In case…

Posted on April 30, 2018 by AlianaAlani

Hi Everyone:

In case you happen to notice that my 22shangrila circle just got smaller, I thought I should reassure you that – no, it didn’t shrink from mysterious causes, or critters surfacing from the depths of some bog in the realm of Bog-Dom, nor was it ghosts that go BUMP in the night snatching circle people along the way. It is simply because I finally decided to do what I had been telling myself I would do for the past month or more, which was to delete my Facebook Friends account. Yes, I’m one of those who are ‘logging off’ the site for a multitude of reasons which I won’t bore you with. Because 22shangrila and my Facebook Friends account were linked to enable sharing, when one goes … well you get the picture.

I am however leaving the icons below my postings here so you can use them should you wish to, recognizing that what’s right for me is not necessarily right for everyone else.

So you know – 22shangrila.com is, from now on, my principle connection with The World. Thanks for being a part of it! If you like what you see, feel free to talk it up with your friends. And thanks for that too.

Life is like a garden…

Posted on April 27, 2018 by AlianaAlani

LIFE IS LIKE A GARDEN…

by Aliana Alani ©2018

LIFE IS LIKE A GARDEN. Granted we don’t always see it that way but if you think about it, really think about it – it is. So look around you. What do you see?

If it’s a garden in your yard, you might see blooming flowers, unless of course it’s the beginning of Spring in which case you may be looking at dead grass and last year’s we’ve-lost-all-our-glow autumn leaves. However, you might also see a fledgling little popup of green here or there, which is good news, because those would be the bulbs you planted last fall now getting ready to burst upon the scene with much desired vibrant colour. The thought of which makes a person smile. It’s got to. Who doesn’t love colour after a long white winter?

And if it’s the garden of your yard, you know that all there is to do is get out there with that rake, scoop up all those dead leaves, turn over the soil in those flower beds, and yup, plant a few flowers. And then, voilà, you have yourself a beauteous landscape of a backyard, guaranteed to touch your heart, and garner admiration from your neighbours all summer long.

Now – If it’s the garden of your life and all you see around you is dead grass, then you have a bit of work to do. Dead grass in your personal garden is a wakeup call. For just like your backyard garden needs a little TLC now and then (that’s tender loving care for those of you who might not remember), so does the garden of your life.

Dead grass brings with it questions. The obvious one being – where is the life? That’s a question bordering on the existential which could take you forever to answer if you’re not careful so give yourself permission to hear the sound bite version! And then we have – how long has it been since you’ve seeded it with dreams of possibility? Those are the Yes I Can dreams you’ve held close to your heart for so long. How long since you’ve watered your life with love? If you’re having trouble locating the watering can then you’ve got your answer to that one. If there’s a lot of dead grass then chances are you’ve either ignored your garden, perhaps completely, or fed it consciously or not with thoughts of anguish, doubt, or despair. Oh dear.

Your opportunity, should you choose to accept it, is to cast an eye (two if you’re feeling really brave) around the garden of your life and see what you find. If it’s an endless field of dead stuff, then ask yourself why. The next course of action is obviously the rake, the shovel, or the rototiller. But before you go using the rototiller, we should probably talk.

More Life is a Garden thoughts to come, so tune in again!

HAPPY GARDENING!

If I could tell you…

Posted on April 1, 2018 by AlianaAlani

single-red-rose-3

If I could tell you a story, it would be about how beautiful you are.
It would be a story of love, and laughter, and possibility.
If I could tell you.

If I could tell you a story here and now, would you listen?
Or are you busy – with phones, and games, and the clutter of living?
If I could tell you.

And if I told you, would anything be different, in your world and mine?
Or would we wander, still, like lost souls in the desert of remembering?
If I could tell you.

For if I could tell you – the short form of it at least –
This is what I would say:

You are as beautiful as the sun and moon and stars.
As special as that which knows no beginning and no end.
You are the light of day, and the darkness of night.

You are unique, unlike all else, and yet you are one with all things.
You matter – and though it oft times seems that all this you do not remember,
I would tell you anyway, if you would listen.

I would tell you.