Coffee moments

 Soemtimes it's really good to wake up earlier, have enough time to do few things from 'to-do' list, catch few deep breaths and write a mail or two while listening to favourite band. To have a while of meditation with mug full of warm aromatic coffee or hot refreshing tea. 

  Few days ago I tried the mindfulness method. I sat in cafe and focused on what's here and now. I took a piece of paper, pen I wrote down: I have a full bladder i small mess on the table. Some old song comes out of speakers. I feel good here even though I don't have rest back. On the table there are: leather bill case, empty glass after non-alcohol mojito, small red glass candlestick with burnt tea-light, small notebook, my phone, 2 packs of sugar for my sister, some papers with my notes, white porcelain tea pot and cup with jasmine tea. ....

Was it relaxing? Hard to say...but definetely forces you to stop in the moment and notice more details.

Sidewalk freaks

 Sometimes, when I have really good day, great mood, headphones with cool music on my ears- I'm a sidewalk queen. My steps are firm and vigorous, I'm bestowing people with my smile, no matter if they care or don't. On the days like that I'm walking on the sunny side of the street, my bus is always on time and people with fliers aren't annoying at all. 

  But I'm not everyday sidewalk queen, and sidewalk it's not only a space for me. There are plenty of "sidewalk freaks". People who want something more from you than just pass you- they want your time and attention, they have something to tell you. What's more- they want you to understand something, to change your point of view, to give something from yourself. I had a meeting like that few days ago. I started to wonder if I have written on my forehead "Go on, ask me if I read books!" becouse two guys asking about it in one week it's 'a bit' more than my life's average. Oh, and maybe there's another sentence there, written with smaller type: "Especially if you're from a sect". Second starnger offering me a book made me think who am I, who are we in general to decide in what we should believe, which religion is the only right one and whose God is the 'proper' one. And it dawned on me...we are all humans. Nothing less, nothing more.

Monday- a day full of surprises!

Mondays keep surprising me. Today was full of totally unexpected things:

1. I got a book

2. I got a phone call

3. I had one nice and one awful customer

4. I drank coffee

 Nothing special, right? :) But let me explain:

1. A stranger came into the shop and asked me a question "Do you read books?". I answered "Yes, of course". That was a tactical question! Then he took out a small book and said it's his. I didn't have cash with me so I got it free, even with special dedication: "For inspiration named Marta". Wow, so today, on Monday, I became inspiration myself! :O I started to read the book on my way back in the bus...well...the author must have been in some strange sect :))

2. Totally surprising phone call from my...aunt that I haven't seen for years. Does not sound spectacular but it was such a nice surprise that made me feel happy for all day and even now, when I think about it. One phonecall, so much joy.

3. According to one of my last posts, the one about Monday customers, today's ones were pretty normal. Except two of them. One girl was especially cheerful and made me laugh deeply- dear Karma, please reward her that! And please don't be too cruel for that 'lady' that treated me so unkindly, becouse I once heard that "There aren't bad wolves, there are sad wolves"

4. "Sad wolf" came almost at the end of my shift, so to help myself to relieve unpleasant impression, I went to drink a coffee. The girl asked me if I want it with cream and I said "Yes, give it straight from the heart, I had a bad customer today". I'm sure she knows what "bad customer" means, becouse cream on my coffee was like freaking Mount Blanc! :D

A strange book from stranger, a warm call from my aunt, a customer's Jin Jang, coffee straight from the heart- this was the day!

Fast and furious

 Pencil, crayon, marker, pen... Tools were changing often, depending on the thickness and intensity of the line I wanted to get. Uff! Yesterday evening was the culmination of my longing for drawing. The feeling of the pencil in my hand and the creak of the graphite on the paper...are giving me shivers even now! I changed from calm into fast and furious, just trying not to loose that sparkle that showed up for a second. The result? Few new drawings and appetite for more!

Mindfulness

 Oh yes, my mind is full of things but I can't get rid of the feeling that for most of the time it's full of rubbish. The same with the time. And with my room- whenever I have a free day, I start it with cleaning up my room. Looks like rubbish are inseparable part of life! But rubbish wasn't the thing I wanted to write here about. I read article about mindfulness, new trend in psychology and coaching that helps to focus on what's happening right here, right now. We can have a lot of things, plans, etc. but without proper concentration on things, we won't fully appreciate happy moments, delicious meals, breathtaking views. We can't stop the time but we can try to catch the moments- to notice the smell of tea, taste of it, how it warms our body from inside, how our fingers are holding the mug, etc. Let's fill our minds with good stuff!

Monday customers

How to recognise customer with "Monday syndrome"? Short guide:
  1. it's Monday
  2. zero respond to "Good morning"
  3. feigned hearing loss
  4. pain of existence expressed by facial grimace

Poor Monday...almost everyone hates it :O Have you ever thought about days of the week more personally? I see Monday as a middle-aged, gloomy man, wearing old fashioned hat and long grey coat, rushing through the streets with black & white newspaper under his arm. Tuesday: two best friends drinking coffee together in a small cafe, talking about life, shopping, movies, guys, everything, not noticing the time passing quickly. Wednesday is a colourfull hippie with long hair and flowers in it, enjoying rays of sun and singing silly songs, sitting on a bench and swinging her legs. Mr Thursday is middle-aged man too but different from Mr Monday: he's more active, wearing jeans and t-shirt with funny overprint, like f.ex. "Who the f**k is Friday?". And who's Friday? A teenager with big headphones on his ears, going somewhere to the city centre to meet with bunch of his friends. Saturday is a young mother cleaning apartment on a sunny day, with her hair tied in a high ponytail. She smiles all the time and listens to Elvis Preasley and whole house smells like a freshly baked cake. Sunday  is an old couple sitting on a bench (maybe they were hippies in the past?) in front of their house, catching the rays of Autumn sun, drinking tea and saying nothing, becouse they don't need to. They're thinking about their son, Monday, that works too hard to provide good life for himself and his wife, Tuesday. She likes to meet with her crazy friend Wednesday and gossip about a new fascinating guy she met lately- Thursday. Monday and Tuesday have teenage son, Friday. Sometimes they like to recall how it was when Friday was as little as a child of their new neighbour,  Saturday. Or imagine the sweet lazy moments, when they'll be as old as Sunday.  

Well, well... How inspiring even unkind customers can be! ;)

Bag universe

Or universe in a bag? As one smart guy told me: it will be always too small :) yep, no matter if it's mini or maxi! I bought a new bag and I don't like new things. They're not telling any story becouse they don't have any yet. No story about constant overloading it with umbrella when it won't rain (yes, and when you finally forget it or leave at home intentionally, it's raining! It must be some freaking universe rule against humanity or at least against me ;)). Or signs of small sins- creased receipts as a souvenir after crazy sale-huntings, chocolate bars in a moment of weakness and to-do lists showing hom much you actually did not. My bag is my:

-kingdom

-universe

-mailbox

-suitcase

-shopping bag

...

Train therapy

No matter where I'm going- it's so good to be on the road! It's good to be caged in time capsule, cut off from reality. Uffff.... Time for unlocking my brain, taking everything out, selecting, cleaning, throwing out, putting new things, sow some new seeds. The longer the trip the better- more time for me, myself and I. 

I love the thrill that new ideas bring! 

In this brand new New Year 2012 I wish you my dear Readers a lot of new ideas, a lot of positive energy to do nice and/or crazy things and merry company in that! :))