Year of the Dragon...

New movie to love.

i often find such wisdom in kids movies. 

this one was particularly good.

kindness goes a lot further than fear.

we all feel fear.

if we watch others they show us how they want to be treated.

usually with compassion.

trust your kids more.

hug them even more.

we can all train our inner dragons. 

be kinder to our self.

magic exists.

imagination must be exercised daily.

cultivate the spirit of the dragon.

be fearless, toothless and take the risk.

fly or fall, just don't give up.

remember to keep your friends informed about your dragon training.

no more slaying. (so old fashioned)

embrace the shadow and soar.

Happy Year of the Dragon everyone.

from this old Dog

*

ever get yourself in a tangle about things?

i went and saw this Disney movie today.

Go see it. It is not just for children.

It is for everyone who has ever been

torn apart by a choice,

has had to trust in themselves,

has rolled their eyes at their mother,

has had an impossible dream,

has longed for love,

and loves beauty.

This is a movie for little girls of all ages.

Remember our hearts don't grow old like the rest of us.

All a girl needs is a skillet,

a chameleon,

lots of magic hair

and a little bit of courage.

Letting go and trusting our inner knowing,

moving towards a dream,

even when we are scared and

don't know what it will look like at the dream,

we must dream.

Little ones,

secret ones,

BIG dreams or grand affairs,

whatever they are get them,

list them,

whisper them,

wish them.

Its where the love is revealed,

the magic,

the divine,

the peace.

Its all there waiting for us.

my favourite scene was the one below with the lanterns.

what if our dreams were like the lanterns

illuminating the world and our individual lives.

not all the time but in glimpses, moments,

during a cup of tea, as dawn breaks,

in just enough time to remind us

to let go,

have faith

and just be......

may your tangles unravel

may your dreams float around you

and inspire you to reach, for them.

let down your hair,

relax and save yourself from yourself.

enjoy the movie...

*

Eat Pray Love

i loved the book when i read it. i love the movie now.

they are a bit different. but thats good. there is lots of good stuff in both.

this way you get different things from the different formats, also at different times.

when i read the book it was framed within the limitations of my travels to ny, italy & indonesia and my assumptions about india.

(because i'm a visual person i like to see it, imaging from my life's movie in my head.)

to see the images on the big screen is truly art. they get to pick great locations, amazing skies and the editing is fab. and i get to see the gorgeous-ness...

as yummy as real gelati in rome...

and then there is the story. the one that has come into the world at a time when people are searching, travelling and loving. the story isn't just the journey of one woman, it speaks to a collective, lots of us experiencing a shift in our consciousness and physical states.

some conventions, traditions and ideas are becoming ill-fitted, like wearing someone else's shoes.

what i got from this story is this:

*searchers are we. we may not need to travel far (like italy, india or indonesia) but we must go deep. into our own hearts and souls and be still enough to listen to the whispers within.

and they are there.

travel is great catalyst for soul searching, but it is possible by being where you are. i can't jet off so i'll catch delight & pleasure everyday, dance & wrestle with my crazies and silence until i can find.... stillness

* we are a social species. create family where you are.

be open and friendly, willing to experience life with other people and

the relationships can offer healing.

be daring, smile at someone.

family isn't just the people you are born to.

* vulnerability is a cloak we all carry. we get hardened by life, we must cultivate our faith in love, kindness and the generosity of others. lets keep soft, floaty cloaks not ones made of steel.

i realised this is a big one i don't talk much about.

a recent experience for me has been in the realisation that i get tough and bossy in the presence of vulnerability (illness, frailty). is it from our survival of the fittest instinct? is it a western modern construct i have learned? is it me, am i just mean?

my struggle with vulnerability goes like this: i perceive a problem. a weakness. i try to fix it. i can't. so then i have this hard line, withdrawn-love-kindof response. it is difficult to sit with things that i have no control over. and even when i can imagine a solution to someone else's vulnerability, its NOT my vulnerability to fix! if i believe; being vulnerable is okay when you are loved, supported and heard. then why would i treat my beloveds in such a yucky way? everyone just feels crappy and resistant when we attempt to cover up the vulnerable, tender spot.

i have decided this vulnerable control freak is gonna put her freak down and spread some kindness in the direction of the sore, tired, vulnerable ones i love. (self included)

*communicate. listen mainly.

do we really hear anything? anyone? God? Soul?

i'm good at the talking. a blog is silent talking, still talking....

getting some ideas out on this space IS me listening.

reading this back makes me clearer, calmer, kinder...

*it's not personal. like when you get sick. or that my son has had one virus after another for the last 2 months. or someone has cancer. someone leaves you. (it may be you but they are leaving because their own reasons).

no one deserves illness. its not because of anything i did or didn't do, thats called superstition. its not my fault. it's not personal. the virus or cancer do not make a conscious decision about who they will p*ss off today. but i can be conscious about how i deal with it. maybe become more aware of my personal journey, make a new friend or let old family in, share vulnerabilities with those people. feel heard. love and be loved in return.

*let love in.... always

*find balance and sometimes be out of balance.

(not the other way around)

there's more, but another time...

sparkle & twirl every day

*