~ If There Is A Single Way In Which I'd Like To See The World, It Is As A Splattering Of Love--- Kind,

~ Embracing fall and a tiny bit of Halloween in today's page from my Reflections Journal. ~ 🍂🎃

~ Our Beloved Summer ~ Favorite Moments / Stills (2) 🌺

~ Someone from Finland, over a Zoom call, said something that helps me change my life. . A conversation with a friend, on his terrace, can stay with me and help me embrace all that sparks joy. . A spring playlist appearing as a suggestion from YouTube turns out to be exactly what my heart needs to feel warm and hopeful. . If this isn't magic, I don't know what is. . Those inner, persistent nudges that illogically, consistently, lead to a spring of joy, each time listened to. . My body talking to me about how it feels, what it needs, how I can I provide for it. . A spontaneous text conversation at 4 pm on what scares me turns into a safe space for not just me, but for another one too. . If these aren't miracles, I don't know what are. . Remembering someone who has never left my heart despite more than a decade of not meeting each other. . If this isn't love, I don't know what is. . . ~ notes from everyday ~ . . P.S: A beautiful boat ride. 🌼

"In the past, she used to live by mantras like passion and willpower, as if by imprinting the words on her mind, they would somehow breathe meaning into her life. Then one day she realised it felt like she was driving herself into a corner, and she resolved never to let those words dictate her life again. Instead, she learnt to listen to her body, her feelings, and be in happy places. She would ask herself these questions: does this place make me feel positive? Can I be truly whole and uncompromisingly myself? Do I love and treasure myself here?"

~ Page 2, Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum~

Photo by: @atelierdelinda on Tumblr

Heartwork: sometime in beginning of April🌺

Sometime last year, a post of @galadarling said, "You are not stuck. You are choosing not to choose." . This hit home. . I was in a rut, in regards to a lot of aspects of my life. I kept telling myself "I don't know what to do" and I kept chanting that "I was stuck". . Slowly, on reflecting upon Gala's words, I realised, I wasn't stuck, I was choosing not to make a choice because I was afraid I would make the wrong ones. . But, I learnt that if you don't choose, you don't move forward and as hence, you stop yourself from growing. . So this year, I started to choose to choose. I am learning to become "unstuck" one choice at a time. . For anyone who needs to hear this today: make a choice. Even if it turns out to be a terrible one. Because despite the bad result, you are at least moving, you are at least learning and you are at least willing to choose a direction. Sometimes, that's all it takes to come unstuck.🌼

In need of some love and light myself today so sharing another favorite quote from ‘Iburigurashi’. 

These are screengrabs I’ve taken while or after watching an episode. Returning to post these brings the same warmth and fuzziness in my heart as it did the first time I watched these scenes. 

I’m always grateful for positive things in this world, especially on the days that feel a bit too hard. I’m always grateful to be Loved, even though I may not understand the ways in which I’m being taken care of. 

Sometimes, a shoulder to cry, a show to return to, or a Friend who’s picture you can look at and talk to are enough to soothe the rough edges of life. 

I hope you find those too, in case you may need them today. 🌸

~ We give so much of our time to things that do not benefit us. I realize this as I struggle with staying off my phone. But becoming aware each time we’re giving away our time to what isn’t good for us, and pausing to reflect and change is a practice. 

🌸 I hope we keep practicing making better choices, to feel and live better. 🌸 ~

- a note from today

~ you owe yourself the love you crave for ~ . since we were children, we've been conditioned to see love as some thing outside of ourselves. We associate it with a soulmate, friends or family. . hence, to feel loved has always been a waiting game for someone's care and attention. To feel nourished, an external dependency. . often, we forget we are love-incarnates ourselves. We are independent lighthouses of love and are fully capable to provide ourselves with the detailed care we crave and need. . healthy companionship with ourselves or others can never exist if we keep seeking the love we need from an external resource and expect it consistently. . if we can just reconnect to that sweet spot which tells you what you need from time to time and ask ourselves how we can provide the same, love becomes an active force in our day-to-day living. . it stops being a dormant, passive energy that only springs up with external association. . loving ourselves isn't a choice, really. Come to think of it, it is a very primal need on which rests the very core of our being. . here's to hoping we look at ourselves a little differently today.🌼

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Picture: @llamacafe 

As often as you need, disconnect from the noise of the surrounding world so that you can listen to yourself clearly. 🌺

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(Picture of a page before the words were written.)