About Life: What Did You Add To Your Circle Of Life?
What you send out into our world is what comes back to you| Early Morning Poetry Musings| The benefits of Journaling| The Circle of Life: Rediscovering Myself Through Motherhood
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Spring is here, and wonderful musings and moments from writers and photographers are coming in. The flowers are blooming, and the sun is out for a stroll.
I love the article below by Annelise Lords. Life can be full of so many directions and it is up to us to pick which way we want to go and who we want to be. It does not matter what shape we are, what our favorite color is, what our favorite activity is, or what our religion, country, or beliefs are.
The question is, what do we know in our hearts? What do we add to humanity and our environment? What energy do we put out?
As humans we continuously change from moment to moment and evolve. We can deliberately pick who and what we want to be and how we want to represent our life on this planet.
I would hope that most people want good for themselves and others and bring kindness and love into this world.
I hope you enjoy the collection of stories, images, and poetry below.
As Annelise would ask: What would your heart say?
“Whoever excludes others will find himself excluded in turn.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama - from the book Violence & Compassion
What Did You Add To Your Circle Of Life?
by Annelise Lords
Listening to two females and two males complaining and comparing their lives.
“Why is my life always so hard?” Jacinta cried, staring at Devon, Kara, and Lance.
“Do you think life is like a circle?” Lance asked, staring at them.
They swayed their heads momentarily.
“I like square,” Kara informs.
“Diamond shape for me,” Jacinta claims her shape.
“I go for a triangle,” Devon claims his shape.
Three pairs of eyes stared at him in surprise.
“Why triangle,” Jacinta questioned.
“His side, her side, and the right side,” he said, grinning.
“He is insane,” Kara said, nodding.
“But a square and diamond has four sides,” Devon reminds them.
“That’s why we call it the circle of life,” Lance refreshes their memory. “No sides to worry about.”
“I am sticking to my shape,” they said in unison.
“Ok,” Lance said, sighing. “Now imagine throwing cruelty, thoughtlessness, hatred, greed, jealousy, negativity, etc. into that space. It will hit the wall and come right back to you.”
Three pairs of eyes glared at him, shock mixed in with realization, sending pain surging into hearts, minds, and souls.
They all grabbed a long, deep breath, and Jacinta relented, “But I do good, too.”
“Not enough for it to impact your life,” Lance said.
“So, you are saying that our lives are hell or heaven because of how we live?” Kara questioned.
“Your life is your decision, and your decisions are your life,” Lance educates.
“I give more than I take, so that’s why my life is good?” Kara boasts.
“In your square, you give kindness, thoughtfulness, and many positive, motivating, lovely actions that just bounce back to you,” Lance compliments.
“So, what do you call the hell that she,” she points at Jacinta. “Sends my way that hurts like hell from her diamond-shaped life?”
“Balance and life lessons. Her actions, choices, and decisions tell you things about her that she wouldn’t tell you willingly. Her thoughtless and dishonest actions create an exit door for her. She closed it, costing her your friendship.”
“Damn right, she did,” Kara adds, her eyes on her ex-best friend.
“You give more than you take, so you hardly lose. In fact, you saved a lot,” Lance recites, his eyes on Jacinta, whose face was turning red with anger.
“After her dishonest actions closed the door, you saved money, time, energy, resources, pain, etc.,” he said, grinning as Devon and Jacinta glared at him angrily. “They lose more than you.”
Silence tweeted momentarily, and Jacinta said, “So it doesn’t matter what shape our lives are. Everything we send out there will be returned to us.”
“It comes back in two forms. Life lessons and good Karma. They get life lessons and bad Karma. The opposite for you,” Lance educates.
Silence tweets again, and Devon shares, “So good or bad, nobody wins.”
“The good win, Devon. Because what life sends their way from the cruelty of humanity isn’t punishment, it’s life lessons,” Lance informs.
“So, your dishonesty and cruelty towards me isn’t punishment,” Kara says in understanding. “Life is showing me who you really are.”
Yes, the good wins. Humanity’s cruelty is a lesson for a good heart, not punishment. Learn from them, to be better than them.
If your heart could speak, what would it say?
Life doesn’t punish a good heart. It uses your negative actions, choices, and decisions to help us read your mind as you tell us about yourself. Annelise Lords
Thank you for reading this piece. Please let your heart speak.
Early Morning Poetry Musings
by Gabriella
Early Morning Poetry - hear me saying this poem
Early Morning
In the quiet early morning
I am standing here
Amongst the trees,
Below the sky
I feel the earth,
I feel nature.
Its quiet besides the humming
of the cars you can hear from far away
the singing of the birds that come my way
I am here in this moment as an observer of nature.
Just listening, just being with no objectives'.
I am here as a witness to kindness and love.
To the beat of the trees,
To the humming of the skies.
I am witnessing the early morning
Before the sun rise.
I am here,
Just standing with nothing and nowhere to go.
I am here,
Just to witness this moment like forever ago.
The air is cool
water droplets under my feet,
Swaying back and forth the tree says:
"have a good day my sweet"
I am here just standing
In the beautiful early morning today.
I am here with you my darling
Forever to stay.
@3/14/2025 GKJournaling
By Winner Lee
Journaling: Helps to enhance mental clarity
Journaling is a process that can facilitate healing, self-reflection, and self-care through organizing our complex and frequently messy thoughts.
This process is especially helpful when navigating life challenges as it allows us to sort through, accept and address our feelings and emotions.
When we write down our goals, ideas, and feelings, we visualize our thoughts and gain mental clarity, thus relieving stress and connecting to our deeper selves.
My focus on writing since early 2024 has helped me to organize my thoughts, enhance my inner peace and put things in perspective.
For further information about how to pave the way to your better self, readers can refer to my recent articles: “Mastering Self-Love and Tips to Enhance Wellbeing” and “Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience”.
The Circle of Life: Rediscovering Myself Through Motherhood
By
Embracing Change, Growth, and Genuine Connection in the Journey of Parenting
“Remember the circle of life. All that you lose you will one day find, and that which has been taken from you will be restored. Behold, I bring down the power of heaven, that the world may be renewed!”
―Marion Zimmer Bradley,The Forests of Avalon: Avalon Book 2
What I’ve lost, I have found again through motherhood; through all the triggers and deeper learnings, I have found my true self. I write everything from my experience, and I reflect on many topics as I go on my journey of rediscovery, as I shed layers of expectations and intergenerational inherited blocks.
I’ve learned to adapt to what life brings and to how having kids changes our lives as parents. I have been integrating new practices to be healthy, stronger, and curious about the world while also modeling these qualities for my kids.
The most profound additions to my circle of life have been the following: focusing on quality sleep, spending family time in nature, and expressing love genuinely. These elements have enriched my personal well-being and also managed to strengthen the bonds within my family.
Focusing on quality sleep
Sleep is often overlooked, even if it is a fundamental aspect of life. It is crucial for both physical and mental health. Since I’ve been prioritizing my sleep, I've noticed a great improvement in my energy levels, concentration, and overall mood. As a mom, it matters a lot!
Better sleep has positively affected my interactions with family members. I am no longer annoyed and irritable. Good sleep contributed a lot to my well-being and also my family’s.
Research supports this. I recently read an article that stressed the fact that adequate sleep is essential for cognitive development in children and reduces the risk of chronic diseases in adults. Implementing consistent bedtime routines has been particularly beneficial. We also try to teach our kids how important sleep is for our health by having a healthy sleep schedule. Sleep also supports better emotional regulation for both children and adults. For me, this was a life-changing discovery.
Spending family time in nature
Spending time in nature with my family has been transformative. It allows us to disconnect from the distractions of technology and reconnect with each other and the natural world.
Our favorite outdoor activities as a family are hiking, biking, having picnics in the forest, or simply taking walks together in the park or forest closer to home. These have always helped us foster deeper connections as a couple. Together with our kids, we have created lasting memories and amazing learning experiences. We usually chat about the birds and plants we notice during our hikes, about historical bits and interesting facts when we visit medieval castles or open-air museums.
Nature provides a serene backdrop for open conversations, helping us bond over shared experiences and strengthen our family dynamics. This was also mentioned in this article that I enjoyed reading a few days ago. For our family, being in nature has a calming effect, it visibly reduces the stress levels after a busy week and improves our overall mental health.
Expressing Love Genuinely
Another beautiful element we have integrated first in our couple and then with our kids, too, is expressing love genuinely. During my childhood, it was not common to express love directly with words, it was a different time.
Now, it's more than just verbal affirmations, even if we also use those. It’s also about actions that show care and appreciation. We often cook meals together, though in the beginning, when the kids were toddlers, I had a hard time being patient and allowing the mess to just be. It took some time for me to relax and to enjoy the little moments together.
We often share heartfelt words with each other, during one-on-one talks or simply spend quality time over dinners or activities together. Gestures have strengthened our bonds and created a sense of belonging and safe space in our family. So we try to create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported. It’s about unconditional love; the tricky part is how to show it and model it wisely.
Adding these elements to my circle of life has enriched my personal journey and strengthened our family's dynamics. I chose to focus on these three in this story because they are also so important when it comes to relationships.
It’s so much about being human and following our natural healthy instincts instead of shutting them down automatically because of always being surrounded by technology, a doing-mentality as opposed to being more present.
Life's beauty lies in its simplest yet most profound moments—moments that we create and cherish together.
Thank you for reading! I am curious about your thoughts on this topic.
May Your Ady be filled with creativity and joyful moments. GK
Thank you for visiting DEP magazine.
Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi, Founder
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 | A guest post by
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This process is especially helpful when navigating life challenges as it allows us to sort through, accept, and address our feelings and emotions.
Yes, it does.
I feel the earth,
I feel nature.
Isn't this just bbbeeeaaauuutttiiifffuuulll. I, too, can feel the earth and nature.