From A Princess on New Year’s Eve
I have decided that from quiet contemplation to dancing like a rock star how you spend your New Year’s Eve really doesn’t matter. That like love and Dick Clark nobody needs to keep records of New Year’s Eve awesomeness. In my mind what really truly matters about New Year’s is taking a moment to reflect on what you learned, who and how you loved and thinking about your next steps. Excellences comes from what you focus on day in and day out.
Over the holidays you might drink a little more, eat a little more and dance a little more but as you easy back into the New Year hopefully your simple daily habits that build beauty into your life return. Today we receive a beautiful Kuwait surprise and found out that we all get an extra day off. So we start back to school on Sunday, instead of Monday. I love these kind of Kuwait surprises.
I feel as if something should be written about the classic New Year’s line, from the song Auld Lang Syne,
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
People are hard to forget. Wrongs are difficult to let go of but in the end unkind words and unkind thoughts hurt the person that speaks them way more then those spoken about. Living in a Muslim culture I am truly blessed that the stories and ideas of the Muslim faith find their way into my heart. It is amazing to me how living in a Muslim culture makes you a better Christian. One of the stories or hadith’s from the prophet Muhammad is that you should speak a good word or remain silent. I was told that one of the hadith’s is that before you speak you should ask yourself 3 very important questions:
1. Is what you are going to say the truth?
2. Is what you are going to say kind?
3. Will it hurt someone?
Your thoughts, your choices about these questions should then direct your actions. It takes a strong person to hold their tongue when tempted; thankfully no matter what your faith we have help.
Happy New Year. Peace is with us!
Peace, Paint and Play
“We do not quit playing because we grow old,
we grow old because we quit playing.”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes-
Yesterday I sat with a paint brush in my hands again. I listened to a creative artist share about how instead of “taking” a single picture she had painted her way across countries. I turned backwards, upside down and sideways as I listen to an inspired women connect the practice of yoga to the way we live and play.
So wonderful to sit and learn. Amazing to see how play can inspire your everyday.
Today the plane tickets and hotel got booked for an amazing city, with plenty of incredible places to play!
Start spreading the news. I’m leaving today ( Well August! )
I want to be a part of it – New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray!
Right through the very heart of it – New York, New York
I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn’t sleep.
-Frank Sinatra-
More Than A Middle East Road Trip!
With 3 KD of gas put in the Jeep the Kuwait roads were pretty much free from traffic. Being Friday, a portion of the country was celebrating their religion. We took the 30th to 6th Ring Road, passing the Kuwait National Football Field on the right. Seeing this stadium it was clear that this was a country moving forward. The stadium so huge, proud and filled with the football dreams of many a young Kuwait child was just one example of this.
As we drove forward a large tent city approached on the left. Rows and rows of tents covered the desert landscape. We passed the Doha Port and marveled at the blimp that hung in the air over the water gateway to Kuwait. Soon on the right was the Kuwait Olympic Shooting Gallery and just ahead of that was a sign warning drivers to be cautious sand drifts.
When we saw a road sign that read desert and had an arrow pointing right we knew we were close to the exit for Jaha Spur Desert. Being on the road to Iraq it was no surprise that we saw rows and rows of flatbed trucks filled with desert war vehicles. As the utility trucks passed by we turned onto the 70 and were now heading towards Saudi Arabia.
A golden mosque stuck out light a ray of light or a beacon of hope. The traffic in the right lane was backed up for miles as men in cars patiently waited to enter the Jaha graveyard. In muslim culture people need to be buried within 24 hours of when they die.
We soon reached the first check point and were waved on. We drove passed the Ali Al-Saleam Air Base and at the second check point the Kuwait solder, with a cigarette in hand, waved and gave us the thumbs up sign. We drove a short distance and then pulled over. Seeing nothing more then giant sand dunes one had to wonder if perhaps all the history of the vehicle grave yard had been cleaned away and the sand had hidden the rest.
You can’t live your life wondering what is over the sand dune so we began to climb! You listen when told to walk in the car or camel tracks because if anything was under the ground and it didn’t hurt a camel or a car you should be okay.
As my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight and we walked forward I was amazed to see rusting wrecks from the Highway of Death sticking out of the desert sand. It was like the winds of time did not want this vehicle “graveyard”, this piece of Kuwait history to be forgotten. It struck that less then three weeks ago I was watching the Egyptians painstakingly dig up their history and here I was watching another culture try to forget the painful past.
As I walk through the wreckage the controversy, the death and the destruction that surrounds this place is not lost on me. However I now live, work and for the most part enjoy the country of Kuwait. A country that wouldn’t be here without great sacrifices by many brave men and women to keep this country free.
Part of the spiritual experience is coming to terms with the society in which you live.
Sometimes this can be quite difficult; one feels changed, different, and it is hard to communicate this experience to others.
but in the end, we are individuals living in a collective group; associations are paramount.
One skill that is easily developed is empathy; a deep understanding of what someone else is feeling.
Compassion goes hand in hand with empathy.
As we journey further and further, we recognise our unique differences, but also the huge amounts of common ground that we have;
we can become good with people, and share our experiences.The joy of spirit shines in us all.
-100 Musical Footsteps-
Kuwait City, KUWAIT
Christine Oastler is a freelance travel writer, teacher and artist, currently living in Mahboula, Kuwait. Born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Christine obtained her Bachelor of Arts at Trent University and her Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. Currently traveling around the Middle East she finds herself riding the odd camel and embracing a new culture!