Alter Ego. A Friend Indeed

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies

Aristotle

Barbara Rush, "The Tao of Friendship"

Long-awaited weekend... The afternoon is well along, and you're still at home, online in social media, invaded by sense of loneliness. You have more than one hundred friends in Twitter or Facebook, but have you ever wondered what knits you together? Are your pen-pals true or digital friends? We cherish the illusion of intimacy, but deny ourselves a pleasure of real life and communication with true friends, whom we can't simply make online. Stephen Marche, Esquire columnist, gives evidence of the epidemic of loneliness, and insists on disconnection as a ticket to a happier world ("Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?"). 

'Friend' associations cocktail

As we go through life, we encounter many people, most of which are acquaintances. Genuine friends are rare. They know all your faults, mistakes and problems and still like you for no other reason than you are YOU, and have no need to pretend. They got a million ways to make you laugh. They give without expecting anything from you in return. Sincere friendship allows both people to embrace and accept each other's differences and use them to enhance the relationship.

I did not have true friendships in my childhood. Some folks helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours but were not ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity.

Now I feel my needs answered with by sincere friends, my dear husband and our daughter. They give me total freedom to be my unique self. We can always turn to each other in a time of need and have a safety net for our deepest secrets in our trusting hearts. We feel growing and learning from each other.

Friendship is precious. Let's treasure the time we have together with our friends. 

Happy (?) Meal. Fast Food: Niceties & Neccessities

The problem is when that fun stuff becomes the habit. And I think that's what's happened in our culture. Fast food has become the everyday meal

Michelle Obama

What is better for us: a food item from a bottle, a can or a box, or a cellophane bag ‒ or fresh from the garden food? Sometimes it makes me wonder. Food preferences of mankind have always been and will always be determined by a complex interplay of social, economic, and technological forces. Great number of people tend to beleive that fast food is phony, and balanced food is real. Some of us consider chain of fast food outlets to be a manifestation of the commodification of time coupled with relatively low food prices.

Anyhow, fast food takes every nook and cranny in the life of modern civilization. Being a commonplace, it is served at drive-throughs, restaurants and cafeterias, stadiums and zoos, airports and railway stations, schools and universities. Fast food has made its own world, and its impact is hard to overstate. The Golden Arches are extremely widely recognized all over the world, as the symbol of globalization. We can even speak about Mcdonaldazition of some countries, such as America (Eric Schlosser, "Fast Food Nation").

Do we reach elegant sufficiency or only damp appetite? Let's weigh pros and cons of fast food.

Visit to McDonald's is justified when we are in a hurry and need to grab a bite, and it is tough to maintain a healthy diet. Fast food is convenient, cheap and tasty, but what is its real price which does not appear on the menu? 

To my mind, fat aspect is connected not only with fast food. It is not solely responsible for every social problem. The major point is that we should don't let fast food transformate our everyday diet. I don't stand on fast food, but I think no harm in a bite of pizza or cheeseburger, when we keep it to minimum. My weight is 47 kg with 164 sm height. We're our own masters and creators of our lifestyle, so what's wrong with a glass of Coca-Cola, when we try to keep healthy way of life? 
In conclusion I'd like to cite a quotation from Bengamin Franklin: "One should eat to live, not live to eat".

At the Mercy of the Sea

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever

Jacques Yves Cousteau

The magic of the Sea... Admire a breathtaking extreme vastness and dive into captivating, gorgeous and incredible natural beauty, unspoiled by the life of modern civilization. Gaze on glorious three-shade seawater, walk along the beach, let the soft white sands run through your toes and the waves gently touch your feet, listen to their thrilling lullaby whisper. Embrace gravity-free among them.

Powerful and fantastic, the sea is larger than life. It stirs our emotions making us to wear our heart in our sleeve, making us to think things we like to think. The sea is like a friend with a thousand faces: never monotonous, never repetitive, never the same. Diving into another world, we solve a mystery of inner world.

The sea inspires ordinary and famous people. The idea of sea names for boys (Dylan "Son of the sea", Merlin "Sea fortress", Muriel "Sparkling sea", Orman "Sea man", and others) and girls (Earwine "Friend of the sea", Marella "Shining sea", Morgan "Dweller of the sea", Molly "Star of the sea", and others) come into the world.

Sea World is the source of decorating ideas, related motives in jewelry and fashion design, life breath to artists, poets and knights of the pen. Maritime myths and legends, seafaring tales and adventure stories - spirits of the sea pass all bounds.

The Sea's heathfullness is true to expanding thalassotherapy (origin from Greek talassa "sea"), the therapeutic use of marine environment benefits (seawater, algae, seaweed, mud, and others) for the body and skin with toning, moisturizing, detoxifying, nourishing and revitalizing effect.

Listen to the sea, touch it, smell it, feel it. Drop into its secrets. Discover your live dream.

Beyond the sea, beyond the sea,

My heart is gone, far, far from me;

And ever on its track will flee

My thoughts, my dreams, beyond the sea.

                         Thomas Love Peacock

Super-power: Self-confidence

If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.

With confidence, you have won even before you started

Cicero

In Oxford Dictionaries we find the following definition of the word 'confidence': "The feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something; the state of feeling certain about the truth of something; a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities". This word has Latin origin, from confidere 'have full trust'.

The meaning of 'confidence' makes intuitive sence for us. We can see confident people among our colleagues and mates, nearby neighbours and passengers in transport, stallmen and passersby.

I catch myself thinking about inner lack of self-confidence. I don't half like my on and off self-doubt, even self-distrust; thinking of the past or the future, missing the power of Now; being afraid of voicing out my opinion; taking on at surrounding persons' remarks. The best confidence boosters for me are my husband and my daughter, the motive power to brace my energies and to act.

There comes a point of time when a doubtful man is not completely satisfied with a placebo effect of comforters and starts getting busy refining himself.

What should we do to improve self-confidence?

Face our fears. Do what you are afraid of because most of our fears are irrational. Prove yourself you can handle it with complete faith. Don't think "what if", just try it.

Have a rich inner world and get the most abundant life possible for yourself. Get your own experience through discipline and training.

Muscle relaxation and deep breathing help us to get rid of nervousness and supersensitivity to criticism.

Manage your thinking and empty your mind from inner voice that creates interiority complex by telling us all sort of negative things. Program yourself for successful and happy life by planning goals and achieving them.

Focus on your strength. It might be something you like and you are good at. So improve it.

Help others. Kindness and making a positive difference in other people's lives let you know that you are a positive force in the world.

Respect yourself. You have your own opinion and decision. You are unique, capable and worthy.

If your make-up gives you self-confidence - do it, if someT-shirt helps you to feel lucky - wear it, if you are sure of success after talking with your friend - call him. But we'd remember that the main power is inside us, in all circumstances.

Parenting: Trial and Error

Each day of our lives  we make deposits

in the memory banks of our children

Charles R. Swindoll

Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons. It consists of the smallest things that take up the most room in our heart and stay there forever. "You may forget your childhood, but your childhood does not forget you" (Michael Dibdin, a British crime writer). 
From April, 25 to April, 27 of this year I was lucky to take part in Yoshinkan Aikido Seminar in Kiev with Hiromichi Nagano Sensei, 8th Dan, a proffesional aikido instructor and a very wise man. I  keep in memory his words: "Children look at their parents' backs: if mom and dad are happy, they have confident bearing. And vice versa, kids notice parent's despondency in their sloched shoulders and closed posture". In the happiest of our childhood memories our parents were happy, too. As Nazariy Yaremchuk, a legend of Ukrainian pop music, sang, "Mother and father are two live suns giving us hope and warmth". 

So being in high spirits, we inspire, energize our children and give them a chance to spend many happy moments in their life, too. Children may not listen to their parents, but they're always watching at them. Thus, our kids will become what we are, so we'd be what we want them to be. Children watch examples better than they hear preaching. 
The most overwhelming key to a child's success is a positive involvement of parents. It is never late to be what you might have been: a perfect mother or father for your child. So we'd try to do our best our children feel to be a credit to us. 

One of the best gifts you can give your child is to help him understand that he's responsible for the choices he makes as well as the consequences of his actions, and ultimately, his own happiness.

Let's ponder a question: "What are the secrets of successful parents?"

Remembering my childhood, I catch myself thinking about lack of sincere talk, a glue that bonds the members of our family and gives us sence of connection. Maybe, my parents couldn't cope with everyday tiredness and didn't have neither time nor inclination to recharge. If you catch my drift, commonly I didn't feel mom and dad are my confidence boosters. 

Now being a mother, I've comprehended the fact that the best way to encourage my daughter is simply tell her I love her as often as I can.