Diary

I had a really nice and relaxed Sunday. My Sweetie and I were invited out for lunch by a couple of friends of his. I had met them only briefly a couple of times before, so this was the first time we really hung out with them.

Anyway, we met down to a restaurant in the village we all live in for a drink first while waiting for another couple to come to show us the way to the place we were going to. I was talking the other woman, B, and it turns out that she is interested in holistic, mind-body, thinking just as I am. I am always surprised when I meet people that anything at all about stuff like EFT or that are all just big energy fields. My life lacks of people that I connect with in that area, (in real life that is, online I have whole communities) so it is nice to actually get to talk about such things.

View over the valley.

Eventually we were on our way to this tapas place up in the hills. Well, up the mountain. Up, up we went on this simple road, whirling our way left and right to avoid the wholes in it, and free walking cows on the sides of it. After about ten minutes we spotted a place, in the middle of nowhere, with parasols, tables and chairs. Sort of set on the top of a hill in the mountain. A lot of thoughts went through my head, and I am sure through the other's heads as well. Images of axe murderers, don't ask me why, and food poisoning came to me. But, hey, at least it was something new and different for us. The place was not new.

Another view, this time with the Sea in the background.

We walk in, and to my surprise there were probably at least ten people in the bar, and even more surprising was that there were about 15 people out on the terrace in the back. All sorts of people. I would not have been very surprised if the people had been farmers or mountain people, what ever that is, but again I was surprised that they were all sorts of people; young hip girls in their 20's, fashionable women in their 30's, men of all ages, different nationalities, you found them all there. But then again, that is the way it is here. Just our group of 6 had 4 different nationalities. The man in the other couple was a Frenchman, who spoke in a mixture of French, Spanish and English, and sometimes a little bit in Swedish. Very funny and almost impossible to understand except for Dutch guy in the company, probably because Dutch is a mixture of languages too. (Be careful ever saying that out loud to a Dutch person, as they tend to take as an insult.)

The food (well, tapas) was really nice, they had all the drinks we asked for and the bill ended up being on 40 euros for the six of us. The view was spectacular over the valleys with the Mediterranean Sea and the horizon in the background (unfortunately, my pics does not tell the beauty of it), and we had a really nice time with a lot of laughter.

Cows out on an afternoon walk in the sun. 

On the way down, back to our village, we had to slow down to get past the cows that had now decided to go for a walk on this already small road. We all felt like tourists going; "oh, look at that", "there's a pregnant one", and "wow, they are really big".

After a coffee and Baileys at the place where we met up a few hours earlier, I made my way home, up the hill (a nice 5 minute walk), to continue doing nothing at all.

A surprisingly nice afternoon, at a surprisingly nice place. In the middle of nowhere. This is one of the things I love about Spain. You never really know what will happen, if you are only open to the possibilities.

Love
Carina

Today I'm not doing anything

One of the things I love about living in southern Spain is Sundays! More or less everything is closed and it is a chilled atmosphere hanging in the air. Sundays are lazy days. A day to catch up on your reading or hang out with the family. I tend to spend most of my day in bed, just because I can.

I love Bruno Mars, and I just love this chilled out video. Enjoy him, it and your Sunday!

Love
Carina

Setting myself up for success!

"I've never tried that before, so I'm sure I can do it" - Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking)/Astrid Lindgren

This is one of my absolute favourite quotes, said by one of my childhood role models, Pippi, who was created by one of my writer role models, Astrid. Pippi is a strong, independent girl who do things her way, no matter what everybody else thinks. I related to that even as a little girl. I felt drawn to it. (I also related to Pippi because her dad, who she adored and loved more than anything, wasn't there with her very often. Although he was always on her mind. Much like it was with me and my dad. It was safe to know that if Pippi could handle it, so could I.)

I took this a few weeks ago, on my way home from work. This is part of my
success. In the front is some beach art, part of someone else's success! 

"I've never tried that before, so I'm sure I can do it". 

Isn't this the way we should be thinking? I think so. Instead we are somehow, and for some reason, more often than not taught to think quite the opposite. "I've never done that before, so I don't think I can do it". Isn't that the way you think in a lot of situations facing something new? I know I do. I know that it is usually my first reaction if put in front of a new task. I have had to re-teach myself. I am still re-teaching myself. I am a work in progress, as is my life.

Take this blog as an example. When I first started to think about starting a blog, this voice kept telling me that "you've never done that before so you will not be able to pull it off", and "why would anybody ever read your blog, you've never written anything big or important before". Well, I did start the blog and in the (soon-to-be) 2 years that have past since I have had almost 29 000 visits. Far from all of them have taken much notice of it, but then again, neither have I really. Why haven't I? Because I've never done it before, so I was sure I wasn't going to be able to do it. Or my move to Spain! If I had kept thinking like I used to think I wouldn't be living what in a lot of ways is my dream life.

But, times are changing, I am changing, and here I am with visions, dreams and hopes for this blog, and my life. And I am starting to believe that because I have never tried this before, I am sure I can do it! I mean, nobody can tell me I can't because no one can know. So I am thinking that I can. I might as well. It is more likely to bring me success than thinking that I can't. Since I have had almost 30 000 visits without really putting any effort in to it, just imagine what can happen when I do put some effort in! The difference between success and failure is your mindset!

I am definitely going to set myself up for success! I can do it, because I have never tried it before!

Are you setting yourself up for success, or for failure?

Love
Carina

Diary

Scented candles, bubble bath,  mediation and
 EFT is a great way to relax both mind and body. 

I have been working today, and I spent a lot of the time thinking about what I want to do with this blog, and what I want to write in it and other very important stuff like it. Every time I think about the Quality Inside And Out now I get goose bumps and feel a nice chill up my spine. I love that feeling!! I love having that feeling! Does anybody else ever get like that?

I am in pain today though, my muscles in my shoulders, neck and upper back are all tense and very sore. I must have slept in a very bad position last night. I made it through work thanks to EFT, I hid in the restroom every now and again to tap a bit on it to get the tension and pain down a bit. When I came home my son gave me a massage, and I put some tiger balm on. It helped for a while.

In a bit I will light some scented candles and get into a nice, warm, soothing and bubbly bath and after that I will do some more EFT and meditate. That should help relax my muscles!

I meditate every day now, it is so nice. I love it! It helps me connect with my inner self, and it gives me a clearer mind. I mostly use guided meditations so far, but eventually I'm hoping to be able to do it all on my own.

How was your day? What do you do to relax?

Love
Carina

I am back!

It's been over a year since I last posted anything on this blog. Last year I decided to move the blog to another host, for different reasons, but for some reason I never deleted this one. And for some reason I never really got into the right feeling with the "new" one, which led to not writing at all in the end. Again. Yes, I tend to fall into to that place every once in a while. But, hey, yesterday I made the decision to close down the "new" blog and move back to this.

My view at breakfast up on our roof terrace! 

I have changed the looks on it a bit, and I will probably keep changing it for a while until it feels completely right for me. Please bear with me!

So what is new? What has happened this past year? Well, inside I have grown a lot, I have collected more wisdom and knowledge. Do you know the difference between wisdom and knowledge, btw? "Knowledge is knowing the tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in your fruit salad" - Miles Kington. On the outside most things are the same, except that my family lost a close family member, my Sweetie turned 40, and my son moved here, all in 8 days time in October. It was an intense week during which I learnt a lot about emotions and how to focus my thoughts.

I love our roof terrace and on my days off I like having a late breakfast up there in the company of my son. I love having him here.

I have found the tranquillity and peace of meditation, and I have learnt some other useful methods to relieve stress and find calm.

I did the 5th annual Tapping World Summit in February and had some major breakthroughs and during these last two weeks I have spent a lot of time listening to interviews with some of the worlds most successful inspirational writers during the first ever Hay House World Summit. Both these summits are online and completely free and I am looking forward to next years summits already.

I think this is enough for now. Until next time, walk in love and peace!

Love
Carina