Recently I was reading this great blog of Gretchen Rubin called The Happiness Project, she wrote a post about her twelve commandments. Simple personal guidelines to help you stay focused and balanced, and define who you are.

Reading that post inspired me to think and write my own version, not twelve but ten commandments. I realized when things are just going out of control, out of balance, I take a look at them and I’m back on track. I have to admit that it is not always easy to stick to them, but it is a challenge I’m willing to take every day.

 I invite you to write your ten, twelve, five or even one commandment and to stick to it.

1. GOD is number one

2. LOVE will prevail

3. Always stay TRUE to myself

4. Bring a SMILE to others

5. Cherish true FRIENDS

6. LESS is more

7. Live LIFE now, life is here and now

8. Do it, with PASSION

9. Discover, try, taste NEW things

10. Be GRATEFUL

Today I’m not allright, I have not been allright for months, when I think it’s getting better, to my surprise, I’m back to zero.

We might not know or see the end of this road, God sees the big picture and He has everything in control, the way to know this, happens to be when we are crossing the dessert, and we cry out to God.

God’s sweet voice whispers to us, that He has not forgotten us, He is right here.

This song explains it better. 

“If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of
Then “cool” is just how far we have to fall
I am not immune, I only want to be loved
But I feel safe behind the firewall

Can I lose my need impress?
If you want the truth I need to confess

I’m not alright, I’m broken inside
And all I go through, it leads me to you

Burn away the pride
Bring me to my weakness
Until everything I hide behind is gone
And when I’m open wide with nothing left to cling to
Only you are there to lead me on.

Honestly, I’m not that strong.

I’m not alright… that’s why I need you”

Sanctus Real

translated from http://reflexionesdiarias.wordpress.com , adapted by MNG

Why is it that we learn to value what we have until we do not have it anymore?

Why is it that we value our feet untill we cannot walk properly?

Why is it that we learn how to smile after we have cried a river?

Is it not strange that we experience happiness only after a great suffering?

Why is it that forgiveness comes after we have felt hatred?

Why is it that we learn how to be patient in a long line in traffic or in a bank?

Just as rainbows needs both sunshine and rain, so our lifes will produce it’s beautiful colors after it has gone through some suffering.

We do not have all the answers for the unexpected questions that arise in our life, but we can learn to trust God, who surely knows all the answers.

Surely everything works out for good for those who love God. Romans 8:28

 Image from http://www.ndesign-studio.com/portfolio/illustration/abstract-life/

Last July 1, I turned 31, OMG, still cannot believe how fast years come and go. I started to write this post on July 4th but did not finished it. I wanted to make a list of 31 things that I would like to do during one year. I have got a few from my own, as soon as I have the 31 I will post them. While I’m doing each one of them I will write about  here.

 I like people with their head in place, that is spiritual, with ideals, with their eyes and feet in reality. 

I like people that laugh, cries, get excited with a simple note or letter, a call, good music, a good movie, a good book, a gesture of kindness, a hug.

People that love and knows how to receive love, that are somewhat nostalgic, they like friends, loves flowers, admires the sunset, likes a poem and knows how to listen.

People that has time to do acts of kindness, knows to ask forgiveness and knows to let go, share moments, even the silliest. share sweetness and has space for their emotions in them, emotions that flows naturally from deep within.

People that enjoys to do the things they like, without running away from hard commitments, even when they can be exhausting.

People that help others, guides, understands, gives advice, search for the truth and wants to learn even if it’s from a child.  

People with a restless heart, with no hate or cheap preconceptions, with so much love inside. People that makes mistakes and knows how to admit them, that may fall but knows how to rise up again, handle the fists of life, learning from their mistakes, and redeeming their tears and suffering.

I like people like that, maybe because I am quite like that.

Some of our relationships are like revolving doors, we let people in our lives through this constant turning around of our emotions and feelings, they try to come in and then suddenly we slightly push them back through the revolving door, till they get out, without knowing. After a while they realize what they have done and start feeling kind of bad and then they let them back, but then the rollercoaster of our emotions makes us push them away again, and the story repeats again. Causing hurt and pain.

Others are like automatic sliding doors, these are the ones that will open automatically when someone approaches. They let all kind of people enter their lives, without taking the time to know and discern the person or their intentions.

There are many reasons for people to be either one of these two examples. It can be due to low self esteem, feeling that you do not deserve anything from anyone, or maybe people that have hurt us so much that we are afraid to be hurt again. I could go on and on.

Who are you? The one in the revolving door who is trying to enter or the one who is letting anyone enter your life?

Which is better?  Well, I guess we all go through both doors, sometimes we are trying to get around someone, or sometimes we are just pushing people away from us, and this can leave us with confusion and sadness, frustration. We are all unique, we are all created with the need to be accepted and appreciated.

We have been created with the need to give and to receive, sometimes we just don’t know how to do it. And we need people to be persistent with us, not to say patient. Someone else can see that diamond in us that we cannot see, but we are so afraid to let people in.

Choose the people you let in your life, people who build you and lift you up, people that sees the best in you. Choose also in whose life you want to enter.

When you enter, try to make a difference, leave a positive influence, touch the lives of others. Should you be the one that has been pushed away…then leave with the satisfaction that you gave your very best.

They will surely know.

Eventhough I cannot explain it, it feels like chaos but somehow there is peace, and this peace comes only from God.

Do you have peace, eventhough it feels like chaos?

I will leave you with the lyrics, it was so appropiate for me, so I hope it will be for you too.

Whatever You’re Doing
by Sanctus Real

It’s time for healing time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
All I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
but I’m giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender…
To…

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to to release all my held back tears

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly

Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly

It’s time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out

 It affects everything in and out of us, without that we even recognize it. When we forgive people their offences towards us, we become like a feather and we can see blue skies again. Our perspective chancge and surely we have grown. And the best part is that we can go on, and even become offenseless and not senseless.

Do yourself a favor and learn to quikly forgive, it’s something we will have to choose to do everyday!

All relationships, are based and build upon details. No one would ever expect that you would cross the Atlantic Ocean for them, but most probably that you talk to them on their birthday. No one would expect for you to climb Mount Everest for them, but maybe to visit them for a few minutes when you know they are sick.

We need to learn to look for the details, and to make details happen. Like dropping that favourite chocolate with a note in an enveloppe for a friend at work, we need to get creative and express to our loved ones little details.

Details can make the difference in our daily life. Life is in the details.