Christmas isn't quite here yet. Those carol singers are just going through the motions. There may be a pseudo-Santa in every shopping mall, but the real Saint Nick hasn't even saddled up his reindeer. Every one seems to have the notion of some imminent festive miracle...But I really think we shouldn't take goodwill for granted... life is now full of promises...dreams which have yet to be fulfilled ....ummm I am still contemplating on that Christmas wish!

If you don't really care, how are you ever going to make anything happen? To obtain power, you must have passion. Yet if you care too much, how are you ever going to know where to draw the line? To obtain wisdom, you must have objectivity. Somehow, now, you have to balance a deep desire with an important inclination towards apathy. Then, when the moment is right, you will know it... and you will also know exactly what to do.

There's an old saying that I like, which is that luck is where preparation meets opportunity. All the work I am doing may not get exactly the results I am seeking. I may run into dead-ends (as u do!) and follow leads that go nowhere. But the energy I am expending is not being wasted...Maybe patience is actually the fear inside...but I like to call it the focus on what's moving rather than what's stuck. Perhaps if I feel my resources are limited, I should use them more wisely. Plenty that's being wasted could be used better...blah blah blah...I wish I could actually be as positive as I sound sometimes!

True friends allow us to grow. And they are the people we allow to grow and change. Most of the time, in authentic friendship there is neither room for judgment, nor the need for it. The beauty of this equation is that we can experience being self-assertive without fear of offending anyone. The world is big enough for everyone, and those who are committed to staying the same all the time contribute too little other than boredom.... But is it quite appropriate for us to be a different person every day if that's how we feel?

When people are resolutely who they are, that helps us be resolutely who we are. Of course, if we want to send people off cowering, we must be brave and direct. Yet how we respond in the face of someone's boldness and clarity is our choice, and this may even give us real opportunity to dance the tango rather than do the pussyfoot. Perhaps, deliberation and hesitation are not a flaw, as we so often remind the rest of us. Nobody is really all that certain of themselves. Life is a process, with the right attitude....

I was thinking...as I go through my day, who embraces me? I mean this literally. Who offers me a hug, who smiles when I walk into the room, and who leaves coffee on my desk? ...These are the people I want in my life (the last one is just an ironi..)... Ones who understand me intuitively, and who want consciously to make the world a softer, friendlier place for me...and them of course...ya ok...maybe I am one of those people who's not afraid to fight for what I know is right, and in so doing, I may miss the fact that I am truly supported by many with whom I would never, ever need to argue...but it would be nice to know...there is someone who would sit with you and just hold your hand when you feel like crying...someone to give you a hug when you are tired and cold and need some warmth...someone...to make you smile when you think of them!