Raising Men

I already made up my mind that the simple things I am describing in this blog section do not happen, because men like this do not exist, The problem is that most men were raised by women, by their mother or grandmother. To be honest, women made some major mistakes raising these men.

The perfect man? NOPE...

There are certain qualities the perfect man should possess. Now, this is different for each person because we all have unique tastes of personalities. 

Honesty: I rather have someone be brutally honest with me inside of someone who sugarcoats a situation or opinion. If I have to find out later what he really wanted to say, it will create distrust and me then thinking what else did he lie about. Don't do it!

Humor: Yes, of course, be funny and charming when you need to be but don't be a clown of a jerk that annoys and twists everything someone says. You know those fools I am talking about. They think they are funny, but they really are not. Be creative with humor and make it taste sweet and move my stomach.

Looks: Oh I hear this so many times when people say that looks are not important. I believe that is a lie. We all have different ideas of what looks good, but we have to feel that he is appealing, at least to us. Screw the rest of the world! Men do this all the time, they drop you like a hot potato if you are not appealing to them. Don't be fooled! Do what men do.

Creative: Whether it is art or music or other joys in life, be creative. Be out of this world and unique, but be YOU. Always be you. 

There is this saying about women she is a princess in public and porn star in bed. Well let me tell you this, dear man, we women also want this BUT we want romance in bed. In public be kind when we are around. Do not refer us to your old lady...ever...and I mean ever?
An old lady is a term used to refer to your girlfriend or your wife, etc. Usually, somebody who you may like, but really don't have much respect for.

Les anges dans nos campagnes

The man, who has seen the rising moon break out of the clouds at midnight, has been present like an archangel at the creation of light and of the world.!~Emerson

Les anges dans nos campagnes
Ont entonné l'hymne des cieux
Et l'écho de nos montagnes
Redit ce chant mélodieux
Gloria in excelsis Deo!

The "angels" or malakhim (Heb.: מַלְאָכִים), i.e. the "plain" angels (Gr.: ἄγγελοι, pl. of Gr.: ἄγγελος, angelos, i.e. messenger or envoy), are the lowest order of celestial beings, and the most recognized. They are the ones most concerned with the affairs of men. Within the category of the angels, there are many different kinds, with different functions. The angels are sent as messengers to humanity. Personal guardian angels come from this class.

My favorite of all the angels is the archangel, Raphael. Archangel Raphael is the archangel who is called upon to support healing and to guide in all matters involving health. Archangel Raphael uses a variety of healing methods, including direct intervention, where he miraculously and instantly heals ailments; and guidance, where he directs the person toward the best avenues to health.

You chose a warrior, remember?” “As you chose an archangel.

If you need healing of any kind, you may want to try to ask Raphael for help. It doesn't hurt. In a sense, you have to claim your personal sense of power to act on the guidance you receive in order to anchor higher light and healing into your personal experience.

Don't rush all the time

It is nothing new that we are always in a rush.

It's easy to get caught up in the holiday rush, but what about the rush of everyday life? Life is speeding up, and with it, our inner angst. We want to cram in as much as we can and be productive, but at what cost?

I believe there are several reasons for being in a rush all the time. One could mean it is a habit. Hurry up and don't be late! This is very much true for a German, we do not like to be late to anything, ever. When it comes to eating we take our sweet time.

Stop and smell the coffee, maybe in a diner and take your time.

Another reason may be that we avoid something. We don't want to feel our real feelings or deal with our stuff. Constant movement is a distraction to deeper, underlying feelings that cause us dis-ease and discomfort. We fear other people's judgments and perceptions of us. When we constantly exude a sense of urgency, we feel valuable in the eyes of others.

Wait! I need to get on.

We feel the pressure: We feel a constant pressure to perform. This can come from the voice of our parents or society, where we feel we need "to do" in order to "be loved." We feel the need to hurry up and cram everything, in order to feel worthy of love. This can come from people-pleasing and the need to prove ourselves. A false perception: The idea that the grass is greener somewhere else. The future is better than now. We feel like we're missing opportunities by slowing down.

Never be late to a Grum Set. You will miss out on all the great tunes.

Knowing what is causing us to push alleviates the pressure that comes from rushing. If you don't know, you can simply stop. Stop and take a breath. Invite some space in. Acknowledge to yourself, "I know I'm rushing right now," and invite yourself back to the present moment. It's a good time to practice self-compassion, and compassion for others who are cutting you off on the freeway!

Ice Rink

I take one step 
onto that ice
and an immediate shock
of electricity shoots through me
strength and adrenaline rushes through my blood stream
my heart sings
my soul screams, finally free
my body rips through the cage that it has been kept in for so long
sick of being confined to the ordinary mundane movements
of an ordinary life
finally
it is free
I am free

and i dance
i dance the dance i have danced my whole life
a dance unlike any other
a dance on ice

my soul intertwines with the soul of the ice
it is my partner and we are inseparable
we dance together, like two lovers
long removed from each other
finally reunited
grasping each other in a loving embrace

I have missed the cold awakening hug of the wind
encircling me as a spin
the sparkling ice beneath my skates 
twinkling approval up at me as i dance with it

I jump
and i can fly
I am free
nothing in the world can hold me back
no one can cage me
you can't cage my spirit or my soul

I belong on the ice
its a part of me
and always will be

Come visit the NEW Ice Rink at the Retreat.

“Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.”

Life isn’t easy. It’s filled with challenges, upsets, hard times and massive amounts of pain and failure. But life is also filled with an endless array of simple pleasures. The upshot of failure is spiritual growth, mental understanding, emotional maturity, and physical strengthening. Don’t allow a little thing like failure to get you down.

The anti-quitter bias has kept many people stuck in jobs, relationships, or promises that aren’t good for them. The fear of quitting makes them stick it out or even work harder, which can have huge costs to their mental health and emotional well being. However, quitting is not always the worst choice a person can make. When done strategically, abandoning the pursuit of a goal may be a much healthier approach than perverse perseverance.

“When it rains look for rainbows when it’s dark look for stars.”

As a result, green often represents feelings of peace and tranquility. Some green hues can also help you relax and feel at ease. To achieve a greater sense of balance, try wearing a green stone or green clothing close to your heart, where you can focus this peaceful energy. One of the most positive aspects of green is its reference to inspiration and hope. Since this color symbolizes not only rebirth but also a long life, it paves the way for anticipation, optimism, and immortality. In fact, virtually all of the great religions of the world highlight green as a symbol of paradise and wisdom. Meditate with green to renew your sense of hope, to seek out inspiration during a trying time, or to find a constructive path for moving forward.

If I make someone smile

I have known beauty in art,
in nature, and in bodily form,
once I was beautiful and I enjoyed
it and all the access it gave me

I have read, I have written,
I have been over-educated
I have known both the ease
and burdens of privilege

but in all the ugliness that comes with life,

I have known what it is to be awake,

for a few moments at least,

or maybe I had the delusion that I was,

which I’ll take just the same.

That is not me,

But only what I let you see.

I am more complicated than you will ever know.

And yet I am really very simple,

I still naively expect the best from people.

Something I always try to give others,

Honesty, caring, mindful of feelings, doing what I can.

If I make someone smile,

If I help someone understand something,

If I make a difference,

I am successful.

waiting for nothing

Stayed up all night

With the bugs in the bright

And the air turned cold and black

Turtle trapped on its back

I'm waiting for nothing

Waiting for nothing

There are angels hiding under

Trestles above the ground

They hover there forever

So they can't be found

It's too late now It's too late now It's too late to fix my broken hands To fix my broken hands

I'm waiting for nothing
Waiting for nothing

Almost Lover

Your fingertips across my skin
The palm trees swaying in the wind
You sang me Spanish lullabies
The sweetest sadness in your eyes
Clever trick

Well, I never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me
Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

We walked along a crowded street
You took my hand and danced with me
And when you left, you kissed my lips
You told me you would never, never forget

I cannot go to the ocean
I cannot drive the streets at night
I cannot wake up in the morning
Without you on my mind
So you're gone and I'm haunted
And I bet you are just fine
Did I make it that easy to walk right in and out
Of my life?

"unicorns aren't real"

we believe this
because its what we're told
because magic like that can't be true

but maybe they are real
or maybe that isn't the point

maybe believing in yourself,
believing in your dreams,
feels like believing in a fictitious creature

imagine how excited you'd be
(how excited the world would be)
to discover that unicorns exist

have the same excitement towards yourself
let yourself be seen
and not just the best parts

let your messy parts show
let yourself be loved
for who you really are

maybe that
is magic in itself

(harlee kae)

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

30 years ago today the Berlin Wall fell, 2 years after Reagan famously said ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall’.

In total, at least 171 people were killed attempting to get over, under or around the wall. According to German historian Hans-Hermann Hertle in his work Berlin Wall: Monument of the Cold War, between 1961 and when the wall finally came down in 1989, over 5,000 East Germans successfully managed to cross the border by jumping out of windows of buildings adjacent to the wall or climbing over the barbed wire. Some even attempted to cross in hot air balloons, by ramming through in vehicles at high speeds or by crawling through sewers.

On Oct. 3, 1990, 11 months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany became one state again. Despite the initial euphoria, the road to recovery for East Germany was long and difficult with economic and social dislocation. And the fallout from the fall continues to this day: citizens were still paying slightly higher taxes than before the merger in order to cover the costs of unification.

In 1930 the history of Konnopke’s Imbiss, Berlin’s most famous currywurst stand under the Magistrate’s Viaduct in Schönhauser Allee. What started with Max and his Wurstkessel – sausage tray, with his wife, Charlotte at his side, became a Berlin Attraction. Since then it’s all been about sausages, in the war also from time to time about potato fritters. From 1960 onwards the first Currywurst in East Berlin has been available with ketchup to a family recipe. Konnopke’s became a cult. The Currywurst survived reunification and it’s new challenges including the rapid changes in the local area.

Today Konnopke’s team serves the locals, visitors and party people with sausages and more from morning to evening.

Magical creatures still exist today

Legends, myths and folkloric systems across the western world record legendary horned creatures which have become known to us collectively as unicorns. 

In heraldry, the unicorn is the symbol of my home nation of Scotland because this “proud and haughty beast” would rather die than be captured, as Scottish soldiers would fight to remain sovereign and unconquered. 

While much has been written about the mythological creature itself, less has been said about its horn, about which an entire mythological system exists.

When humans appeared, they came into contact with unicorns and, at first, they lived in harmony together. However, things changed as people spread across the Earth, increasing in number and gaining powers of a different kind: mechanical, electrical, industrial. Humans came to rely on modern technologies and fewer people remembered the old magic. 

As the world grew busier and noisier, unicorns became shyer creatures. They retreated to the highest mountains and deep into the thickest woods, where they used their intimate knowledge of the landscape and highly developed camouflage to hide.

The Gold Unicorn and the Silver Unicorn are believed to have been the first of their kind. They existed back when the world was young, and magical creatures were as common as clouds in the sky …

All sorts of enchanted beings lived on Earth at this time, from fleet-footed fairies to colonies of mischievous nymphs, and ice-breathing dragons that could freeze anything in their path. Unlike the Gold Unicorn and the Silver Unicorn, many of these magical creatures still exist today – if you know where to find them.

One November

One November
Spawned a monster
In the shape of this child
Who later cried 
One November
Spawned a monster
In the shape of this child
Who must remain
A hostage to kindness
And the wheels underneath her
A hostage to kindness
And the wheels underneath her.

A symbol of where mad, mad lovers
Must pause and draw the line.
So sleep and dream of love
Because it's the closest
You will get to love
That November
Is a time
Which I must
Put out of my mind
Oh, one fine day
Let it be soon
She won't be rich or beautiful
But she'll be walking your streets
In the clothes that she went out
And chose for herself.

All Saints’ Day, and All Soul’s Day, Remembering those who passed.

Rest in Peace. Know you are part of me.

It is important that the memory of those that have died is passed down to future generations so that the heritage of our past can be continued in the lives of our children. Find ways to pass along the stories of deceased loved ones so that the children feel a connection to their past.

Everybody knows the secular holiday of Halloween. But not everybody knows it derives from a holy day, All Saints' Day on Nov. 1, which is followed by All Souls' Day on Nov. 2.

The Celtic nations believed that at certain times of the year the boundaries between the mortal and unearthly realms broke down and this was especially true on Halloween (Samhain), All Saints’ Day, and All Soul’s Day.

What song would you play for me when I am gone?

The ancient Irish believed the dead were repositories of wisdom and lore and that during this blessed period they would return to speak to their descendants. During these visits, the ancestors would bestow two gifts – the ability to remember old days and traditions and to hold a deeper understanding of how we are forever linked to our bloodline.

Although many of these traditions have died out in Ireland similar customs continue around the world. The Mexican traditions surrounding the commemorative day are probably the most widely known. They celebrate the day as “El Dia de Los Muertos” (“The Day of the Dead”). Today they traditionally visit graveyards and have a picnic and leave food out for their dead relatives who are on their journey to heaven.

Who do you think of on the Day of the Dead?