by Svetlana Konnikova

We had thousands of books in our home library. Reading was one of my favorite pastimes, especially in winter. We didn’t spent too much time with computers and computers games, and speaking endless minutes on the mobile. We didn’t watch television broadcasts with boring, upsetting news and undelivered promices by politicians. It could never have substituted or competed anyway with the world od classic literature and music.

 I savored the time I had to read masterpieces of literature, created by talented people throughout the world through the centuries. I convinced myself that the books would put me in fascinating adventures and voyages, and would substitute successfully in the wintertime for all the fine, soft-petaled spring flowers; the bounty of sweet-smelling summer blossoms and herbs, their scents made stronger by the heat of the summer sun.

I imagined that the books I held in my hands were paper flowers, blooming with brilliant human thoughts, so I developed a “strange habit.” It amazes me now how dedicated I was to reading and how I read each book voraciously as if I were a starving peasant with an insatiable appetite, gobbling down each word if it were my last bit of bread, my last drop of honey. I read volume after volume of Jules Vern’s science fiction, Alexandre Dumas novels, and James Fennimore Cooper’s colorful adventures in the wild West.

I devoured the works of Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Honore de Balzak, Gustave Flaubert, Theodore Dreiser’s dramas, Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare’s tragedies, and Walt Whitman’s poems. It was a feeding frenzy. I never stopped reading an author’s collection. I read volume after volume until I finished all of them. It was my passion. I read all of their works, including the epistle genre: the letters they wrote to loved ones, friends, and other writers. Do you think I changed a little bit? I continue to read great books with the same passion day by day, year by year.

Today I would like to share with you my thoughts about Alexandre Dumas, a superstar of 19th century French literature. He was one of my favorite writers in the middle school. Fascinating adventures of his heroes in masterpieces like The Three Musketters and The Count of Monte Cristo fired my imagination, and I dreamed of  far-away, mysterious places where three musketeers and the Count of Monte Cristo have been living their  exciting life, their “joie de vivre.”

(more…)

Today is especially cold in South Florida. Floridians are spoiled with all year around warm weather, the sun, evergreens and the inviting Atlantic Ocean where usually you can swim and enjoy hot sun and sandy beaches in January. At the beginning of New Year cold came to the sunny Florida, and South Floridians and thousands of visitors are surprised.

Don’t you understand that sometimes winter can happen even in South Florida? Now relax, watch and listen to Vivaldi’s classic “Four Seasons”–Winter.

Inspiration is a great motivation to dream your dreams and accomplish something big, unforgettable and of value. It can change your life to the best and make your goals and plans come true. As Henry David Thoreau said once, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.”

This post is all about that, and a holiday song that became a favorite of millions of people around the world. Listen to it and read a little holiday story telling you about extraordinary ideas, persistence of vision, and tremendous creativity that can come from the most unlikely places, but bringing really amazing results.

Of course, you heard and enjoyed it many times. This smooth tune puts you right away in a holiday mood. But do you know the inspiring story behind this song, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and its creator? From a depressed widower father, to a millionaire… How did Rudolph change the life of Robert “Bob” May?

(more…)

Do you feel already in a holiday mood? If not, put aside all your problems and other serious issues. Give yourself a break from your busy and speedy life. You deserve to relax and feel healthy and happy.

Yesterday I got an interesting email from a friend in San Francisco who wrote, “This guy is cool… worth watching! Have patience… it will drive you crazy as you try to imagine what he is painting. Hope it works for you.” So, I did just that and watched the video. I included it in my post for you to watch, too.

Be patient and breathe deeply. Master the art of breathing serenely. Since you are continuously breathing the entire day, you don’t realize that this is the most powerful and effective tool for creating the peaceful feelings that are conducive for patience. As soon as you begin to feel impatient, let the feelings you experience be the start of your focusing on the gift of oxygen. As you exhale, feel all stress and tension leaving. As you inhale, feel the fresh oxygen traveling from head to toe relaxing every muscle and every cell in your entire body.

As you breathe, repeat the word, “Patience.” Say it with gentle and soothing patience. As your brain is conditioned to associate slow breathing with patience, the very act of breathing slowly will continuously enable you to be more patient.

Now you are ready to watch the video with Dan Dunn’s PaintJam magic.

“If you judge people, you don’t have time to love them.”–Mother Teresa

References: http://www.paintjam.com; http://www.youtube.com

Today we (in the U.S and Canada) celebrate Thanksgiving, which is really a big harvest festival. We give our thanks for the harvest and express our gratitude to everything good we have in our lives, and at first, to our famillies and good food on our tables.

Due to heavy rains this year and almost impossible conditions for picking pumpkins we did not see too many of these symbols of Thanksgiving in all their natural beauty in grocery stores. No matter what, we did manage to keep the tradition. We even went further. We changed our holiday menu a little bit, perfected it and came up with several new, great meals with tasteful, healthy and nutritional benefits. About these new recipes read in our next post.

Want to have fun? Watch these three parts of Thanksgiving cartoon about Arnold and Helga who were sick of the Thanksgiving traditions established by their families. So they decided to go to Mr. Simmons’ house to celebrate the holiday. This was a disappointment, and in the same time a good lesson for both. They learned that nowhere in the world can feel better to celebrate the holiday of thanks than with your family gathered together around the dinner table full with lovingly prepared homemade delights.

(more…)

Did you have your cuppa of coffee today? Coffee can be a remarkable stimulant, energy booster and mood elevator, we all know that. What about coffee as a substitute for paints in creating a great art. There are no limits in art for talented people! Look at the photos below.

Timeless Mona Lisa…  Artist’s assistants stand next to 3,604 cups of coffee which have been made into a giant Mona Lisa in Sydney, Australia. The 3,604 cups of coffee were each filled with different amounts of milk to create different shades!

How is your weekend? Unhappy with house errands and many other causes? No matter what, get out of emotional unhappiness! Take your time for relaxation. Surprise yourself and women you love! Buy them roses and make them happy. Don’t wait till Valentine’s Day. This beautiful, most sensuous and romantic of flowers has inspired poets, artists and many other people for centuries as the symbol of love and beauty.

Strew the roses petals into your bathtub and enjoy their enchanting scent. Since ancient times the rose has been extolled not only for its beauty and fragrance but also for its medicinal properties. Do you know that Greek doctors used the champagne rose as a tonic? Pliny listed 32 medicines prepared from roses. Avicenna in the 10th century praised the rose and was the first to make rose water that is so popular today. He used rose jelly to cure spitting of blood. Around the turn of 16th century otto or attar of roses was discovered in Persia. Now it is a major ingredient in perfumes and soaps, and widely used in aromatherapy.

Make your weekend with your loved ones romantic, pleasant and full with positive emotions! Now watch this video full with roses, queens of flowers, and music by unforgettable Fausto Papetti.

“Treat people for their emotional unhappiness, allow them to be happy, and they will become well.”– Dr. Edward Bach

Source: Mama’s Home Remedies: Discover Tome-Tested Secrets of Good Life and the Pleasures of Natural Living by Svetlana Konnikova, Aurora Publishers, 2008

The Complete Floral Healer by Anne McIntyre, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2002, P.191

www.youtube.com/Fausto Papetti–Emmanuelle

Copyright 2009.

Got a minute? It’s Saturday! Look at these photos. They are amazing. Click on the link below and see some very curious things and  life moments happening with people  and Nature around the world.

                                                          strange_world_photos1

Ever heard about a city of Petra? This treasure is located in Jordan. Built many centuries ago  in colorful, natural stones, today this historical site is one of the seven new wonders of the world. Explore a remarkable old city, a monument to the ancients’ abundant knowledge and creativity, business acumen and highly professional skills.

Interesting fact: Bedouins, living in the city and built it in 6th century B.C. during a reign of the Persian Empire, made their living by selling spices, herbs, incense, myrrh and aromatic plants. Imagine how ancient people were smart about their health and consumed natural products in large quantities! This trade was prospering there for many years until Petra was destroyed  by an eathquake and was never inhabited again.

Now click on the link below and start with us this fascinating tour to the city of Petra. 

                                                 petraunadelas7maravillasdelmundo