Men & Women friendship

He was my friend
Before I submit myself to a will
I couldn’t understand

Cultural ideas
Men and women don’t mix
They ought to go separate ways

To your husband
You must obey
His will become yours
Or you go ashtray

So he was my friend
And one day
I felt scared to even write
Him an email

I remained silent
No words to explain
A choice I wouldn’t
Challenge again

Being his friend
Was a crime
Cultural ideas
Made it bad

Talking in the street with someone
Showing the way
Or even smile
Forget to even be nice

Men and women don’t mix
Or you’ll have to suffer my wrath

Your husband
You don’t betray
Or you’re a slut
To my dismay

He was my friend
Then he was gone
I could only feel guilty
For not standing my grounds

We were only friends
No threat to his life
I let childhood sleep
Behind the car glass

Men and women don’t mix
Cultural beliefs
If you trigger the deal
Don’t cry
You deserve it

Your husband
Has every right

You broke the promise
Men and women don’t mix
Don’t even tell me otherwise

Or I will make you pay
The price

An invaluable lesson

When Jennifer told me she would be in Paris and would love to meet, the first thought that crossed my mind is « I can’t do this ». It’s not that I did not want to see her or anything lik thise, it’s just that the first words that came through my mind were “not good enough”.

I hate these three words.

But they rush like blood into my veins every time I am facing a new situation, a situation that involves new people.

And then, something happened in my mind. I heard a voice saying “what – not good enough – you’re joking!”

I was not.

I mean we were talking about Jennifer Burden there – the founder & CEO of World Moms Network, the woman with ideas, passion, who got involved with the UN Foundation and even got to meet the UN Secretary General, Ban ki-Moon.

I was so scared.

And then I answered “Fabulous, I can’t wait to meet you”, thinking that I still had 3 weeks to get ready.

Crazy!

And then I realized there was nothing to fear. I realized all this “not good enough” bullshit was not about me. It was about all the assholes I met before. I make the choice to stop this voice in my head.

I was good enough. I am good enough. I am even better than “good enough”. I am me. And I am beautiful.

So we met.

And I can say that we had a fabulous time. Meeting Jennifer was like meeting an old friend. We had so much to share about our lives, doubts, dreams. We enjoyed this special moment. It was a special treat to me. I met an open-minded and delicious woman. She was not one to fear or be afraid of. We were just two women happy to connect.

A week later, it was Purnima’s – senior editor at WMN – turn to be in Paris with her family. The bad voice did not come back. I would have told her “shut up” anyway. And again we shared a nice moment all together. It was even hard letting her and her family go.

I am so grateful to have met these wonderful ladies and to have overcome my fears. They both taught me an invaluable lesson:

Be who you are. Be proud of your choices. And the world will embrace you. And you will shine. And the world will shine with you!

I’d love to have tea with you…

You remember when we met so early in the morning, it’s still dark outside and the air was quite cold. We were wearing our runners and warm jackets over jumpers made with wool. You’d wait for me at the corner of the main street. We’d have a look at the sea before starting our trip. We’d walk under the moon, then under the sun or the dark clouds, depending on the weather forecast, for two, three, four hours. We’d talk about life and whatever was in our minds these days, doubts, pain, wishes, sweet dreams and trips back home being planned for a couple of days – France for me – a couple of weeks – Arizona for  you.

I miss you, your shining smile, your heart as big and sweet as – as what – as a chocolate pudding with ice cream on top, your hugs making me feel fully alive. I miss our talks and the way we used to support each other.

I miss stopping by your home and seeing that you get a new juicer, fresh fruits and this green paste that sounded like torture to me, you said was so healthy. You’d prepare some tea and we’d sit down outside, telling each other how great it’s to be single, sharing our must reads and trying to figure out what the future holds for us.

I miss you, your tears – you were never afraid of letting them go. I’d listen to you trying to love yourself. I thought – I still think – you’re such a gem, a precious person, a wonderful friend. I know I am blessed to have you in my life even though we only see each other once a year, even though we don’t talk that much in between.

I wish I could leave work today and have tea with you. I’d show you around. We would walk in the garden, sit for a while; we’d look at the world and rejoice to be together.

I miss you today my friend.

You are amazing!

Mailbox

Filled with love

Pink card saying

You are amazing!

♥

It’s time to wish you…

It’s all about time

Or about not taking the time

I’d rather say it’s all about love

And sharing it

It’s all about gratitude

Or saying “thank you”

Not just in our hearts

But saying it out loud

Shouting it

And receiving wonderful more things

When doing so

It’s about You

Being here

Following me

Guiding me

Helping me

Inspiring me

It’s about yours words

Your beautiful soul

Your incredible talent

Your voice

Your light

Shining through the darkest moments

Healing my deepest wounds

It’s about taking the time

To recall what’s behind us

To dream about what’s awaiting us

To plan projects

To send wishes out to the world

♥

I want to THANK YOU

And WISH YOU

A wonderful, joyful, true, inspiring year 2017

May you and your loved ones stay safe, at peace, in love

May each one of you achieved one of your greatest dreams

May you keep looking at life with faith and hope

May you keep writing and being true to who you are

May you reminder that you are important, precious, loved

May you stay connected to the Universe

To GOD

♥

I LOVE YOU!

Credit photo

Incredible Women!

They have a way to say things, to encourage each other.

They use “love” like others say “hello”.

They hug you when they met you for the first time.

They are willing to share every bits and pieces of their story, ups and downs of life, without worrying about what you’ll think about them.

You feel safe and at home around them.

They know what you keep inside and give you some space to let it go.

They love you without a doubt, praying that you’ll be ok, that your loved ones will be fine. Without knowing your name or any of your scars.

They believe and have faith.

They welcome you with a smile and the assurance that whatever happens they’ll be there. For you.

They say “you are fabulous”, “you kick ass”, “you rock or “you’re an angel”.

They are themselves no matter what.

They attend to your kids and take care of them, like their own. They pack their bags for a pajama party, when they feel you can’t take it anymore.

They see behind your beautiful smile. They see your tears. They know they won’t last.

They don’t wait till you fall down to be there and share help.

They are Incredible Women!

Friends (for better & worse)

Yesterday I read a wonderful text on friendship (I invite you to visit Chris blog to know all about it).

We tend to say that we recognize who our friends are when experiencing dark hours, when crossing the most dangerous roads of our life. I do believe it’s true.

But at the same time I’d like to think that we recognize our good friends in times of joy too. You know the friends with whom you can share your most incredible dreams, your wonderful news and your amazing projects – the kind of friends who encourage you and celebrate life by your side.

We too often wait till something bad happens to say “I’m there. I love you”. We tend to say “tomorrow” or “another day” when we think about phone calls or letters.

Many of my friends are unfortunately living quite far away. We don’t see each other much. I do miss this. I miss the contact. I miss the endless talking, chatting and gossiping sometimes (for fun). I miss the “I’m around, can I come for a coffee?”

I miss the laughs, the secrets we share, the memories we like to look at when turning the pages of a photo album. I miss seeing our kids playing together. I miss special time around a good meal.

I miss my friends so much that I don’t want to wait till something breaks in their life, leaving them empty and scared. I want to be there for the happy days too. So every now and then I send a card, a sweet message. I give a phone call, even a short one. And when I can, I book a trip to visit.

One day it’ll be too late to tell others how much they mean to us, how much they count, how much their friendship is inspiring and precious.

Some of my friends don’t think like I do. They don’t like cards, don’t like calling. They don’t come to visit. Some have excuses. Some don’t.  It worked for me till today. But still I need more contact, more face to face, more friends to share the daily grace and the crazy hours.

What about your friends? Do you see them? What makes you crazy about them?

Social Media – Love / Hate relationship

Some days, I can spend hours reading amazing blog posts written by fabulous writers, scroll my Facebook and Instagram news feeds, watch great videos and learn new things.

Some other days, I can’t stand this non-ending flow of inforation, words, details, images, status, links to follow, comments to write.

Some days, I feel blessed to be able to connect with many lovely ladies and guys from all over the world – We are sharing so much together.

Some other days, I feel like I’m missing something right here, right now.

Some days, I wish to take in more wisdom, to celebrate life with you, you and you. I feel balanced and at peace. I feel new technologies have a beautiful way to change our lives (for the better).

Some othe days, I turn off all devices. I am looking for less noise around me and in me. I come to believe that all these technologies are pushing me the wrong way. I wish I could live without. I’m about to cancel all my accounts. I am losing my mind.

This is a never ending circle of love and hate relationship. When I catch myself spending a bus trip, my eyes stuck on my phone screen, I am about to scream.

And then I remember – You and I, we created such a special bond through our words. I recieve your love, support, kindness with a smile on my face. Sometime you even write them down on paper and I recieve them with great joy in my letterbox. Magical! Without Internet, We’d have never met. You: Crazy Amazing Beautiful Great Wise Loving friends.

With and without. With the best of it. Without, when I am losing track of my own footsteps on the ground.

Tell me, what is your relationship with blogs and social medias? Are you good at finding the right balance? Did you find it already? Or are you still searching for it?

Credit Image – Rubric

Friend Farewell

Together

Then apart

Happy feelings

Feeling trapped

Holding hands

Letting go

Sharing moments

And no more

Friends forever

Farewell time

Too much silence

Between your life and mine

Happy days

Rushing fast

In my mind

Heavy clouds

A promise

Together and never apart

Much distance

Different paths

Like two ships

Sailing away from the secure shore

Of our mutual love

Letting go of memories

Hopes and ties

We are left alone

With some scars

It’s time

To say goodbye

Credit Image

If you were there with me…

If you were there

I would hug you, tell you how much I am glad you are here, how much I waited for this day to come, how much I love you.

If you were there

I would take your hand and show you the garden at the corner of the street, where we would sit and let the sun sink into us and melt our hearts.

If you were there

I would tell you how much your friendship means to me, how many letters I wrote to you in my mind, every night before going to be, every morning, at prayer time.

If you were there

I would not let go of your hand. I would turn it around, holding it tight; to make sure you are not an illusion, a pure product of my fantasy, of meeting you one day, in reality.

If you were there

I would say thank you and we would both cry on each other’s shoulders for all that we went through, the pain, the loss, the mess, the craziness.

If you were there

I would not want to let you leave. We would talk for hours, laugh out loud and drink many coffees till it’s time for another kind of drink!

If you were there

I would show you Paris and you would love the empty streets in the morning, Montmartre and its artists, the sweet fragrance of the city of love, lovers kissing under the shade of a tree.

If you were there

We would talk about our first encounter behind our screens, the first word we read, the one who changed our lives, who made us feel plain and beautiful again. We would talk about the other inspiring ladies, changing our sky from grey to blue.

If you were there with me

I would be so wonderfully happy.