The Red Thread Blessing

"You aren't wealthy until you have something money can't buy."-Garth Brooks
On my way to the Western Wall, yesterday, in Jerusalem, I saw a lot of people offering red threads. I approached a man, who seemed to be the only one who was not pushy to "sell" me this thread, and asked about its significance. He calmly answered it's a blessing, and asked about my name, wrapped it around my left wrist (I later read, that the right side/hand is considered the spiritually receiving side), held his hands abovey head and blessed me. Even if I belong to another religion, the moment felt amazingly right, the simplicity and his calmness gave me a feeling of inner peace...and I smiled. I later read, that this thread is supposed to protect against the evil eye (funny enough, in Romania red is considered as well to protect against the evil eye), and that the initial coloring was given by a simple worm, so simple that it would symbolize humility. And I feel it does. This is one of the many experiences I will never forget from Jerusalem!

A Lot of New Experiences

My dear readers,
A lot of new experiences I am taking in at the moment in beautiful Israel.
With only one phone, limited time to visit new places and so much to "digest" and process, I can only post little from this fascinating adventure of mine, but will surely post more once I get back.
I've been only here for 2 days now, but it feels like 4 or 5.
Tel Aviv, the desert, camels, the Dead Sea, Beduin style Eating, the Wall between the people of this country, military,...all is just something I need to tell you more in detail.
Soon, on the blog :)

#SELFIE

selfie (definition from Oxford Dictionaries)

Pronounciation: ˈsɛlfi

noun (plural selfies)

• informal A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website

I see this "word" everywhere. On the web, on T-shirts, as the name of a movie etc....
And then I ask myself: has our society been reduced to (usually) bad pictures of ourselves? Why is there no "us" anymore? Why don't we  live more in the community rather than in the individuality? Have we lost our ability of being part of something? Do we really have to stand out? And act so narcissistic about it?

I still grab my normal camera (not that of the phone) and try to capture the beauty of the moments and the people around me. If I go to visit a new place, I try to take the time and breathe it all in, to keep the memory alive, to capture the smell and the flavour, I don't just take out my phone and snap a picture of myself next to x, y, z... Because,...I do know how I look like. I see myself every day in the mirror. And so do my friends. And I know how they look as well. But, even if you realize it now or not, the smell and the flavours stay in the normal pictures, not in the selfies. I will always know how I felt when I saw the Atlantic Ocean one day last year, how the sun was shining and the waves were hitting against the cliffs. I will always relive that moment when I see the pictures I took that day. But I will never know how I felt and what day it was, when I look at a selfie.

Keep your true memories real!