Be compassionate.

Be compassionate.
“The topic of compassion is not at all religious business; it is important to know it is human business, it is a question of human survival.”
Dalai Lama

Research now shows that when you are compassionate, you experience a similar feeling of pleasure as when you have sex, good food or a relaxing holiday. Basically, showing compassion is good for your health. Take compassionate action and get the “giver’s high.” Benefits are reduced stress, more regular heart beat and improved immune system.

You can show compassion by understanding the person’s feelings and emotions. That means talking to them and trying to share what they are going through. It is more demanding than a mere act of kindness. If you are compassionate, you are going to get emotionally involved. You also ask what help is needed. You could apply this to:

• A friend who is ill
• Someone who has lost their job
• A relative who has been bereaved
• Someone going through a separation
• A homeless person

You can read the full article at the source 

The Little Mermaid

How do you teach your kids to swim? Are they naturals? Do they like water? Do they need convincing to enter a swimming pool? Do they complain with the floaters? WHat was it like the first time they attempted swimming? And what was it like the first time they were successful in their attempt at swimming? Tell me your story, here is mine...

The Little Girl was excited, she knew Papi today was taking her to the  swimming pool. Poor Papi, he forgot the swimming floaters, the Little Girl Girl add to remind Papi. But Papi smiled, "Today you don't need the floaters".
"Why?", asked the Little Girl.
"You will see Little Girl!", answered Papi.
They arrived at the swimming pool, it was a different swimming pool, not the usual they came to.
"Papi, this is different!"
"Yes it is", answered the smiling Papi.
The Little girl saw a big swimming pool with many kids playing around. No kids were using floaters. They all had their little heads above water for a little bit to just dive the next minute.
The Little Girl entered with Papi into the swimming pool.
Papi held her hand, the water was different, it was harder. The Little Girl was floating.
"Papi, I am floating without the floaters!", shouted excitedly the Little Girl.
Soon the Little Girl started copying the other Kids. She dove into the water...

"Papi, I am a mermaid".
And the Little Mermaid swam in the pool. She was like a wild animal being freed into the wilderness. She felt as if she belonged in that small swimming pool her entire life.
Papi shed a salty tear, her Little Girl was now a lovely Little Mermaid.
The other parents shared tears of joy.
It was the tears of the parents that filled this magic swimming pool where all of them came to teach their children how to become mermaids.

Skying

Do you encourage your child to practice all sports ? or just some ? Do you want your child to go with you in sport adventures ? Or you let him go on his own adventures with his friends ? Did you go with him to select the equipment ? Is getting the right equipment part of your common adventure with your child ? Tell me your story, here is mine...

"I like these skies Papi, they have a very tiger... and it's like the tiger on the helmet", said the Little Girl enthusiastically looking at the orange skies.

"They look good, and they will make you go fast, do you want to go fast on the snow Little Girl", asked Papi.

"Yes, I want to go fast in the snow, like Nicholas in the reindeer sleigh."

"Papi, Papi, I want these boots, they are red and they also have a tiger ."

"Do you have all that we need for the ski lessons ?", asked Papi.

"We need the glasses and the dinosaur mouth.", answered the Little Girl.

"The dinosaur mouth ? what is that?"

"This!", pointed the Little Girl to a ski mask to protect nose and mouth from the cold air with a big dinosaur mouth with big teeth painted.

"You are going to look scary in this Little Girl, sure you need it ?"

"Na, but it looked cool!", said honestly the Little Girl.

At the kindergarten the all the kids with their parents were waiting for the bus. It looked like a colorful army with little rainbow soldiers of peace. All the kids with their colored ski suits, colored helmets, colored glasses holding the long colored skies was really a cool sight to be seen.

The bus came and all the kids went on board.

Behind stood a lot of parents waiting for their kids to come.

The hours passed and Papi was nervous and excited. How was his Little Girl behaving at the ski lessons ? Well, soon the bus would come back and he could talk with his Little Girl.

The bus arrived, the Little Girl ran on her clumsy ski boots to see Papi.

"And then we went whoosh, and we fell on the snow, then I got up and went like this and this...", the little girl was very excited telling her story, running around in zigzags. "Then the red boy passed, and the green boy passed, and the pink girl fell, and we laughed, and we had a party, and we painted the noses, and we went with the hands on the knees, and the blue boy fell, and the yellow girl fell, and I passed, and we had a party..." and the story went on for a couple more hours. Papi wanted to know everything, and he got everything, just not in the correct order.

The pied piper of Frightelin

Do you want your child to be able to express through music ? Do you encourage him to play a music instrument ? How do you deal with the initial learning curve ? Do you stop your child when the sounds are irritating ? How do you encourage him in those initial phases where it's just loose notes ? Did you experience getting the first hint of a tune ? How do you feel when you start to recognize music in the fanfare ? Tell me your story, here is mine...

"FON FON FIIIEEEMMM.." are the sounds that are coming from the delicate flute in the hands of the Little Girl. Surprising that somebody could say a flute is a delicate instrument.
"Papi, do you like ? It is very good, I am now going to play another music.", says proudly the Little Girl with the flute in her hands.

"FIIIEEEMMM FON FUN FON FIIIIEEEEMMMM..." is another amazing sound coming from the delicate flute. Papi is about to say bad things about the inventor of the flute.
"You like it Papi ? Do you know the music ? It's Jingle Bells!" continues the happy Little Girl.
"Fantastic Little Girl, you are playing much better than yesterday", answers Papi with a hint on desperation.
"FIIIIEEEEE FIIIIEEEE FON FON FUN..." continues the flute and the Little Girl on top "Jingle all the way...", and back to the flute, "FIIIE FIIIEEE FO FON FUN..."
"That is so good Little Girl, it's getting much better, let's pause now a little bit for you to regain your breath.", suggests Papi wanting a recess for his poor ears.
"No Papi, I must practice, the teacher said we must practice every day..." answers the Little Girl.
"So nice your teacher, he likes hard work...", sighs Papi, "let's change instrument, let's try the piano, you are getting very good at the piano..."
"Yeah, let's try the piano....", and the Little Girl runs to her room to fetch the little piano.
"TOING TOING TUNG THAM...", hammers the Little Girl on the piano keyboard like Chopin, perhaps like Chopin when Chopin was a little baby that had no clue to what a piano was...
"Yes Papi, it is so good, it's the happy birthday song..." shouts happily the Little Girl.
"TOING TING TOING TUHUM THAM..." are the hammered sounds made by the piano, and the Little Girl started singing on top "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you....".
The environment was lound and festive, nothing like you could imagine, and suddenly the piano went "RE RE MI RE SOL FA..." and Papi's ears said silently  "Thank you".
Papi jumped out of the sofa to watch the Little Girl playing piano, she was really playing Happy Birthday song, at least some small set of notes that had melody.
Papi felt glad for all the patience he had the last months, and the Little Girl was really proud of her achievement.
"Happy birthday to you..." continued the Little Girl...