With widening perspective, being open to perceive the differences as a gift. As in former times, I often felt excluded, I suppose that in fact I induced this feeling myself through my own narrowing view and behavior, so looking through the other one´s eyes helped to be inclusive; to talk about things and to understand helped, to be willing to take the other as he or she is, and to meet each one with gratitude for their being here with me, contributing to life like I do also, and taking possible difficulties less personal helped to open again to enjoy being there together.

Facing a challenging situation has helped me to widen my range of possible replies instead of reacting, while in the same time allowing to be seen in my hurt feeling. It opened to talk about the theme at hand, to express what I felt was unjust, to find understanding and in the same time to allow other perspectives than my own to be taken into consideration. Staying alert and internally balanced despite intense emotions and non-reacting opened to communication and understanding some of the wider meaning of the situation and to gratitude for finding respect and love for my own as well as for the other, so that kind communion was the result where in former times, I could have easily landed up in feeling sad, separated from others or just lonely. So grateful for this process and for the people who where around!

Recently, so many “aha” moments concerning releasing old stories have been uplifting my whole emotional state. The most important story I was able to release with all your support, my dear friends here sharing and with the help of other friends and loved ones is that story of isolation, knowing and feeling from the inside by now that all is a “we”, it can´t be different, it never was and never will be an “I”- story of “I-solation”, no way possible! It needed a long way of painful re-vival first until finally understanding, then letting go was possible.
How can I ever express my gratitude to have had the chance to open a deeply twisted life´s knot with all your support? Please with a deep bow, may I say thank you from my heart to all of you.

I am grateful for the cat who comes to visit my beloved sister. They both were curious about the other, the cat loved to be fed, and my sister loved to feed him, to see him, and slowly he allowed her to stroke him, and then off he was again. Slowly, they got accustomed to each other, and by now, they both take a nap on her sofa, the cat on a cushion next to her, purring in comfort, and my sister petting the cat, or both falling asleep. I was happy and grateful when my sister told me about it.

First I had no clue of how to be more generous, I was starting from the perception that I really feel I am eating more than needed, even more than enough as i just love food, but may be it is a kind of greed to keep an eye on and to start reducing intake a lot. So a possible way to be more of support for others is to eat less , no second go when it is so delicious, and instead give the money saved to the town´s place where they feed the homeless. Although I would not name it more generous, as I get something out of it, too, so a win – win situation for all concerned, it will be a freely given support for kindred people in need. This will be of some help for others within the same theme, while my body might feel a bit lighter as time goes by, and it may transform something, not only in me, may be. Starting today. But generosity is something else completely. Please allow me to ponder more about this question.

I don´t know, but all peace begins with being peaceful inside first, as several already have mentioned, and that looking at and experiencing all other living beings as equitable kindred people, as well as animals and plants is a prerequisite for peace, and work in progress in so many as in myself also. To help to let go of comparing, of jealousy, of envy and other emotions hindering to experience peace and happiness then might be an option, and so to be the peace we want to see in this world.

Good morning, friends! Just grateful for being here with you all, and would like to share a recent experience with you. A friend of mine recently told me about a beautiful way she got to know, of how to turning a bad mood or possible currently unpleasant emotions, which might be present, or my sometimes feeling distant to others into experiencing joy and lightness. She said she would silently say “I love you” to the one(s) she encounters, sometimes over and over again, and just this thought brought back the light. I tried it, and it then was and still is just beautifully helping me to feel deeply with each other when I felt or feel to be a bit “off” for a moment being. The immediate change of my internal and even the external atmosphere was really stunning to me and helped a lot to open up when last weekend, I was almost feeling scared before attending a seminar. It became the bridge of being together with all these lovely people like being home and was helping me to include all. I am deeply grateful for my friend for having mentioned this and for having had this soothing and joyful experience. It also helps a lot to just stand still and be with a given difficult situation where I feel I cannot actively change something for the moment being. So grateful for all of you, and for your presence. Have a lovely day you all!

Envy can teach me about what to let go of, i.e. comparing or the feeling of sadness because of not having …. which I feel was much more prominent than envy and to be happy and grateful about the individual gifts given to and by others while giving mine also for the sake and well being of all. I feel that gratitude dissolves envy and opens the door to express joy and possible talents as well as just to be who we are, which in itself is a huge gift to others. Envy can teach me to transform the experience of scarcity into fullness.

Dear Holly, thank you for your post. If I may say so, in my experience of former times with my dear teacher of arts at school, Mr. Jessel, I learned that it is just the opposite: housework comes before art. May be that´s really old fashioned, and I even promised to leave sujets I was interested in until he would tell me I would be fit for it or even never. Still, to train and refresh the way I have been taught by my dear teacher of old times and to approach and exercise artistic abilities in general simply would make me happy, as creativity arises, which has been blocked for a long time. In a way, it is the same with playing music. I am open to both and hope to be able to follow where way opens, if my time allows it may be even both, God willing.