Tag Archives: darkness

Wish upon a star

15 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Depression, Fear, Feel good Friday, Positivity, Quiet and slow

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Last night I lay down under the stars waiting to see a meteor shower.
I didn’t see much of a shower, rather more of an occasional shooting star across the sky.  Which was wonderful in itself.
Did I make a wish upon a star?
You bet I did!
I wished for more quiet moments like that one and I wished that I could always keep life in perspective – to recognise how small we are in comparison to the greatness of the universe. When we realise this, our problems don’t seem as huge as they were before.
Og Mandino said “I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars”
Yet without darkness we will never understand or appreciate the light.


Nobody wants to be in the darkness but if you find yourself there, remember to look for the stars.
They are there if you just look up (and while you’re looking, don’t forget to make a wish)
At this time of the year when things do slow down, take some time just to be quiet, to appreciate the things around you and… to look up at the stars.

Silence in the dark

28 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by in Advice, Mindfulness

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Yesterday was just unbelievable.
At 9 in the morning a huge truck drove into the electricity pole near our house and knocked it down.  And that left us with no electricity for more than 12 hours.

It’s really not that bad having no power during the daylight hours (except for the lack of tea) but when night falls it is a different story.
My kids started to get panicky (probably related to withdrawals from their electronic devices). But there is an amazing sense of calm when there is just quiet in the neighbourhood. There is not much to do but just sit and think. And to have conversations with each other.  The kids had to think of creative ways to keep themselves busy.  Everyone in the neighbourhood was out in the road chatting and catching up first at sunset and then later we all gathered in the street in our pyjamas to watch the truck repairing the wires.
Eventually my cellphone battery died and since it couldn’t be recharged, I couldn’t receive any calls or messages and there was no disturbances.
And one of the best parts was that I didn’t have to cook!
By the time the power was restored, it was late into the night but somehow it seemed intrusive when the lights came on.

A friend of mine had a similar problem with lack of power a few weeks ago and the family decided to spend the evening playing board games.  They made a decision that once a week they would put down all of their phones and tablets, switch off all of the screens and sit together and play games.

I think that in a world that is so fast paced and technologically driven we are always busy, always in demand and we are in contact with so many people and making so many connections. Yet how many of those relationships are meaningful?
How often do you truly connect with those around you? Or are you too busy doing other things?
It is so worth it to have a few hours a week where you can truly connect.  Where you can do something meaningful.
Stop to read a book, watch the sunset, talk to your neighbour.
If we all committed ourselves to a few hours of quiet every week, I think that we would feel a lot less stressed.
Go ahead, try it!