Blogs I like

You may notice that I have posted the names of two blogs that I enjoy reading, on my home page.
One is by a young woman, who travels the world  and writes about her adventures in  a warm and entertaining way. She could be in Peru or El Salvador, but she makes it sound as though she is down the road. Her blog is laugh-out -loud funny, and she brings her experiences to life, I feel like I am riding beside her on a bike as she visits  a village school , teaching English, or gazing at Buddhist temples,and making friends with people of all nationalities. At the moment she is about to embark on a ten day retreat in a monastery in Myanmar.

She won't be allowed to talk or communicate with the outside world. I am looking forward to reading about her experiences.
I know a young Italian woman, who goes on such retreats, every Summer, in Italy. She stays in a convent, and is only allowed to talk for an hour at supper time. She says the experience totally restores her life-balance. After a week in a convent, in silence, she feels invigorated and mentally re-charged. Her job is a Psycho-therapist, and she spends a lot of time listening to people's problems.
She is a very serene, relaxing person to be with.

There must be something in the saying "Silence is golden".

The other blog I like is called "The Daily Connoisseur". This is by a young American woman, who wrote a book called Lessons from Madame Chic. I really enjoyed this book. It is a highly entertaining account of the author's youth exchange in Paris. She stays with a French family, and  describes what she learned from them. A lot of what she says, seemed very similar to my own experiences with my mother-in-law, it really struck a chord in me. There are chapters on exercise, wardrobe care, make-up, culture. The author compares her American way of life with what she sees in Paris. In her blog, she is now back in California and putting into practise what she learned from the French family.

These two blogs, at first glance, might not seem to have much in common, but I see them both as being about living a passionate life. Every detail of life, whether you are trekking in the Himalayas  or shopping for your family, can be exceptional. It is up to us to make life a passionate affair. This is what Madame Chic says:

"When filled with laughter,friendship, art, intellectual endeavours, music, and a certain joy, life can be extraordinary.  Allow yourself to be moved on a daily basis. Every day, when you step out of bed, you have the choice either to go through the motions and merely exist or to go about with passion, to always be present in your own life, to take something from every situation, whether it is good or bad."

I always look forward to reading both of those blogs and hope  you all find inspiration and passion in my blog too.