Helena of the Lake

  January was five minutes long. What happened? One moment we were enjoying Christmas lights, the next I see posts about Valentine's Day. Give me a break! Can we just pause for a moment and enjoy this moment, this day, this week? Time is time. Our lives are a rush from morning till evening, from Monday to Sunday and then we start all over again. I watch my students when we're in a lesson and they're reading or doing an exercise. They don't think, they just rush to get it done. They don't read slow for the pleasure of it, they read to finish it. That is the one lesson I wish they would learn sooner, but like all things in life, we learn these lessons at different times in our lives. Quality time, doing the things we really love and doing it well and doing it with joy, that is time well spent. Till next time!   

  A year feels like a month, a month feels like a week, a week feels like a day. Do you know that feeling? Time, moments and minutes are so precious and making the most of every waking second of it is so important. I use the expression 'don't blink' very often. Everything is just happening so much faster these days. I was again astounded this week by a thirteen-year-old student of mine. They are so mature for their age these days! She was telling me about a conversation she had with her mom about gay people and how sad she was that her mom couldn't understand her openminded view. I tried to explain to her that her mom was from an older generation and it was okay not to agree on sensitive subjects like that. It just fills me with so much hope when I hear how enlightened young people are today.  Until next time! 

  Over the years I've been blessed to meet so many wonderful people who have become great friends. And then you meet those people who just shine and make your world even better. They leave you feeling inspired, hopeful and excited. They make you look at the world differently, they make you question things you took for granted and they always leave you with a bit of that shine. That is my kind of people. You know them so well you finish their sentences. You understand what they are trying to say even before they are done saying it. Those are the people you should hold on to and treasure. Sometimes it's a friendship that you never saw coming and surprised you. You go on this wonderful journey together and it's beautiful to see this person growing and becoming the best version of themselves and you are there to cheer them on. Take good care of these beautiful rare gems! Until next time! 

  I saw an advertisement on Instagram earlier this week where a man was promoting his upcoming presentation. He said that life was a constant negotiation. When we walk over the street it is a negotiation. When we talk to our spouses or our kids it is a negotiation. Then I hear someone saying: 'Stop judging!' Isn't that also something we do every single day? I walk into a shop and I judge the clothes. I eat with my friends at a restaurant and I judge the food. I meet someone new and the first thing I do is judge them. The list goes on and on and on! We never stop judging! Yes, I know we have the biblical version of not judging and we should be careful how we judge and use our words, but it's as part of us as breathing is. You're judging this right now! Keep track of your thoughts and you'll realize it too. Crazy, right? Until next time, judges!

  We live in a world where we are daily scrolling through social media looking for that one thing we are all convinced we lack or need. Inspiration! What did we do before we had social media? A question to the older generation, of course! Now we look at celebrities, vloggers, bloggers and Youtubers to inspire us with their ideas, thoughts and glamorous lifestyles. We hang onto their every word, want what they want and spend hours wishing we were someone else. What does that say about us as humans, as a society? What happened to being inspired by great books, the miracle of being out in nature, connecting with family and friends or just a simple thing like enjoying the sound of rain. No gadgets, no distractions, just living in the here and now. Is that still possible? Until next time!

  Authentic is defined as "not false or copied; genuine; real.' We attract what we reflect, we attract what we want. My friends, the people I surround myself with, they are as real as you can get. I know exactly where I stand with them and vice versa. There is such a comfort in knowing you don't have to pretend or fake anything with the people who really care about you. I still have friendships going back thirty-five years. Some of them I haven't seen in ages, but the moment we get together it's like we saw each other just the day before. Everyone has changed and we all have new stories to tell, but the friendship is still as real and true as in the beginning. I've always kept my tribe small and that's how I prefer it. I am that friend who calls first, who really listens and who cares deeply. And what I give out I get back in spades. The biggest gift we can give each other is unconditional love, acceptance and our undivided attention. Take good care of your

  We all live in our own version of reality. When I heard that statement the first time I didn't really agree with it. Is my reality different to yours? Then I started paying more attention to how other people were living and it began making more sense. We all come from different backgrounds, we have different stories to tell, different beliefs and we see the world differently. Some people are totally out of touch with what is going on in the real world and just keep to themselves while other people are too invested in what is going on out there, real or not. Maybe we all do live in our own little bubbles of some sort. I've never suffered from FOMO, but at the same time, I also don't want to walk around not being able to talk about current events. Maybe the question should be: What do you choose to have in your bubble? Until next time!

A few minutes ago I had this surprising realization. My best friend, the person who has stuck by me for over thirty years, who I speak to almost daily, he's not inspiring. He is the smartest person I know, there is nothing he can't do and yet at this moment in my life, I can't place him on the list of inspiring people. I love him dearly and I admire him, but he does not inspire me. How did I not see this before? I love talking to people and by the end of our conversation I am energized and eager to read something new, think more about a topic we discussed or investigate something that they really got excited about. They have a certain aura around them and leave you with a little piece of it. Now that is inspiring! I love spending an evening with a friend and three hours later we realize the time. It felt like one hour! The conversation flows and you throw ideas around, finish each other's sentences and know exactly what they are talking about. That is inspiring! Do you

  Do you ever wonder where you would have been if you had just made one different decision in your life? If you had said yes to a job instead of no, stayed in the city and didn't move, cancelled that long-awaited trip with your friends instead of going. One decision, big or small could be the difference between moving forward or staying where you are. It seems so insignificant, but yet it can change everything. If you look back at your life do you have any regrets? How has the decisions you've made impacted the quality of your life? I have a friend who constantly wishes she had done things differently. 'If only I........this and if only I.......that. There is a beauty about how our lives fit into this messy, chaotic and wonderful flow of ups and downs, good years and bad years. Look back at your life and think again. Do you really wish it worked out differently? I think you are exactly where you should be. Enjoy the ride! Until next time!

  'Thank you' are two words I use every day of my life. I don't have to think about them, I just use them. I thank the taxi driver, the cashier, the person holding a door open for me, my friend who checks-in with me and the list goes on and on. Thank you is part of me the same way breathing is. I live with gratitude every day. How can I not? I don't take what I am given for granted at all. I appreciate the cashier who works on weekends, I appreciate the taxi driver who gets me safely from point A to point B. I appreciate my friend who cares. How can I not? There will always be someone who has less than me, who suffers more than me, who wishes he or she has what I have. I am thankful, I am grateful. Thank you! Living with gratitude has changed my life and 'thank you'  will never lose its wonder. Thank you!

No, this is not a post about New Year's Resolutions. In 2008 I attended a self-development course and that was the question that started it all. What are you waiting for? After years of dreaming it took one very simple, very normal question to spur me into action. The last twelve years have taken me from Europe to China, to Chile and to Russia. It has been and it still is a life-changing rollercoaster ride.  In sharing some of my stories, talking about the places I've been and the lessons I've learned I hope to inspire you to stop dreaming and taking that leap of faith. What are you waiting for? Until next time!