear and it was a big part of my childhood. The feeling his presence gave me is in my heart, painting or no painting.
January 1, 2011 / by carina / 12 Comments / Filed under Gratitude
My very very first ever blog post. I have been very certain of the fact that I never wanted one. For many reasons, but I guess I never liked being too exposed. With that being said, more likely it is the fear of putting myself out there for other people to judge. But what the hell they do it anyway, and if for no one else, this blog is my way of writing down some thoughts. So to those of you willing to read some of it – I thank you.
Going through the last year I was amazed of how much has happened. I found myself wondering hard if I during the last year, ever stopped a minute to be grateful… Well I am now and there are a lot of things to add to the list.
Thanks to twitter I found Sarah Prout who launched the eCourse AIM2011. Just being asked to write down what I am grateful for, I have felt so much lighter and happy. So for that I am grateful. Lilli (my daughter) is growing fast and I feel so lucky having her in my life. From being scared to be a parent and feeling lost in the strange mix of total anxiety of losing her and being extremely tired – I have fallen in love with the little girl. And it keeps growing. Along with her I have a wonderful man in my life. He has supported me in starting my own business in 2010, and takes the my nagging with patience… Bless him. We have no money and live crowded but we are happy together – what more can you ask for? Well a new bed maybe…
I have a ton of the best siblings and mother you could ask for and I’m very proud of every one of them. I cannot imagine not being a part of a big family with all the arguments, hugs and laughs that go with it. They have done great things in 2010, and I am thrilled that they all have talents and the courage to follow their dreams.
I have my business which I love. It’s weird to call it my business as it is my way of life. It is what I truely love to do and I take my own pratice very seriously. I work with wonderful people who come to my courses to learn meditation and mindfulness. I am humbled by the people who chose to devote 8 weeks to do inner work and do something amazing for themselves. They are the stars and if there wasn’t people with that kind of courage – I couldn’t do what I do. The business has nothing to do with me, it’s all about them. So thank you ladies.
So with the hope of having more juicy kisses and hugs from the little one I welcome 2011 with a lot of love and gratitude.
A big thanks to Nikole for spending the time to help me with the blog!
