Landa's Haven

Landa's Haven is the special warm fuzzy page.  Here you will find "personal perspectives" written by this author as well as those by a few other writers.  You will also find insights, and those might not necessarily be warm fuzzy per se.

This page will be regularly updated as and when inspiration tugs at the heart, and as and when I come across something special to share.

List of warm fuzziness by this author: 

State of love 

On this day 

Why make new year's resolutions 

Be bold  

Acknowledging 7/7 

Time, the Great Softener

Personal Perspective - One Fragment 

Life's Riches 

It's the Little Things 

Personal Perspective - Releasing Negativity 

Work of other writers : 

I am Fear (Author unknown)

Broken Dreams (Lauretta Burns)

Funeral Blues (W H Auden, 1936)

All I need to know about life I learned from my Guardian Angel (Author unknown)  

Reaching Out (Author unknown)

Note: Unless otherwise stated, the articles, stories and personal perspectives written by this author have not been submitted for publication.

On this day, ten years ago I last looked into those beautiful warm eyes.
On this day, 10 years ago tears flowed because of what the immediate future held for us.

So many things have changed in 10 years.  So many things have changed.  Except one: The perpetual wish to be able to turn back the clock to the instant I looked into those beautiful eyes, and to the special times that came before.

But the clock only goes in one direction: forward. Still, no changes, no geographical distance, nothing can take away the rich memories. And perhaps faith can help keep the hope alive for other, richer memories to come.

Why make new year's resolutions ©

Why wait until it is someone's birthday or a special anniversary to put into words what your heart feels every day.

Every moment is a new year, a new life, a new beginning.  Every moment is an opportunity to soar as high as you can dream, to experience abundant feelings to the depths of your core.  Every moment is a moment to bless that which you want, to focus on the promise, to trust, to let go, and to move towards what you want for yourself and for the greater good of everyone concerned.

BP 01 January 2008
Reproduce freely as is by maintain © notice

Be bold ©
Be bold in your thinking.  Be brave in your actions.
Keep your motives in integrity.  Do things from your heart.
And the universe will respond at the perfect time, in the perfect way.

BP 10 August 2007
Reproduce freely as is by maintain © notice

Acknowledging 7/7©

Acknowledging with love and respect some of those directly affected by the 7/7 London Bombings. 

No-one can know precisely how or what each of them felt. 

No-one can know precisely how they survived their ordeal and how they have navigated their way through life since then.

No-one can fully relate to their pain, to their waking hours or to their sleeping hours.

But what we can do is envelop them in our thoughts, our love, and our light to make their journey a little easier, and we can use the opportunity to remember the words of Auden, "If you want to live, you'd better start at once to try".

BP 7 July 2007
Reproduce freely as is but maintain the © notice

Allow time to show you things through different eyes, ones filled with a sense of knowing.

Allow time to put you in someone else’s shoes – and see what choices you would have made.

Allow time to help you let go of judgements, misunderstandings, and insincerity.

Personal perspective - One fragment©

It's astonishing. When there's a strong bond, fused in the realms that aren't subject to ego and earthly dramas, one tiny little bit of contact can wash away all the emptiness and all the longing. When there is a soul connection, the smallest fragment of a sweet voice, a gentle touch, a brief glimpse of the other's face can make the world seem less dark, less heavy, less hopeless.

To be separated in the physical realm from someone who is most assuredly one's other half, can be one of the cruellest, most difficult things to bear. There is no question, in my experience at least, that the absence of one's true and real other soul, twin soul, twin flame (whatever the term best describes this connection) leads to relentless feelings of stagnation, despair, emptiness. Nothing at all can fill the void. Nothing. Not work, not recreation, not friends, not dancing through cosmos and heather with one's hair flying in the air :) The void can be so deep, so black, so stifling, that normal breathing becomes difficult. The void eats at the soul, at the dreams, at the hopes, at the very fibre of one's being.

And then, a respite, one fragment of a beloved's voice, and the sun comes out from behind the clouds, the rain stops, the void is filled. Life becomes worthwhile again.

Astonishing isn't it.

Written by BP 26 March 2007
Published on an international e-zine 31 March 2007
Reproduce freely as is but maintain the © notice.

Life's Riches© 

Life's riches are not to be found only in a beautiful flower
On the face of an angelic child
In a magnificent sunset
Or a glorious shoreline.

Life's riches are not to be found only when stroking a much-loved pet
Spending time with family and friends
Sharing a special, intimate moment
Or when dreams have come true.

Life's riches are not to be found only in a delicious meal
When hearing an amazing song
A divine slice of cake
Or in a stunning new car in front of a stunning new home.

Life's riches are not to be found only in a starry night
A peaceful dream
A fabulous live show
Or a flawless vacation.

Life's riches are not to be found only in perfect weather
Minimal traffic, short queues, polite waitresses, sweet fruit, Belgian chocolate, French champagne, a magical painting,
a sublime experience, or lots of money.

Life's riches are to be found in the tests we invite
The lonely nights we endure
Saving up for something
And separation from a loved one, wondering what's next.

Life's riches are to be found at the sick bed of a loved one
Giving space to someone who needs it
Understanding the difficult moments, past and present
And forgiving the heartaches.

Life's riches are to be found in lending a hand to someone
Giving up a few pleasures to get the job done
Ruining the nails, getting the clothes dirty, feeling back pain
And in crawling into bed, tired.

Life's riches are to be found when attending a funeral
Getting a less-than-desired decision
Hearing the bad news about something
And not being able to do anything except be there.

Life's riches are to be found in the soul searching for a purpose
Accepting that rough stuff is part of the plan
Overcoming the obstacles and the pain, and being able to thrive
And most of all, perhaps, life's riches are to be found in practising unconditional love.

BP for BR 30.6.2002.
Published on 3 international e-zines on 26 September 2002, 15 October 2002, and 5 July 2002 (the latter under the title The Richness of Life) 
Reproduce freely as is by maintain © notice

It's the little things ©

It's the little things that keep us going
It's the little things that have a massive capacity to put a smile on our faces
It's the little things that make the difference between a so-so day and a really nice one
It's the little things that make the sometimes endless hours feel like seconds
It's the little things that put a tiny spring in our step
It's the little things that make us look up There and say "Thanks for that"

For those in the know, my left eye's been going a bit wild these past few days, on and off, sometimes strong, sometimes just a flicker. Yesterday it was really strong and almost predictably my darling and I managed to be on msn at the same time and we had a chat.

And tonight, every time I started working, strong, very strong vibes, and twice I went online and my darling was there. And we've just had a really nice happy smiley chat, and I'm sitting here with a smile on my face.

And I know it's a privilege because things could have been different depending on the choices we made, and we would have missed out on fifteen minutes of Happy Time.

Why'm I typing this e? Um, probably to say, hey, everyone, this moment is all we have, and if there is a way that we can make every moment count, in spite of circumstances, and the "reality" of certain situations, then we've given ourselves the potential for one happy moment that we wouldn't have had, had we looked too far into the future, hell too far into the present and decided XYZ, and looked for other potential sources of Happy Time.

BP 10 June 2002
Reproduce freely as is but maintain © copyright notice.

Personal perspective - Releasing Negativity©

Unconditional love. What does loving unconditionally mean? That we will love another, irrespective of his or her behaviour, assuming we have learnt to separate the person from the behaviour? In theory, that's a wonderful ideal but how often does it work in practice.

Perhaps a parent/child relationship generally works that way. But what about the rest of our relationships?

Generally we tend to love a spouse/partner, "unconditionally", until he/she does something bad: Would you still love your spouse/partner, unconditionally, if he/she began physically abusing you, or cheating on you for example? Perhaps not.

Nearly a decade ago, someone came into my life who very definitely taught me about unconditional love. I had to learn about what I believed was unconditional love – loving, no matter what - in order to have her in my space, otherwise with every hurtful, destructive behaviour I would have moved out of her space, further and further, until such time as I was nowhere to be found.

And all these years I've believed that I was somehow blessed and divinely guided, and that I knew what compassion and unconditional love was all about, and that this is clearly what I felt, experienced and demonstrated to this person.

But a few moments ago, I had what I believe is for me a "light bulb" moment.

For the first time in nearly a decade in this relationship, I was finally able (constructively, I hope) to mention some things about certain behaviours which had caused me the full gamut of "negative" emotions – anger, pain, hurt, anxiety, resentment, distress, hopelessness. I believe I tackled the situation with calm, love, compassion, decency, and emotional maturity.

And virtually from the moment I did this, I felt an immediate sense of unbelievable peace. But more than that, I had such a rush of strong positive feelings for this woman – the strongest ever. I felt as though I was walking on air, my head in the clouds, kind of like winning a few million dollars, I guess.

And I believe that at the core of this feeling and this high is a sense of unconditional love, in this case coming directly from my having been able to release negativity.

How do I make this huge leap from releasing negativity to feelings of peace and unconditional love? All these years, I've believed loving unconditionally meant that one loves another, no matter what the other does, and without asking or expecting that he/she change. But what if he/she does do something awful, or does change as a person to something we can't relate to? Do we still love unconditionally?

My "light bulb" moment showed me something very clearly: It isn't about the other person. It isn't about what he/she does. It is about how we feel inside. All these years, clearly I was stuck. I think those negative feelings were blocking me from something very precious: being able to feel unconditional love for this person because it wasn't about her behaviour. It was about how I felt inside.

I am of course not saying that people should therefore lash out, and be violent and aggressive, so that they too can release negativity and have immediate strong feelings of love. Definitely not. But taking responsibility for all our feelings – positive and negative – and all our actions – positive and negative – and treating our most important relationships with love and compassion, might help us to raise our consciousness and have more meaningful interactions with people.

This is a personal story and might not apply to every relationship, but it was such an amazing realisation for me, that I felt I wanted to share it.

BP (BA, Hons BA Psychology) 10.2.2002.
Published on international web sites 2 June 2003 and 11 September 2007
Reproduce freely as is but maintain © copyright notice.

Work of other writers 

Broken Dreams

(W H Auden, April 1936)                                                                                               
Thanks to Kendal A Smith 10 May 1995

*This was read during one of the final scenes in the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral"

All I need to know about life I learned from my Guardian Angel

Know all the possibilities of your impossible dream.  Leave space in your relationships so you’ll have lots of room to play.  Be yourself.  Forgive, forget and forge ahead.  It’s easier to fly when you take yourself lightly. Reach out and touch someone lightly with your wing.

Love is the only four letter word you need to know. Whenever you hear a bell, another angel has earned her wings. It’s okay to cry during sad movies. Don’t postpone joy to scrub the bathroom or clean the garage.  Love mother earth. 

Whenever you feel afraid, get a new box of crayons. Carry a spare set of wings in your pocket. Wherever you go, that is where you will be. Spread your wings and fly.

Yes I know that I can’t really see the breadth and depth of this dark valley you’re in.  I can’t really know just how sharp the knife is in your soul.  For it is you in its path, not me.