One Road- Ariann Mieka

Note: I loved the discussion "On Being" had with Pico Iyer from which the above quote comes from.  Find the full interview at this link:  http://www.onbeing.org/program/pico-iyer-the-art-of-stillness/7615/audio?embed=1

One of my friends always has the funniest jokes as her messenger profile picture or hilarious statements about her life for her status. I usually burst out laughing when I read them and I love how she uses humor when dealing with life’s inevitable unpleasant moments. Laughter can really lift your mood and help you take your mind off of your troubles. Sometimes when my loved ones are down I try to find a good joke to share with them to do just that!   I chose a few below that I found online to share with you. I hope they help you giggle your way into a happier day! 1. A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says: ''Ugh, that's the ugliest baby I've ever seen!'' The woman walks to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her: ''The driver just insulted me!'' The man says: ''You go up there and tell him off. Go on, I'll hold your monkey for you.'' 2. A woman has twins, and give...

It's my birthday. It's been my birthday in this time zone for 6 hours and now that it's 6am here, it's officially my birthday back home also! I basically just went to bed (at around 4am) but somehow my wish to wake up and greet my birthday again became a possibility when I started to stir an hour ago. I do not want to say it out loud (it makes it official) but I'm fighting a cold. It came on yesterday evening and I've been trying desperately to make it go away before my birthday began. Nonetheless, it's still lingering as if missing my birthday was not an option. This unwanted guest might be what made me wake up at 5am. I lay in bed, my eyes tightly shut and tried to breathe deeply and send loving messages to my nose and throat. For a little while I got a bit of relief. Eventually, I opened my eyes and was greeted by the first light creeping into the dim sky. I stared out of the large glass windows and watched as the universe slowly began to paint gentle wis...

While reading a magazine recently I came across a segment that gave single women advice and inspiration on choosing new adventures. They featured a woman who travelled the world alone, another that built her own house (putting in the electricity and plumbing alone and all!) and one who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. I read all the stories in awe but the one that struck a cord with me the most that day was about a woman who took up the challenge to meditate for a month (like all day long) at a retreat. I had been looking for some new guided meditation sessions or an inspiring meditation program I could read in the attempts to accomplish my goal of meditating every day. In the tips section of the article they mentioned the Insight Timer App so I researched it online and gladly paid the $2.99US to add it to my iPad. (For the iPhone and Android there is a free version and one for $2.99US as well). Unfortunately, the iPad version didn’t feature the guided meditation option but I decided to ...

In my house tea is king! We may have a small selection of coffee (okay…maybe only one type) to offer you when you visit and you can brew it in a machine that was bought in the 80’s. But when it comes to tea, we have a plethora of types to choose from. Just take a glance in the tea chest or in the cupboard and you can even choose what you want to steep it in. As I said, we live on tea here! Tea tastes great and keeps you warm on a cold day. Even more importantly it is beneficial for many health reasons and can be a terrific natural mood booster! Next time your boss springs an unreasonable deadline on you and you want to explode, decide instead to take a tea break! Have your spouse and your kids driven you close to your breaking point? Before you put them all up for adoption turn on the kettle and pick up a tea bag! Tea can even chase your blues away. Choose your herbs fresh from the garden, in a dried form or from the grocery in ready-made tea bags. The aroma and the properties in t...

I first heard of the author Michael Singer and his book "The Untethered Soul" on Oprah’s programme “Super Soul Sunday”. On the show he spoke about the fact that we are not the thoughts that are constantly running through our heads but that the ‘real’ us is the one listening to the thoughts. I was so intrigued by his words and for the next few days all I could notice was my thoughts. I must admit I began to get slightly creeped out as the chatter continued. “Who is this being that is listening to the thoughts in my head?” I had no clue! I rushed out and bought the book! As I read I couldn’t help but message M.E. at odd times of the night to share passages I just read! Below is one of my favorite passages from the book. I’ve always believed that happiness is a choice but somehow the way the author explained it here made a new light shine on the topic for me. Happiness is not only a choice but also a promise or a contract that you make to yourself that no matter what happens y...