Archives for the Month of February, 2013

Love is in the Air

Favourite Days of the Year

St Valentine’s Day has become my third favourite day of the year, the first being Christmas Day (a family and friends day) and the second being New Year’s Eve (a day to dust off those cobwebs and line up one’s mind furniture for the year ahead).

That hasn’t always been the case, of course. Growing up as an ugly duckling has meant that many a Valentine’s Day would fade into another-one-of-those-days-to-forget, year after year, for much longer than I care to remember.

Embrace Others and Yourself

And then one year, not so long ago, I decided to embrace St Valentine’s Day. Why shouldn’t I celebrate it, too? After all, we can all go to the ball just like Cinderella. If we so choose.

I’ve come to learn that the simplest way to enjoy St Valentine’s is by bringing joy to others and myself.

What does this mean? Do something nice for someone else. A simple Thank You email / note / card will suffice, telling them how much you appreciate them. If you’re feeling particularly generous, gift something to someone they cannot or rarely buy for themselves. It’s no  coincidence that flowers are the most popular gift on Valentine’s Day. And they don’t have to be only for a romantic partner. They could be for someone you love. A friend, your mum, your sister, your dad.

Remember to also do something nice for yourself. Go for that walk you’ve been meaning to for ages. Or treat yourself to a little something you’ve always wanted but never got around to getting.

So why is St Valentine’s Day my third favourite day of the year? Because it gives us a chance to express our love and appreciation for others as well as for ourselves.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Philosophical Parent

“A man never steps in the same river twice because neither the river nor the man are the same” – Gopnik with Heraclitus

From Pregnancy to Parenting

If being pregnant is like being Frodo in Lord of the Rings, then being a parent is like being Neo in The Matrix. My #1 Lesson Learned as a new parent is that my next move changes the map. Not only does this force me to constantly confront the edges of my comfort zone, it’s taught me a thing or two about a baby’s mind.

A Beautiful Mind

According to Alison Gopnik, “When we change the way we think, we also change the way thinking feels to us. When what we know changes, our experience changes, too.” It follows then that a sign of learning is that we change our minds based on the information we obtain. A mind that remains unchanging doesn’t just belong to a stubborn personality, it’s proof of a mind that has ossified. And we all know that when something stops growing it’s dying.

“Let’s play Pretend!”

If each human being is a “creation of the human imagination”, as viewed by Gopnik, then the world’s our oyster. In order to change the world around us, we need to begin with an open mind and who better to learn from than babies and children?

How much of the Unexpected do you encounter on an hourly or daily basis to keep you on your toes? Begin by watching Alison Gopnik’s talk on “What Babies Think” on Ted.com.