Happy New Year!

Greetings all!

I can’t wait for 2020 to end. This has been the year we will all remember – a year filled with uncertainty, fear, sadness, and loss. We might have lost family members, friends, co-workers, people we did not know but still cried for, and jobs – and each loss made a scar on our hearts.

How does one get up in the morning when today seems gloomy and tomorrow is uncertain? I say with HOPE. Because hope, kindness to ourselves and to others, and just pausing to breathe are the lifelines that have been helping us survive and believe that tomorrow will be better.

I love this video about the power of hope – and also about the power of little things. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sK3wJAxGfs

Traditionally, the New Year’s Eve is the time to make resolutions for the upcoming year. Often, our resolutions are rather grandiose and ambitious – and there is nothing wrong with that! But I also try to remember that little things in life matter a lot. Sometimes, all you need to feel good and hopeful is to make your bed!

Happy New Year! Stay safe and healthy, have hope, and do not give up! And remember - YOU ARE ENOUGH!

Don’t Look Down - 11 Interesting Bridges Around the World

Greetings all!

Do you like bridges? I think there is something symbolic about them: they are the conduits to the next point, which usually means moving, maybe changing, maybe progressing, maybe meeting and overcoming obstacles! I also read somewhere that bridges can symbolize hope, which I quite like! 

Here are some interesting bridges. I think #10 particularly is terrifying! But another unexpected bridge put a huge smile on my face!

1. Ai Petri Bridge, Ukraine (image Wikimedia Commons)

2. Iya Kazurabashi Bridge, Japan (image Wikimedia Commons)

3. Keshwa Chaca Bridge, Peru (image Wikimedia Commons)

4. U Bein Bridge, Myanmar (image Wikimedia Commons)

5. Ko Paen Bamboo Bridge, Cambodia (image Wikimedia Commons)

6. Monkey Bridges, Vietnam (image Shutterstock)

7. Trift Bridge, Switzerland  (image Wikimedia Commons)

8. Mount Titlis, Switzerland (image Wikimedia Commons)

9. The Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado (image Wikimedia Commons)

10. 4,600ft Glass Walkway, China Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (image https://www.boredpanda.com/glass-bridge-tianmen-mountain-zhangjiajie-national-forest-park-hunan-china/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

11. Palace Bridge, Saint Petersburg 

(image https://pixabay.com/photos/russia-architecture-bridge-night-2396022/)

Bonus #12 Guinea Pig Bridge

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUpQSEVmjvE)

Sources :

• https://travelmanner.com/slideshow/dangerous-bridges-wont-cross
• https://www.boredpanda.com/glass-bridge-tianmen-mountain-zhangjiajie-national-forest-park-hunan-china/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUpQSEVmjvE

What did you think? Drop me a line!

Down Shift Menu

Greetings all!

When was the last time you took some time for yourself? A 2-hour massage or a week-long vacation would be great but these are not recommended activities at the moment. 

Why not take a 10-minute break right now? Here is your Down Shift menu of little things to help you de-stress! You can even combine several of them! 

Or - gasp! - try to find 10 minutes and do nothing. Just turn off everything and let your mind go blank for several minutes, which is actually quite challenging because our thoughts do not want to stop!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHIopNNlqmp/

Which was your favorite item on this menu? Drop me a line!

This Is A Daily Reminder [Poem of the Week]

This is a daily reminder
To relax,
To not get angry over small things,
To stay calm.

This is a daily reminder
To be yourself,
To not care what people think,
To know you can be anything.

This is a daily reminder
To love yourself,
To not hurt yourself,
To not work yourself up.

This is a daily reminder
That you are beautiful,
That you are amazing,
That you will succeed.

This is a daily reminder
To always have hope,
To have faith,
To know everything will be okay.

This is a daily reminder
That you have made it so far already,
That you haven't given up,
That whatever you're doing is right,
And that you are going to be amazing.

Don't give up.
Keep holding on and believing.

By Nicolette 

(Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/this-is-a-daily-reminder)