Destination... parapera market! (just a week before I leave)

...but before I leave for Sifnos, I have another commitment.

I'm going to work for a week for these guys. Is is a kind of market. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks interesting.

It's really refreshing to be needed, to be appreciated as a team member in a work environment. It's really refreshing to know that some people still work, still create, still hope, in a country where everything seems lost.

I think that this country is going to be saved by creativity. New ideas and new spirits. Don't just sit in your couch and wait for doomsday. Get out. Talk with people. Share your ideas. Help your friends. Have a good day.

Destination... Sifnos!

I have been waitning to announce this big surprise till I was a hundred percent sure...

I've got a job in Sifnos. A small shop, with clothes,  jewllery and small objects is waiting for me.

In two weeks, on the 6th of June, we are packing our bags. My man and I, Freeda and Michelangelo, the canary are moving to Sifnos for three months. The cat is going to stay behind to watch the house.

Of course I have the usual butterflies, I worry about everything, I make disaster plans in my head most of the time, I think there is not enough time to prepare everything... the-usual-control-freak: me.

Of course everything is going to be fine, whether I worry or not...

Athens is going to kiss me goodbye with it's usual Jazz Festival, which starts today.

Back in the winter, when things were stressful, I kept my good spirits. I looked at what I have. I was greatful for what I had. I see this change as a result of the way I kept thinking.

Have a good day.

My projects, my dreams...

Let me talk to you about two projects I'm involved with and hope they take me where I need to be.

The first one is called Hopeland.
The webstite is in greek, but I hope there's going to be an english version too. It's Erato's dream, a land where children and adults will be taught to live near nature. A self-sustainable place where all beings will have a chance to heal in many ways.

The second one is Travel and Do.
A team of people who believe there is another kind of tourism, which respects nature and visitors.

All the people involved in these projects, are people of the heart. The have strong visions like me. They love and respect themselves. They want to make a change. They are commited to help others. I am proud to have met them. I am proud to be part of their dreams.

have a good day.

Did you miss me?

I'm sure you didn't. I was out of internet and out of inspiration.

On the 10th of May, this blog had it's first birthday. I did not even notice...

When I started, I thought I'm going to write every day and I will always have interesting and exhiting things to say! But life is not like a fairytale. At least not always.

The past year was full of exhitement, adventures, horses, dogs, cats and travelling...

This past winter was difficult, but now the summer is in my doorstep with lots of exhiting news. A new internet connection. A prospect to work on an island this summer.

To be continued...

A night in the Cairo airport...

unbelievable traffic

Flashback: May 2009

I have just spent three days in Cairo.
It's time to leave.
My flight back home leaves at two in the morning.
I'm waiting for my taxi to take me from the hotel to the airport.
The taxi comes and I get in.
Orange lights in cities are the same all over the world.
We are passing through the warm night and I am observing buildings, cars, the moon... The moon was hazy. Almost full.

We arrive at the airport. The taxi driver is very polite. He insists on carying my back pack but I insist more than him. I take my bag. He's probably a bit intimidated by this small but strong lady in front of him.

I pass the airport check and take my boarding pass. You can still smoke in Cairo airport.
I sit down and smoke and read my book.

It's almost time to go to the gate.
As I approach the gate, I realize I cant' find my boarding pass.
I empty my bag. It's nowhere. I go back to the places I passed. It's nowhere.
No boarding pass.

They call my name. "Passenger so and so is kindly requested to proceed to the gate so and so"

I go to the gate. I tell them I lost my boarding pass. They freak out. I freak out. I really hope they don't think I'm a terrorist or something....

A guy tells me we have to go back to the check in so I can get a new boarding pass. We run!

Airports are really big spaces. So we run. And we have to go through customs again. Only this time backwards. They are all speaking arabic and I don't have a clue if they will let me pass or not.

They let me pass. We keep running!

I get a new boarding pass.
And we start running again! I'm thinking " I don't want to leave this country, that's why this is happening..."
After a lot of running, we go to the gate. And I've got my boarding pass. A whole plane is waiting for me! I am delaying a whole flight....

affection

I am ready to go to the bus, which will take us to the airplane.

A guy stops me again.
The date on my passport is yesterdays date!
They did not change the bloody date after midnight!
I do not believe this!

"I certainly do not want to leave" I'm thinking.

Finally they decided to let me pass with yesterdays' date. I get on the bus and everybody is staring at me. Or so I think. God knows how long they have been waiting in that bus for me.

And this is the end of my little Cairo adventure. I still remember it and laugh. It's when things are not going according to plan that they are more interesting! They add up a little spice to your travelling...

Learning to dog sit... learning to teach...

Pets. Patience. That's what they need. Practicing my patience. P - P - P. 

Next time I take on a pet, I will ask the following questions.

- Does it pull on the leash?
- Does it sleep on the owner's bed?
- Does it know the basic words "sit", "come", "go to your bed"?

If one of these questions is "no" then my answer will be "no" too. Otherwise I will ask for more money to train them.

Meanwhile, another job came to me out of the blue. A friend wants to practice her english and I'm teaching her! I really enjoy these lessons. She knows her grammar and vocabulary. What she needs is to practice on a day to dayt level. Get rid of her fear. I find it very creative. I'm showing the words she does not remember in pantomime and she chooses her favorite songs to sing and translate. We have conversations about her everyday life!

Did I create this reality? Of course I did! I kept focusing on what I have and not what I don't have.
I'm so grateful for all of this and I'm waiting for my next trip. Till then, I'll be travelling through life with gratefulness and joy... Have a good day!

On pets and the necessity of training them

I declare myself a "warm climate" person".

Cold weather makes me stiff while in warm weather I release tension. It might be because I was born in December...

So... One more dog is added to the family. She's a bit spoilt and she has to go through training to adopt to the rules of this house. Her name is Lucy and she's going to stay for a month. Our income is increasing and I'm doing something I really like besides travelling. Taking care of pets!

Lucy

There's only one thing that conserns me. Here in Greece, pet owners are very far from training their dogs. Even people who love their pets, they spoil them so much that the dog becomes unbearable. It might bark, chew, jump and do all kinds of nasty things to draw your attention.

So, let me talk to you about Lucy. She is a rescue dog and she has a "special need". Due to a car accident, her colon does not function properly and she needs to have special cooked food in order to poo properly. Otherwise, she is an extremely intelligent (6 kilos) creature! She is adorable. But very very spoilt. Because of her "problem" no one has ever told her "no". She pulls on her leash, barks a lot and wants your full attention all the time...

Yesterday it was her first day and she drove us crazy! After a lot of patience and loving energy today she is calmer and does not bark as much. She is calmly sitting in her bed like Nelos and Freeda.

There is peace and quiet in the house. For a year and a half no one told her "no", so she never had boudaries. But she is so clever that she learned her boundaries in less than 24 hours.

Miguelito, photo by antonisartheart

My personal belief and - most trainers belief as far as I know - is that a dog feels safer when it has boundaries. If there are no rules and no limits it feels unsafe, much like a child. It feels it has to be leader. But in truth, a dog does not want to be the leader, it needs to be lovingly guided by a leader.

Most small dogs get away with bad behaviour because they are so small and cute. But they are still dogs and they need to be guided! And why should we care? Because it makes our life easier. Because it makes your dogs life easier. The dog sits and is rewarded by a walk in the park, a tasty treat, by whatever!

I wish everyone trained their dogs no matter how small... And we will train Lucy.

photo by antonisartheart
Put a caption to this photo!
My caption is "cats rule!"

And a closing note. People ask me how come two dogs and a cat sleep altogether in the same bed? It takes boundaries. The dogs know that they MUST not hurt the cat. Even the cat is trained not to mess with the dogs! Everyone has their boundaries and they sleep comfortably in their warm beds! Everyone in the family has a good time because they know what is allowed and not allowed!

Have a good day!

Gifts of the Spring

image by antonisartheart

Spring. One more Spring. One more beautiful Spring.

I have counted 12 projects that occupy my mind. Projects on travelling, helping others, ecology, psychology, animals... I will reveal them in the near future. There's one quite realistic project, which might give us a little bit of income. And that is... keeping other people's dogs for a short period of time.

I am so happy that our friend left us his dog! Nelos is a very good friend with Freeda and he even sleeps next to the cat! We are discovering our talent for positive dog training and it gives us so much joy...

Other people have expressed interest in leaving us with their dogs and I have already sent out an e-mail to friends who have dogs! It's a dream job! No, it's not a job... It's a game!

The other day I was walking on the mountain and I discovered a horse! He was with his owner and he asked me to keep an eye on him everytime I pass by... So I made a connection with Rigas (his name means king). He is a wonderful stallion, very calm and sociable. Another animal to keep an eye on... It's so weird that I live in Athens, yet I am so close to nature... It's the magic of the Wild West!

The Spring has indeed flourished! Have a good day...

The wave

Turbulance is over. You may unfasten your seat belts.

Miracles continue.

Fisrt of all, let me thank each and everyone of you who commented and supported me all these days. It was really helpful seeing the situation from a certain point of view and then from another point of view. I like to be challenged in changing my perspective whatever is happening. This is the way therapy works. It's the openness and courage to see what you refuse to see.

My sewing machine is now here and I'm preparing to use it. Ideas.

Some of the bills are paid.

The spring is more evident every day. Our mountain is full of flowers, bees and sun!

I have been meeting with wonderful people with wonderful ideas. I feel more optimistic that I can keep standing on my own two feet in a less edgy way.

Yesterday we welcomed Nelos, a wonderful dog who is going to stay with us for a month. He is very well adopted to the rest of the family and he is making his first acquaintances with the cat! Welcome!

So, today, I'll say it one more time. Life is like a wave, it comes to the shore and goes back again and then comes to the shore again and goes away again... One time you are happy and the next you are sad and then you are happy again.... It's the magic flow of life!

Miracles

As I was complaining about not having eaten meat in two months, a miracle happened. Someone gifted us with a whole chicken! I cried... It was organic and it made a wonderful soup and a wonderful roast and delicious sandwitches! It fed the whole family including the dog and the cat!

I'm so greatful...

Another miracle is that a friend found a small amount of money on the street and thought of us...

Miracles.

Like this poppy which grows inside the wall. The spring is here.

Positive attitude.

Soon I will have my sewing maschine again. And some fabric. Creativity is on my way...

Everything is going to be fine. Stay centered. Focused. Stay inside yourself. I love you.

The same old story. I go to sleep every night with these words in my head. In the morning my mom calls. She's killing me. We are playing games. I'm playing games. Of love and control. I cry. I don't scream. I don't say "leave me alone". I say "I feel miserable". Another carrot. She is throwing bits of understanding. She loves me. I know it's a trap. Everytime I confided my plans I was devastated by lack of understanding. By judjement. I'm really sorry this is the truth.

I'm very tired of these games. I want to heal all my wounds. It takes me at least five to six hours to get my spirits up after these phonecalls. I want to scream. I want to be independent. And I fall. On my knees again until I know what the fuck has happened. And stand up again.

Stand up. And stay up. That is when miracles happen. When you stay up. When you say I am alone and I'm happy I am alone.