Paulo Coelho, “Closing Cycles” *

“Closing Cycles”
by Paulo Coelho

“One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through. Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters – whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished.

Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents’ house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden? You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened.

You can tell yourself you won’t take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that. But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister. Everyone is finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.

Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away. That is why it is so important (however painful it may be!) to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home.

Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts – and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place. Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them.

Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood.

Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.

Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions that are always put off waiting for the “ideal moment.” Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back. Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person – nothing is irreplaceable, a habit is not a need. This may sound so obvious, it may even be difficult, but it is very important.

Closing cycles. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer fits your life. Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, shake off the dust. Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.”

- http://paulocoelhoblog.com/

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A version of this article circulates in internet having me as its author. In fact, I did not write it, but I made a few corrections and decided to republish it here. - Paulo Coelho

The Nature of Bitterness ***

 Often I come across some writing that strikes a chord and will save it in a folder for further reading and study.  Here is one of such.  Who wrote it I do not know but is a good teaching lesson for me and possibly you also.

"Bitter feelings allow us to become perfect victims in that we no longer feel obliged to work toward healing. It is natural to feel resentment or anger when life does not unfold as expected. We consciously or unconsciously anticipated one experience, and we grieve for the loss of it when the universe puts something else in our path. Most of the time, we work through these feelings and they pass. Occasionally, our anger and resentment do not fade and are instead transformed into bitterness. Bitter feelings allow us to become perfect victims in that we no longer feel obliged to work toward healing and choose instead to identify with our pain. Yet as unwholesome as bitterness can be, it is also a natural element of our emotional palette. When we acknowledge that it is okay to feel bitter, we reconnect with our hurt in a constructive way and can begin the process of working through it.

The nature of bitterness is rooted in the fact that the pain we feel provides us with a rationale. We may feel that we deserve to embrace our bitterness to its full extent. And to be bitter is, in essence, to cut ourselves off from all that is positive, hardening our hearts and vowing never to let go of our hurt. But just as bitter feelings can be self-defeating, so too can the release of bitterness be life-affirming in a way that few other emotional experiences are. When we decide that we no longer want to be bitter, we are reborn into a world filled with delight and fulfillment unlike any we knew while in the clutches of bitterness. The veil it cast over our lives is lifted, letting light and warmth touch our souls.

Divesting yourself of bitter feelings can be as simple as truly forgiving and moving on. Even when your bitterness has no concrete object, you can forgive situations too. Healing pain can be challenging but may be easier if you remind yourself that you are the only entity truly affected by your emotional state. In time, you will discover that letting go of your bitterness frees you to initiate the healing process and allows you to once again celebrate the possibility of the more wonderful life you deserve."

Dahlia Wasfi *

 Anyone Who Supports War Needs To Listen To This -  Dahlia Wasfi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OXE0C19LQAE

Thoughts from a Few ***

My belief was that if you gave all of yourself, to what you believed was right, then that would be enough. 
          _Jane Hawking



It is a lovely thing, finding yourself through the touch of someone else.
          _Meg



“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” 
          —Mother Teresa

Mahatma Gandhi***

A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.
                                                  

Everything Happens For a Reason ***

Everything Happens For a Reason.  Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there.
They serve some sort of purpose or help figure out who you are or who you want to become.
You never know who these people may be, your roommate, your neighbor, professor, long lost friend, lover or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you and at the time seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize without overcoming these obstacles, you would never have realized your potential,  strength, your will power of heart.
Everything happens for a reason.  Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck.  Illness, injury, love, lost moments or true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of the soul.
Without these small tests, if they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smooth paved road to nowhere, safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life and successes and downfalls you experience, they are the ones who create who you are.  Even the bad experience can be learned from...those lessons are the hardest and probably the most important ones.
If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart,  forgive them for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.
If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would never have seen or felt without them.
Make every day count.  Make every moment count and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.
 Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen; let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high.
 You can make of your life anything you wish.  Create your own life, then go out and live it.
I wish you all the best in your endeavors as well as struggles in life.  Have a fighting spirit and never hesitate to get back into the struggle.
Author unknown