Another catch-up. I’m getting there! One heart I made, as a reminder to act if you want to achieve your goals. I made it beautiful and dreamy, so that it’s a kind note to self ;-)
Last week I was in a creative mood and took inspiration from the materials used.
This week, pages were the triggers of my fantasy, and origami crane birds.
Here are 9 new catch-up hearts! How are your hearts getting along?
With love,
Tess
PS: Have you created or spotted a heart this week? Share it with me! Use #aheartaday and social media may overflow with hearts…
[I love love and I love hearts! But oh, this world needs more visible love. So let’s change that, step by step. Away with pessimism. Away with hate. Let’s fill this world with love. And hearts! To show compassion towards each other, towards the planet, towards ourselves. It proves to be difficult for so many of us. But instead of judging it’s more meaningful to show love, to respond with love, to act out of love. Say it with hearts. So I’m sharing A Heart A Day. Every day I will draw, stitch, paint or otherwise create a heart and post it on this blog. Will you help me make love and hearts spread like a contagious but healthy disease?]
Like you, I’m shaken by the happenings in Paris. I’m shaken by the refugee crisis. Shaken by those who say it’s the refugees who are behind these attacks. Shaken by people who praise the attacks.
But I’m not here to give my opinion on all the fires in the world. Simply because I don’t have the words nor – like anyone on this planet – the knowledge to form a true and balanced opinion on this matter. We all have our own truths and there is enough pointing of fingers going on already.
Instead, I would like to talk about love. I was raised with stories of miracles (provided by Waldorf education and my parents) from all different religions and backgrounds. Cheesy but true, these stories in the end always were about love. It was and still is love. Love for oneself, for one-another, for a god. Underlying foundation for religion = love.
That’s why to me, all religions are the same. When thoroughly dissected they are based on that one core ingredient. What a shame they’ve all lost that ingredient. What a shame that we all have gone so far from that main subject that the opposite is what’s reflected in our world today. Hate.
What a shame. And believe me, we all should be ashamed of ourselves. No matter what religious views we hold or how strong our Atheist visions.
So here we are. Our world on fire. Voices raised, fingers pointed. And we just do…what exactly? We wait. We wait for our world leaders to condemn and for the Pope to shake hands with the Imam. Hoping that after that, everybody will follow their example. But if we’ve learned from the past, we know that doesn’t work. Otherwise we wouldn’t be where we are today.
I believe it has to come from us. From within. Pure love and compassion. Openness towards each other. From grocer Jack and the school teacher to your neighbours and you. From the local church to the Islamic policeman. Let’s drop our megalomania.
We don’t own this planet. We live here, that’s all. We should never think we are superior. Not to each other, not to this world. Because we are not. After all, we are just like animals or trees, a flower; we exist and grow but only because of nature’s magic. Let’s find back our humane core. The gesture has to come from us. Individuals. We have to reach out, shake hands. Show our love. Talk and listen. We are the change.
Yes, you may always say I’m a dreamer. That I’m naive. But believe me, I’m not the only one. And I think it’s time to pursue our naive ideas instead of always reason – because has reasoning stopped the world from burning? Has pointing fingers made us come closer? Indeed, it has not. It’s time to stop follow populists blindly or let fear take over. Go on, dream and be naive. Touch hearts. Just like this guy.
Most of you would have passed by a junkyard filled with glass like this. My radar, however, starts beeping out of control. My head explodes. My camera takes a thousand pictures. One of my favourite hidden gems in London.
On my toes, peeking over the wall.
Piled up
Blue is the colour
I’ve passed this little glass-collection – on the corner of Middleton Road and Haggerston Road – many a time when I was in London. Every time my heart pumps faster. Skipping beats. As though in love. It’s a combination of the colours and structures of the glass and the abandoned atmosphere of scenery. The few little flowers breaking through the concrete walls. The note on the door. The owner never reached.
Just gorgeous.
I can spend a whole hour watching, peeking over the wall. Always.
Incomprehensible to you, maybe. I understand that.
It’s probably just glass for you. Just someone who forgot he ran a business. Just what looks like glass bathtubs.
Nothing special.
Look!
Howdy..?
I tried…
No matter how rough the circumstances.
I think it’s mesmerizing. Not damaged goods. And I won’t stop looking at it. Until the owner sells the place.
I hope Haggerston – or whatever London council the glass garden belongs to – can see the value of this beautiful spot.
Preserve it. For the greater good and the dreamers’ hearts! I know I would…
Can’t get enough of this…
Camera through the gate
Mesmerizing corner in London
[ these pictures are all mine! using or sharing? great! please do contact me beforehand ]
One of the most fulfilling ways of clearing out the road to minimalism for me is to give.
Friends who move to Amsterdam for a year get the rug that has been collecting dust somewhere underneath my bed. Other people I make happy with a coat I don’t wear anymore. When things have the potential of making a bit of money I consider selling it online, but the idea of making other people happy without them having to spend money… It’s the best feeling!
But it can get even better. Going through my books every once in a while, I always find some that were fun reads but that I don’t desire to keep. Most of these books I pass on. To random people. Whom I don’t know and probably will never meet. I leave books on trains and in café’s for example. Hoping that someone will be brave and curious enough to pick it up, open the first page and read:
For me this is a good way of parting from things.
It leaves me with the happy thought that it might be used by someone else.
The idea that someone reads it and passes it on.
Somewhere.
Who knows where it will travel to.
This is minimalism for my material soul.
That replaces something material with happiness.
With a smile on my face.
It doesn’t always go as planned in my dreamer’s mind, though.
A couple of weeks ago I left another book on the train.
When I was about to get off, a boy tapped me on the shoulder.
“You forgot your book, miss.”
Such a kind, thoughtful gesture!
I told him I’d finished it and left it for someone else to read.
At the signal of closing doors I quickly jumped off.
Leaving the confused boy behind.
Just a question: did you ever find one of my old books?
Confetti In Your Face 