philosophy

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 10

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

15 Days till Christmas – spreading love by backing a Kickstarter film

As a filmmaker, who has run a successful Kickstarter campaign that was anything but easy to do, today I decided to spread the love by supporting a fellow filmmaker through this popular crowd-funding platform.

I went on the site and browsed through the various campaigns in the film category. I spent quite a while, to be honest, as nothing was grabbing me…

That is, until I noticed a little post about a documentary on the making of Kalamata olive oil in Greece: (and the filmmaker is a teenager!)

 

I decided to donate to this campaign. I hope he gets to make his film. Check it out above!

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
― Mother Teresa

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 8

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

17 Days till Christmas – spreading love by calling my grandparents

I grew up as a first generation American in a Sicilian immigrant family. And some of my fondest childhood memories are of being at my grandparent’s house.

They not only loved me (and my siblings and cousins) immensely but also kept our cultural heritage alive and well.

From the backyard vegetable garden to the passed-down sauce recipe. From the family gatherings to the black and white photos of coming to America by ship. My grandparents helped in making me appreciate where I come from.

I try to appreciate them and stay connected but sometimes, I fail.

For today, I chose to spread the love by picking up the phone and calling my grandparents. They were pleasantly surprised. My grandmother and I chatted for over twenty minutes, catching up and swapping memories. It was absolutely wonderful. I even made her laugh a few times.

Sure, the world moves fast. And yes, there are only so many hours in the day. But shouldn’t calling (and visiting) loved ones be a part of it?

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 7

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

18 Days till Christmas – spreading love by helping a co-worker

A week or two ago, I was asked by a co-worker if I could help cover some shifts for him right after Christmas. I told him it was a little early to know what my schedule would be like at the time but that I’d get back to him.

Flash forward to now and I know what I’ll be doing around the holidays. Though I wasn’t planning on working right after Christmas, I’m going to be in town and my schedule allows it.

For today, I spread the love by helping a co-worker. I told him I’ll be able to cover both of his shifts and wished him happy holidays. He was happy. And it felt good to help someone out.

Helping others puts positive energy in the world that not only swirls all around you but feels good for everyone involved. I really need to do this more often…

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

 

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 6

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

19 Days till Christmas – Spreading love with a child’s birthday

Is there any better sound in this world than a child’s laugh?

I don’t think so. It’s music, really.

I have two nephews and they mean the absolute world to me. I had never experienced unconditional love before meeting them. And I decided when the first was born that I would see them at least every week for as long as I am physically able to (and they let me) to let them know I’m here for them, I love them and they can count on me.

Let me back pedal a moment.

My favorite movie in the entire universe is a small film called “You Can Count On Me.” It’s a story about two siblings who are very different from one another but lost their parents early on in life and since then, they went their separate ways but always remained true to the promise they made as kids – that they could count on each other. No other film has touched me the way this film has and continues to, for many reasons that I won’t get into here, but I bring it up because one of the things this beautiful film explores is the idea of people counting on each other, truly being able to count on each other, and I found it a rare and beautiful thing.

And it’s my pledge to my nephews.

Today was one of their birthdays. So I decided to spread the love by making sure the four year old had a wonderful birthday, along with his father, grandparents and uncle. Judging by the sound of his laughter, I’d say we achieved that.

Is there any better sight than seeing a child smile?

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 5

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

20 Days till Christmas – spreading love by loving myself and the one closest to me. 

Life moves fast and often times I move fast right along with it. My husband though is a little different. And he helps me take time to be in the present moment.

So when this morning, as we were waking, he asked, “Want to start the day with a walk on the beach?” I said yes immediately, something I don’t normally do. But I know how much he loves these walks and how much he loves when I join him, so rather than say no because of the list of things I wanted to get done before work, I replied yes. For him. And for me. (The stuff will still get done; it’s simply a matter of shifting my hierarchy of what comes first and examining exactly how I use my time…)

Walking hand in hand, my husband and I breathed in the fresh ocean air as we talked about life. We even made a friend.

IMG_1155.JPG

Today I chose to spread the love by being in the moment for my husband and myself.

Loving oneself and those closest to us is not something to do yearly or only on birthdays. It’s something to do everyday.

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

 

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 4

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

21 Days till Christmas – spreading love with holiday cheer

For our first Christmas as a married couple, my husband and I decided to upgrade our Christmas tree. Instead of the grocery store three-footer we normally get, we drove to a lot and picked out a grown up tree. We went to one that was run by a Kiwanis Club, an organization that helps its local community, and all the proceeds go to charity.

Holiday cheer may seem simple. And it can mean different things to different people, depending on the holiday one is celebrating. To some, its purpose may be religious. To others, it’s a frivolous affair. And even to others, it’s a time to eat good food and be around people they love.

Whatever the reason, holidays have a way of bringing people together and well, isn’t that a beautiful thing?

So this year, my husband and I went all out. We strung lights, hung decorations, made gingerbread cookies and are now about to retire to bed to watch Chevy Chase flex his hilarious holiday muscles as he takes us on a vacation…

Happy Holidays!!

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 3

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

22 Days till Christmas – spreading love with a friend

A little while ago, I was listening to a filmmaker talk during a panel discussion and he mentioned how he was good at being a filmmaker, a dad and a husband but not so good at being a friend.

That’s always stuck with me. I understand what prioritizing is all about and how friendships can be difficult to maintain when other things come before them.

But a beautiful thing about friendships is that the door can always remain open. And I truly appreciate my friends who understand the way I prioritize my life.

I had made plans to go to a dear friend’s place for tea today. We haven’t had one-on-one time in months. I decided to go to her and spend the couple hours we had (before I had to go to work) just listening and being there for her.

The universe works in mysterious ways. She actually needed to talk about something and I had no idea. We spent our visit doing just that.

I think more times than not, being a friend means just listening. And rather than judging, just sharing your thoughts.

 

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

 

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 2

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

For the original idea, please go here.

23 Days till Christmas – spreading love with letters

A while ago, I read a memoir by Hannah Brencher, “If You Find This Letter”, which details her journey of creating “More Love Letters”,  a global organization that is geared toward compiling letters of encouragement and support for people who need them.

When I read her book, I was moved. I thought the idea of strangers spreading love through letters was both simple and brilliant. But I never did anything about it… until today when my Spread the Love project made me think of her movement. So I looked it up and got to work.

These personal acts of letter writing are perfect for the time we live in as impersonal forms of communication reach a peak. I’m drawn to Hannah’s idea because it utilizes global connection along with good old-fashioned handwritten letters, which one can argue is becoming a lost art form.  It merges the strengths of both.

For the second day of spreading the love, I participated in The World Needs More Love Letters Movement. I drafted four letters to the individuals currently listed on the site and popped them in the mail.

This is only the beginning of my love letter writing though. As I wrote these letters to strangers in need, I found myself genuinely wanting to be helpful and encouraging and loving. I signed up for their newsletter and will now actively be a participant.

Sometimes, people just need to know they’re not alone. And a love letter to a stranger can be an excellent way to show that.

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

25 Days of Spreading Love – A countdown to Christmas: Dec. 1

/ christinaparisi / 2 Comments

For the original idea, please go here.

25 Days to Go – spreading love at yoga

I recently signed up for yoga classes at a studio near my home. Today I tried something called Kundalini and Meditation. It balances deep breathing techniques with body movement that’s both peaceful and emotional. Chanting and meditation are part of it as well.

During the practice, I couldn’t help but notice the participant right next to me because she was breathing very loudly. It was difficult to focus with the intense huffing and puffing that was taking place an arm’s length away from me.

My first impulse was to roll my eyes and try to figure out a way to discreetly move my mat.

But then, I realized this was a great opportunity to spread some love.

Rather than roll my eyes, I smiled at her.

Minutes later, the instructor had us all form a circle for a healing meditation. She mentioned someone could lay in the center if they wished. A minute later, my nearby yoga breather claimed it.

After the chant, as we all returned to our mats, the one from the center stood and thanked everyone for her experience. No one seemed to be paying much attention to her. No response was given by anyone.

So I continued to smile and nod and listen to what she was saying. After she was done, I told that her experience sounded cool and gave her another smile. She smiled back, happy to share.

Spread the love. #spreadthelove

Spread the Love

/ christinaparisi / Leave a comment

When I married my husband a few months ago, I glimpsed into a future world of love, a love that years ago I wasn’t sure existed. Every day he shows me what it means to love and be loved.

I can’t say I’ve always been particularly closed off to love but I also can’t say I’ve been the type to welcome it in with open arms either. I’m 38 so I know that I’m part of the group “who waited to get married.”

I used to think love was complicated. I used to think love meant pain. I focused more on me than on finding someone else to love.

Ah, youth. And my early thirties.

The universe smiled on me though, taught me some lessons and then introduced me to the man I’ll be with till, well… it decides to take him back I suppose. But at present, I’ll focus on the here and now. Which leads me to this blog post.

Though I have been given this gift, I sometimes fail to always recognize it and appreciate it. I’ve found myself taking love for granted recently. And I’ve had moments of feeling anger over stupid things.  I’ve spoken to people in my life not from a place of love but from a darker place and at times when I could have projected warmth and understanding, I chose distance and lack of care.

What better time to realize this and want to change it than during the holidays?

I want to walk the talk though. And I’d love to invite you along with me as I do another blog project. (For past ones, click here, here and here.)

Starting tomorrow, December 1, I’ll be counting down the days until Christmas with a daily blog post detailing a way I’ve spread love and put it out in the world.

I realize love can be defined in more ways than maybe any other word used but for purposes of this blog project, I’ll be using the word to mean expressions of kindness and good will.

We live in a world that is far from perfect. People get hurt and die every day, in horrific ways. That is the reality of life. So why not try to balance it with acts of love? And maybe if we begin to do it consciously, it will become part of the fabric of who we are.

So why not meet me here tomorrow (posts will go up at various times but will be daily) and begin this journey with me? Let’s spread the love!