So true...

Be Happy Words Matter...

I surrender...

Comforted in the knowledge that everything is as it should be

Grateful for the understanding that it is my past that has shaped me

allowing me to be the person I am today

Grateful for the understanding, that it does not define my future.

Appreciating and recognizing that I have the ability and courage

to manifest the positive future I desire

Living each day at a time; 


Enjoying each lesson learnt;

Knowing that every moment has the possibility for new happiness,

new meaning and
 the manifestation of all positive desires into my reality.

Trusting that everything is as it should be,

as I accept that it is I who attract each stumbling block into my life for a reason, forgiving myself and effortlessly finding the lesson encrusted within its silver lining,

as each challenge I overcome brings

knowledge, expansion,  understanding, empathy and happiness.

Recognizing that each and every person I encounter

has the ability to teach me something profound,

honoring the light in each and everyone,

wishing them blissful manifestation of their own positive desires,

and celebrating each happiness that is created.

With love for myself and all living things,
I enjoy in gratitude each step of this incredible journey that is my life.
The change begins with me, with open eyes, joy filled heart and conscious mind
I embrace my life, knowing I am the change.

Just a thought... Being in a relationship means you need to be brave...

Be brave, being in a relationship today, means being big enough and honest enough to realize that who ever you are with, will have faults, and you will have to accept those faults. And in return, that person will have to accept that you have faults too and will have to accept them too… and possibly the most difficult of all, you are going to have to look at your self honestly, admit to your faults and then work at them and compromise so that you become someone that the person you love can live with… As difficult and hard and tiresome as this sounds, don’t you think that’s the point, to find our humanity through love, and to be made the best possible version of who we can be, and them the best possible version of who they can be, by choosing to share our life by loving another human being… it is the most difficult, challenging, selfish and selfless thing we can do… and yet life without love, is a life not lived at all.

At the end of the day, putting the other persons need above your own, even when you really don't want to, compromising, putting up with each others crap, fighting, forgiving, laughing, comforting, being 'in love', to 'not being your favorite person at the moment' and not leaving, choosing ‘this life’ because you know that at the end of the day that person makes you the best version of you, you can be and you do the same for them... a relationship that lasts, that goes the distance, is so rare and fragile and requires a large amount of bravery, but That Is True Love... and that Is a Big Deal.

Be the rainbow at the end of someone elses road…

Life is a journey of ups and downs, often when we as human beings it is very easy to become enveloped by our own situations, mini crisis’s and joy. This can lead to jumping to conclusions as to what others are going through or why they react in a certain way. How often when you say: “How are you?” do you actually listen to the answer or care?

I have a friend who has been going through a truly tough time, she works everyday, has a child who has recently gone through such a horrifying ordeal; we feared we might loose her. To add to this after working a full day, and worrying about her child’s life, she then goes home to care for her bedridden mother.

She hates to cook and so my fantastic mum dropped off a macaroni cheese one night, she was so appreciative, I asked a friend to drop off a lasagna another night and then I made her soup for dinner another night, with teary eyes she expressed her gratitude, she was so grateful not to have tocook, not to have another thing to worry about, that that little bit of effort went a loooooooooong way.

So I challenge you all in the next few weeks to mean it when ask someone how “they are” and to take a few minutes out of your week to do something small for someone else, for you it will be easy and simple but for them it could mean the world, and who knows maybe one day the favor will be returned and even if it isn’t, I bet it will make you feel fantastic!

Have a happy week and be the rainbow at the end of someone elses road…

Ps. Her child is finally on the road to recovery, but I might just drop off some supper at some point this week anyway :-)

Its never too late ...

                              TAKE THE LEAP, MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE...


found on http://pinterest.com/boards/?sort=popular

Be Happy!

I have always believed that aging gracefully has everything to do with mirroring your inner self:

If you are bitter and filled with regret and hatred, holding on to life’s knocks and hurts, I believe you will shrivel and wane as you age; feeling the loss of a life not lived.

But if your heart is filled with love, you take each blow and mistake in life as a blessing in disguise and a lesson glad to be learnt. If you see the positive between the thorns and help others, live life passionately, with the enthusiasm of a child and wisdom of your age. Laugh at yourself. If you remember to have compassion, be genuine with a generous spirit, have courage to do and say what you feel is right and always, always follow your dreams. You will be so filled with light and love that aging will be a journey so beautiful that Shakespeare’s quills will blush at not having written your story.

Even if you don’t feel like smiling, smile, smile as hard, and as long as you can, the world will not be able to resist smiling back at you :-) 

  I always knew Audrey and I where cut from the same cloth ;-)

Happy open minded days lovely friends, may your hearts and minds be enriched by life’s offerings…

I was recently cast in a commercial where I acted as a Muslim woman. I had to dress in a traditional hijab (which is the scarf that covers your hair) and a traditional Muslim dress, which was actually quite lovely. The only thing I did not wear is an abaya (which is that black piece of fabric with just the slits for your eyes to see through).

 

For the casting I did one take with the abaya on and one without. My eye lashes (much like the eye lashes in the example picture I have loaded) where too long and kept whacking against the fabric with every blink- not very comfortable at all. The hijab is pulled tightly around your throat ensuring no skin or hair is seen besides the face, which is perfectly framed in fabric- I found this very uncomfortable, firstly because I am claustrophobic– not just a little bit, I hate taking lifts (but will if I have to) I cant seem to deep water dive, I hate small spaces, tunnels, I hate wearing anything tight round my neck. Despite my frustrating little claustrophobia, I challenge myself as much as possible, I will not be controlled by it, I shall squish it like a little bug! (No I don’t actually squish bugs, well except for flies and mosquito’s … and sack spiders, but only those I promise)  So I am forcing myself to manage this frustrating discomfort by adorning myself with scarves as I love them and they are pretty and I shall feel comfortable wearing them! Even if I actually am not comfortable, 90% of the time, I will be! So there I was, finding myself with another perfect opportunity to squish my phobia, so I smiled and did not complain, I took the challenge head on!

I pulled on the dress; heart pumping, beads of sweat emerging, I was strapped into the hijab; pulse racing, pupils dilating and then… It was very interesting; there is a saying (and if there isn’t there should be) “The suit make-th the man”. As an actress I have found this to be true. “The Quran specifies that a woman should be modest and cover everything but her face and hands” Well, once dressed and cloaked and draped in the way that I was, it made me feel modest, it made me feel gentle, calm and elegant.

 

In life we choose our paths but do we realize how immensely our clothing affects the way in which we deal with the world, and in turn the way in which the world deals with us?

I walked around Melrose Arch and people stared at me as if I were an alien. Which totally defeats what the Muslim woman are trying to achieve, by being wrapped up they hope not to stick out, they hope not to call attention to themselves but rather to blend into the background and yes, some of them really want to do that, they are not forced. “Whatever you choose to wear, remember that the purpose of Muslim clothing for women is to deflect attention. According to the Quran, women should be modest, and part of modesty is not drawing attention to oneself.”  But in western society they do stick out like saw thumbs, we see them and we stare.

It reminded me of the time I lived in India and the time I spend in Dubai, I was stared at there too (even though I dressed modestly for a foreigner and always respected holy places), the local’s starred at me, constantly, unapologetically, without flinching or blinking or turning to blush.

That was the only difference, in South Africa we are taught it is rude to stare, but as humans we do it anyway, but when we are caught a blush and a swift removal of the eyes direction generally follows.

We all look at what is ‘different’, ‘uncommon’, ‘unfamiliar’ either with inquisitiveness, fear, curiosity, judgment, appreciation, or a number of emotions and thoughts, the point is we look, we look and we make judgments or stories up in our minds without approaching that ‘unknown/unfamiliar’ thing and actually finding out the truth. And I think, modestly, I think that the truth lies somewhere in between all the stories and all the truths. A cliché is only something, which has been known to be true so many times that it has now become a cliché, therefore cliché’s exist all around us and almost everything we think to be true, is true, somewhere in the world, or was true at some time. But we must also realize that it’s opposite will also exist and be true, always with no exception. Every human being has the ability to do both good and evil, in every walk of life you will find good and bad, in every single group, religion, organization, every single one is neither completely void of evil, and in the same breath none can be completely void of good. It is a fine balancing act, which is tipped from side to side as the universe/God/Allah (call ‘it’ what you will) attempts to maintain balance, which is the natural order of things. Everything is based on perception and when there is more than one person, than there is more than one perception to take into account, somewhere in the middle is the truth. Like the saying goes “There are always two sides to a coin, but the coin is the whole story”- ok I added that last part, but I believe it to be true.

I challenge you all to challenge yourselves to seek out the other side of the coin and hopefully when you find it, the two halves will give you a glimpse of its centre, and you will be filled with compassion and understanding... because in the centre we are all just humans, made of varying degree's of good and bad, all with needs, wants, desires, dreams and things that piss us off about ourselves, we all get frustrated and happy and sad and mad and we are all just simply ... trying to be happy. As the cliché goes: "Happiness is a journey not a destination" Enjoy the ride!

Happy open minded days lovely friends, may your hearts and minds be enriched by life’s offerings…

An interesting site where I got some quotes:

http://www.muslim-matrimonial-guide.com/Muslim-clothing.html