I seem to have had a broad range of experiences in this past month.

I went to the Glade festival in Thatcham, UK - camping and enjoying music and meeting people in Nature. I had a wonderful time, even more wonderful for the fact that I had a few discoveries about myself. Not to talk about forgetting all about stress and work for four (luckily sunny) days!

Right before Glade my laptop broke down, so while it was being repaired (after Glade) I spent a lot of time creating little pieces of art, expressing myself with different colours and tools. I made so many different things that I had enough material to create a page on positive art - have a peek on my creations...

On a more subtle layer of life, I have been letting myself go more with the flow of things and experience more, rather than trying to do so much. As a result, life has become even more pleasant than a month ago; it's slower and it showers me with gifts every day.

How interesting that the more we let go of control of everything and everyone around us, the more things do come our way...

Two brothers from Georgia, aged 9 and 13, raised $1200 for an animal rescue group. Their little story about how they went on raising the money won a contest in a magazine, and they were awarded with a further $5000.

I loved this story, for the boys created a dog biscuit business and the benefits go to caring for animals. They act out of their own heart; there is beauty in it.

Read the full news at acjpets.

I had a few interesting ideas for positive thinking to tell you about that were candidates to feature in this issue of the monthly thought.

As it happens, I lived an interesting event the other day which I am moved to tell you about. So rather than a thought of the month, I have described the event I lived in a story which I'm bringing today to you.

It touched me deeply and I think that it reveals a number of layers of reality. So there you go, and I hope you enjoy it!

Stories From The Underground

I kept on walking along the platform. On the other side of the corridor, leading to the Northbound platform, somebody played water timbales; it's a type of timbal used in Arabian and Indian music that has a sound like water. It's a favourite sound for me, so I chose to delay the travel back home. I turned around the corridor to discover the source of the music: an afro-caribean-looking man in his late twenties or early thirties, seemingly very focused at what he was doing. I stood looking at the timbales first, then at him. He sensed me watching him and he looked at me. I smiled. He did not smile back.

I crossed the corridor and stood in front of him, my back leaning on the opposite wall. In between his music-making position and my leaning on the wall, people kept on walking hurriedly, having finally finished work for the week and using the underground only as a means.

I looked at the young musician for a while. I listened with attention to the way he played. His rhythm was a particular one, one that he was deliberately creating as an expression of himself, but that did not engage people much because it was not created with the purpose of being liked. It was simply him, talking with a different voice. He knew that. He was not making popular music on purpose.

Every now and then, among my looking at him and at the timbales, and among the people walking in the space between us, our eyes would cross. He never smiled.

I understood him, for he was a bit like Marc. He was different; he was radical; he was somewhat alone because of his uniqueness, and he bore that with anguish and pride. He was not in the masses game. He was not in the power game. He was there for himself.

I then felt what I was there for. I was the feminine energy, the receptive one, the fragile-looking figure that yet held so much space and love in which to relax and let go. I was the one who would make feel people like that timbales-playing-man that they were not alone, in the end; they were held and they were loved. There WAS peace, after all.

Perhaps fifteen minutes had passed. The association was strong; this guy's pain was the same as Marc's. Marc, who was at home, taking a nap; waiting for the beauty of me waking him up and receiving him back in to this side of the game, holding him and letting him know without words that he was all right and he could relax if only for that moment, no need to keep on fighting his staying in this world. He was accepted and loved. Holding him in peace, just like I was doing for the timbales guy.

I understood it was my time to leave. I reached my purse for a pound coin. I got down to the floor and looked for my notebook inside my bag. I tore one of the brown pages of the notebook. I wrote two words. I wrapped the pound coin with the torn page with care.

I stood up. I looked at the timbales man. I waited for the Universe to give me the signal to go, and when it did I approached him. Without stopping playing, he looked at me. I dropped the wrapped coin in his bag. I looked at him and he was smiling, his eyes shining: at that moment he was a kid again. I respectfully nodded my head towards him, the expression in my face shouting that I understood him; I smiled briefly and I turned around. On the other side of the corridor, the music from the timbales still in the air of the underground, my train approached the platform.

He would have unwrapped the coin. In black ink, he would have read

"Gracias.

Cristina".

I would love to hear what this story tells YOU... Please let me know through the contact form!

At some point I wished I had a tool to really know what I wanted.

Then, "Winning the tomorrow game" came along. The rest is history.

Serious - Susan Minarik spells out for you how to find out what your goals or your dreams are through her ebook "Winning the tomorrow game". She also guides you through the obstacles and gives you premium tips on how to deal with your inner blocks and limitations. The result: after reading her ebook, you not only know what you want, but you also know how to start taking the small steps towards it.

The best of it all, though, is that her ebook is extremely motivating. You won't be able to sit still - a strong force compels you to follow Susan's instructions at each step to uncover yet another dream within you.

"Winning the tomorrow game" also includes some breathing and relaxation techniques, the revealing Genie Game, and a fun-to-use, truly effective thought interruption technique to get rid of negative thoughts.

Hungry for a change? Check out "Winning the tomorrow game". I'll see you on the other side.

I believe that being grateful for something is one of the most powerful tools to feel better immediately. Here are the two thanking bits of the month:

Thankful for... the Internet. The Internet is fantastic: it allows me to meet people all over the world, listen to all types of music, access information about anything I want, be in contact with all my friends and family and even get myself delivered anything I want or need. Never before had mankind had a tool like this. Ain't we lucky to experience it!?

Thankful for... the music in the underground. All those buskers in the underground contribute to making life beautiful with their music. I specially like a musician that plays jazz every now and then on Monday mornings at Victoria station in London, taking the pressure off having to go back to a day job - it always brings a smile to my face and makes me relax.

This month I also specially mention Jennifer, a reader of Dare To Play It Big, who kindly sent me an email with what she is thankful for: her cute Jenday Conure Trix. The lovely picture she sent me tells it all! Thank you, Jennifer!

What are you thankful for? Send me an email trough the Contact Me form and let me know!

Care to send me your thoughts about this issue's topics? Email me and let me know!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please pass it along to your friends, family and colleagues, or send them to the Dare To Play It Big sign up page. I thank you in advance.

Stay well,

Cristina