Inhale Courage, Exhale Fear III: The Flowers of Adversity - Guest blogger, Sasha Muradali, Little Pink Book

Magnet #1000 - Experience

Whoa. One thousand magnets. I look around my studio and think, well, at the very least, I have a thousand magnets sitting in this room. Remember, I pegged this blog to last only a couple of years. Next February makes three. Whoa.

And I still don't know how long this journey will continue. (Especially not if I keep shopping at Cafe Press. Oiy.)

Anyway, it's been a great experience writing joy magnetism day after day, as it's slowly become part memoir, part journal, part art guide, part entertainment, mostly kooky, and almost 100% me. Almost, because as you know from time to time, I pass the baton over to a guest blogger.

Today's guest blogger is Sasha Muradali, a former colleague of mine, who has graciously cross-posted today's entry with her Little Pink Book.

And now for something a little different.

- joy

____________________________________

There is this funny thing about life that happens -- it gets in the way of itself.

There is no rhyme, no reason, no logic and no sense of sense.

Blaise Pascal, the famous French mathematician said,

"Le cœur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connaît point."

In other words,

"The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know."

In 1989, Bruce Hornsby wrote "The End of the Innocence" where he said,

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"Remember when the days were long and rolled beneath a deep blue sky,
Didn't have a care in the world with mommy and daddy standing by,
When "happily ever after" fails and we've been poisoned by these fairy tales..."

... and dreams of Disney, The Grimm Brothers fairy tales and Barbie dolls came to mind, slightly behind the cursing of Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell shortly thereafter.

It's an interesting dynamic how the world works: the fine line between what we are taught to believe, forced upon us by society, and what truly exists.

In work, in relationships, with friends, lovers, foes and friends - it's that loathsome, self-depreciating torturous loophole in the human psyche where we contribute to the deterioration of our own control.

In 1949, Walt Disney said something rather miraculous, something rather inspiring, redeeming the fairy tale,

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"She believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn't come along, she went over to the palace and got him."

- Walt Disney, speaking of 'Cinderella'

However, he is not prince charming if he doesn't treat you like his princess. OR, rather, he is not prince charming if he used to treat you like his princess.

It's not the perfect job if you aren't happy. Or, rather, it's not the perfect job if it's not the right fit for you.

They are not your friends, if they don't stand by you. You are not their friends unless you are willing to stand by them.

People are in all sorts of different relationships to be happy. It's why people have hobbies. If you are not happy, again, why are you there?

The universe, God, the Powers that Be -- they keep equilibrium and guide us. It is about the "ask and you shall receive," that some people are quick to judge does not exist. But I believe it exists.

The universe dances with those on the dance floor and grants them the experience necessary to attain the skills they need to achieve their personal legends. Take that as my take on Paulo Coelho.

When J.M. Barrie wrote 'Peter Pan' he said,

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"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust."

Remember that, because opening your heart and your mind to the world around you, may lead you down a painful path, but a path where pain is inevitable, the suffering is optional.

And you have the choice.

Self-depreciating torture; we are our biggest obstacles.

“Love is a voyage with water and a star,
in drowning air and squalls of precipitate bran;
love is a war of lights in the lightning flashes,
two bodies blasted in a single burst of honey.”

♥ Pablo Neruda, 'Morning XII'

The more you want something, the more power it has over you. Pride is an interesting emotional animal. Thrust together with immaturity, selfish trickles of behavior or both, it can destroy you as well as those near you.

At the end, pride can be the defining separator between what is and what could have been.

However, it is not just in personal relationships with (potential) significant others, but people in general, work/professional life -- and yes, your relationship with yourself. That my friends is your self-esteem.

So guard it, guide it, build it.

One shouldn't be sad that it's over -- smile because it happened...no matter what that 'it' is.

You will be better for it. As hard as it is to see now, you will be.

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"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

- The Emperor from 'Mulan'

Therefore, keep going.

Some things fall apart so that better things can fall together.

The bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep and a warm cuppa of tea.

Think about it this way,

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it. "

- Rafiki from 'The Lion King'

• Be proactive to heal.
• Seek out the wisdom of others.
• Be not afraid to listen to the guidance of which you seek.

and most of all, inhale courage, exhale fear...

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"Voici mon secret.
Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur.
L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux."
♥ Antoine de Saint Exupéry

Read Part One, "Inhale Courage, Exhale Fear..." here

Read Part Two, "Inhale Courage, Exhale Fear II: Happiness, Heart and the Soul" here

~*~

...For LGB,

'A lua que esclarece esse sol sem descansar jamais,'

S xx.

~*~

Some random readings...

The Women's Crusade by Nicholas Kristof

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence by Mark Juergensmeyer

A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles" by Marianne Williamson

It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken: The Smart Girl's Break-Up Buddy by Greg Behrendt (He's Just Not That Into You) and Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt

Eat. Pray. Love. by Elizabeth Gilbert

**This post has been cross-posted on Joy Magnetism with permission granted by Sasha Muradali and Little Pink Book PR. **

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Sasha Muradali runs the Little Pink Book. She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida with a minor in Dance (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami (’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima or get a copy of the Little Pink Book delivered to your Kindle.

Copyright © 2009-2010 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.