|
Tomorrow begins a new year, 2015. In the meantime, we've been hearing the top songs and news stories of 2014. A lot has happened over the past year and much of it was not so good. Anyone looking back over the news events of the past year might say that humanity is in a tailspin. We point our eyes and attention to the atrocities taking place in the world, but what about all of the good that has occurred as well? How much of that makes its way to our line of vision on the news, on Facebook, on Twitter? This post is not about focussing on the negative, but focussing on the silver lining - on people bringing humanity back to the forefront. Let's end 2014 with focussing on the good in people, our determination to move forward and our desire to create change for the betterment of all and let's bring more of it to 2015. *Note: to learn more about the stories below, just click on their images.  Malala wins the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy for education and women's rights. She survived an assassination attempt in 2012 where she was shot in the head. She is a target of the Taliban, yet tirelessly brings the attention of the world to the basic right that all children are entitled to an education.
One of the best pictures to come out of the Ferguson protests: "the hug heard round the world." This photo was taken at a rally in Portland, OR. A shared hug between Devonte Hart and Sgt. Barnum. Devonte's story is amazing. If you don't know about him, you'll want to click here.  Photograph: BBC News "...and the (presumably) Muslim woman sitting next to me on the train silently removes her hijab. I ran after her at the train station. I said 'put it back on. I'll walk with u'. She started to cry and hugged me for about a minute - then walked off alone." - Rachael Jacobs What started as a woman posting her story after the hostage situation in Sydney, Australia became a viral outpouring of support for the Muslim community fearing backlash. People posted on Twitter that they would ride with anyone fearing for their safety and listed what transit they took. There were over 150,000 of these tweets in just 4 hours.  Photograph: Rechts Gegen Rechts /http://www.rechts-gegen-rechts.de/ Each year, the neo-nazis march through the town of Wunsiedel in Germany, but this year it took a rather interesting turn. Unbeknownst to the neo-nazis, with every step they took they were actually funding an anti-extremism organization. Local townspeople and businesses contributed 10 Euro for every meter walked accumulating in 10,000 Euros being donated to an organization that helps rehabilitate people just like the neo-nazis. Well played, Wunsiedel, well played!  Not only can they help the Earth, but the people of Turkey can help feed the strays. This awesome machine, created by Engin Girgin, drops food into a bowel as people put their recycling in. The cost of the food is covered by the bottles and cans taken in for recycling. Ingenious!  Photograph: YouTube 7 year old Quinn wanted to help his friend Brayden cover the expenses of a surgery he needed for issues with Cerebral Palsy. They created a lemonade stand as well as a fundraising page with the goal of reaching $20,000 to help cover the cost of the out-of-pocket surgery. Thanks to his best buddy, they surpassed their goal raising over $60,000. While I only chose a few, there are many more stories like the ones above - you just have to look for them or, better yet, create your own. I wish you a 2015 full of Love, Joy, Good Health and many opportunities to BE from your Heart. Happy New Year! Love, Adrienne :)
2 Comments
I saw this online and thought it was really cool. Granted, I love all the traditions of Christmas cookies and tree lights, but these tips are another way to enjoy the holidays at an even higher vibrational level. 
For those who are sensitive to the energies of others and find it hard to be around certain people, check out the article link below. Dr. Judith Orloff is an empath and has great tips for how sensitive people can better enjoy their holidays. 
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all the happiest of holidays. If you celebrate Christmas,
MERRY CHRISTMAS If you celebrate Hanukkah, HAPPY HANUKKAH MUCH LOVE, PEACE & JOY - ADRIENNE :) Ahhh... the holidays. A time meant for joy and family and community and love. Unfortunately, it's also become a time of great stress for many. While people constantly comment that they need to watch their weight during this season, I'd suggest that watching your breathing is the most important thing anyone can do for themselves - not just for the holidays, but every day. Why should we care about our breathing when it's something we do automatically? Simply, we aren't breathing properly. Most people tend to do shallow breaths from their upper chest when we absolutely need to be breathing from the belly to really get the oxygen circulating. Did you know that 70% of the body's toxins are released through the exhale? 70%! So, how can you improve your breathing? Take mini breaks throughout the day to check on your breathing and follow my little acronym below to help get you on your way to less stress and a healthier body. Bring yourself to a stop.
Release the mind for a moment. Engage all of your senses for Awareness of your breath. Take notice of where you Hold tensions in your body and Exhale them out. Inhale through your Nose And from your belly, Not your chest. Drop your shoulders as you exhale Out your mouth Ushering your Toxins and tensions out of your body. Love, Adrienne :)  Around this time of year you hear a lot about giveaways. Many talk shows are following this trend. The one that comes to mind most to me is Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways. The idea of this got me thinking, it’s always so nice and feels so good to be on the receiving end - with that in mind, what if we did our own 12 Days of Gifting? I know this time of year is stressful for many, but taking the time to do something for someone else allows us to truly get into the Spirit of this season. Our small acts or gestures can make a huge difference for another and it allows us to BE from our heart. I’ve included a list of 21 possible gift ideas. You can gift anonymously or in person. Most of the gifts on this list hardly take up much time or resources. A lot of the links are for the U.S., but the idea applies anywhere. I invite you to join me in participating in your own 12 Days of Gifting. If you have any other gift ideas, please feel free to add them in the comments section below.
1. Smile at someone who needs it. 2. Pick up litter in your neighborhood, park or beach. 3. Donate a book to a library, shelter, school or hospital. 4. Help someone with yard work or shoveling snow. 5. Take a meal to a family going through a hard time: illness, loss of employment, death of a loved one… 6. Leave a post-it note with an uplifting message for someone at work or school. 7. Send a card/box of candy/flowers to someone in a retirement home who doesn’t have family. 8. Call a friend who you haven’t connected with in a long time. 9. Take some ‘luxury items’ to a homeless shelter or domestic violence shelter – books, puzzles, magazines, chocolate bars, hair bands, hand warmers, shampoo, etc. 10. Make a donation or take some goodies to your local Ronald McDonald house for families who are there with their children over Christmas http://www.rmhc.org/other-ways-to-help & http://www.rmhc.org/chapter-search. 11. Send a card or gift to someone at your local hospital who may not have family or could really use some cheering up and encouragement. 12. Send a card or a deck of playing cards to your local V.A. care facility. 13. Donate to the Wounded Warriors http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org 14. This site has a ton of links for doing something for the military: http://www.military.com/spouse/military-life/military-resources/how-to-support-our-troops.html 15. Click for food for shelter animals – all you have to do is click on a button – it couldn’t be any easier than that: http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/home 16. This site has fantastic links for easy ways to help out animals in need: http://www.animals-shelter-me.com/Feed.html 17. Take food or supplies to your local animal shelter. 18. Donate to a worthy organization. Two of my favorites are Blink Now: http://www.blinknow.org and Little Red Wagon Foundation: http://www.lrwf.org 19. Help create change and sign a petition: http://www.avaaz.org/en/ 20. Take a gratitude snack to the workers at your local post office, firehouse, library, non-profit, etc. 21. Share this post. Enjoy your 12 Days of Gifting! Love, Adrienne :)  I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “he’s in his own world.” The general meaning of this expression is that the person is daydreaming. My trip back to the U.S. allowed me to recognize that this phrase can be taken to other levels.
I was waiting in line for passport control. I was maybe the 4th person in the line when a woman had some issue with her passport requiring us to stand there for another 15 minutes. There were no other lines we could join and our line was just getting longer by the minute. They finally opened up a new line next to us and right away two men from the back of the line charged forward and many others followed. If you’re a courteous human being – you allow the people in front of you to go first, they’ve been waiting longer than you. But, no – these men were in their own world – the world where it’s all about them, everyone else be damned. Debording the flight, I was incredulous at how many people reached over other people’s heads to pull their bags down, nearly knocking those in front of them (or behind them) in the head. It wasn’t just one or two instances. They were in their own world with no regard to those around them. Arriving at San Francisco, I had a long layover and walked around the airport. The majority of people there were immersed in their phones. They were all in their own world. We can also look at this another way – we are, each of us, in our own world. Our experiences, our thoughts, our beliefs (both conscious and subconscious) dictate how our world manifests for us. We all co-exist on this planet, but your view of the world and the way you experience it is specific for you and is not the same way someone else views and experiences the world. Knowing this, we each have the ability to change our world – by shifting our thoughts, clearing out beliefs that don’t serve us, choosing how we react to our experiences – basically taking ownership of our lives and taking control of the driver’s seat. We each have the capability of improving our world. It’s extremely important to focus on ourselves for change, yet we must also be conscientious of others. Don’t clock other people on the head with your baggage so you can save a few seconds (I do admit, I’ve been guilty of this in the past), say “bless you” or “gesundheit” when the person next to you sneezes instead of ignoring them and staring into the void of your smart phone, be courteous to those around you. As I was waiting to board my second flight, a man asked me, “how are you doing?” He did it in a way that was direct, he was engaging me in conversation – human interaction. Smile at the person next to you - engage them and ask them how their day is. BE human. It’s one way for your own world to become a much more pleasant place. Love, Adrienne :) |
Archives
July 2024
AuthorHello! I'm Adrienne Almamour, an empathic intuitive conduit. I assist people by detecting and clearing their subconscious emotional energy blockages. This blog is a commentary and reflection of life from an intuitive standpoint which also incorporates ways that allow us to be from our heart. |
RSS Feed