Christmas: The Paradox of Our Time
“The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make…
Evil resolutions
Ah, that dreaded question! That thing we all say we will do but never actually make it to the finish line! We’re all creators of almost-standard replies that sound like “This year is the year I will lose 50 pounds of weight!” Or “From January 1st I will stop smoking for good!”
Misty Monday
Right now I’m in from some kind of self-inflicted, being-stuck-syndrome. Thankfully, it only happens a few times a year. I am gasping for air and checking if I’m still alive every 10 seconds. It’s stifling my bones and putting my knickers in a twist. So I am listening to Lady Gaga. To lift my spirits.
Christmas Day, and every day after
Christmas Day, and it’s a great one so far. Family brings out the best in you, especially if you only see each other a few times a year. This makes Christmas even more special, knowing that whatever happens, your family remains your backbone and your oxygen. My family had many struggles throughout the years; they’ve seen hardship no family should ever go through. They survived and came out shining like a star. It did make me wonder though why we were going through so much. At the time I thought we were jinxed, it looked like we were, it felt like we were. It placed a question mark after each time something happened and in the end, it left my faith in tatters. My religion – although already more non-existent…
Happy Christmas!
To those who have been bombarded with blog posts over the past few weeks: be merry and be joyful because from tomorrow onwards I will have less time to write… and your mailboxes will not be targeted by new notifications for a while 😀 My jet plane will drop me off somewhere between The Netherlands and France to spend Christmas with my family. Needless to say, I am quite looking forward to it… presents are wrapped, books were chosen to read while resting, phone backed up and synched with new music and suitcase about to be filled. No, not taking 5 pairs of shoes this time, only the one pair of Dr. Martens‘ boots that suit my every style!
Christmas in Dublin
I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. (Charles Dickens)
The dark underbelly of Ireland’s society
I love Ireland. Anyone who reads this blog or who knows me personally knows how much I do. Some days, however, like today, I feel ashamed for being a part of a society that lets beggars sit half-naked, without shoes, without pants in the bitter cold on one of the busiest shopping streets of Ireland (Henry Street, just off O’Connell Street). People walking past carry shopping bags of expensive stores without glancing at a man sitting there begging for money, or if they glance, they show contempt: “How dare he sit here like that?!” Perhaps this image does not fit in many people’s reality, but it doesn’t make it a lesser reality because they deny this person’s hardship. If anything, people who show contempt for someone so poor and so…