One year old.......

Time keeps on slipping like the grains of sand through our hands. This day one year before this blog was being created out of the ashes of a troubled and worried mind. Now, one year later it still serves the initial purpose it was built for. Only this time more mature and older I hope it can live through the years and become better....

This blog wants to thank all the supporters...

"It means that it wants you to be alive"............

     A young prince once set for a journey on the highest mountain of his country in search of an answer. He climbed all the way up to the mountain for days only to find the wise man and seek for his answer. When finally he arrived breathless he saw the wise man waiting for him.


     - "I know you will be surprised but I have been expecting you. Now tell me what your question is. Soon you'll have to start climbing down. You don't want night to catch find you up here".


     - "Oh wise man. I seek your help. For you see, quite some time now I can hear me heart beating and it won't stop. It beats harder and harder every day and I am scared I can't make it stop"


     - "If your heart stops young prince then you would be dead. And since your heart beats as you describe, then it means that it wants you to be alive. Have you found a way to make it feel alive?" said mysteriously the old man.


     - "My father's kingdom is the richest in the world. I can have anything I ask and hundreds of slaves will bow before my will. I can buy any man or woman I want. I can even buy love if I seek to. But my heart?? I can't make it stop." replied the prince.


     - "That is the problem young prince. Your heart now is watching the world through your eyes. You have to blind it. And you have to let it find alone what it is looking for. Then you will find a way to make it stop. The only way is to rip it out of your chest and put it wherever it will be able to feel the world." said the wise man.


     The boy happy descended the mountain and tried to do as the old man had told him to. One day he put his heart on a pedestal where every man on the kingdom could see. The other day on the top of a tower. In a crystal casket. In the golden room of the castle. He tried any place he could think of. Finally on his last attempt he tried putting it in a diamond case and ordered his troops to protect it and carry it alongside his kingdom for a whole year. Surely the heart would see what it was supposed to see somewhere. A year later the troops returned home and the heart wast still beating, faster than ever. The prince was so disappointed that furiously climbed the mountain again to find the wise man.


     After finding him at the same spot he said. - " Your tricked me. I did what you told me but my heart does not stop beating. There is no spot in this kingdom that the heart hasn't gone and no sight it hasn't visited. Yet it hasn't stopped beating." said with excessive temper the young prince.


     - "The heart has no eyes like yours young prince. It can only see certain things and not in the way you see them. You did not understand the meaning of my words, but your heart never abandoned you, for it is yours, and it is there for you and still beats until you find what it seeks. Now please go, I am an old man and I have to sleep."


     The young man disappointed returned to his castle. The beating of the heart was way faster than ever. He got so angry of the wise man's words. He was fed up with the game. He ripped out his heart from his chest and threw it in the garbage. No one would ever find it there. No one would ever see it there. But one day a young beggar who was living on the streets asked audition with the prince. She said she had something that belonged to him.When they met eye to eye she told him.


     - "Oh my prince. I am a poor girl living on the streets. I have dirty clothes and I have to search the garbage every day to find something to eat. Today I found this in the garbage. They told me it belongs to you so I thought I would return it back to you. No man should live far from where his heart is." The girl took out of her rugged clothes the heart of the prince and returned it to him.


     - "But it stopped beating now. It is so calm and serene. How did you do that? What magic trick did you use." said the prince surprised. 


     - "I did not use any magic or tricks milord. The heart stopped beating when I held it close to my chest. I guess it found what it was looking for".The girl ripped her own heart from her chest and showed it to the prince. 


And the two hearts where identical, and now they were beating in the same rhythm having found what they were looking for....

About Friendship..........

Dear Diary,

          It’s been such a long day… Although it’s winter and days are shorter than nights, I still think time has gone by slowly today and maybe that’s because I did nothing but think… Of  what?? Well, tens of thoughts, ideas and questions have crossed my mind but I’ve chosen one topic I would like to write about on your pages.

            Firstly, I know it’s become a conventional formality to begin with “Dear diary” but I simply can’t begin with something else; you are very dear to me indeed, especially because you have the difficult “duty” to listen to my thoughts, witness them, be their keeper; you are the host of my thoughts that I want to release from my tired mind in order to make space for others. So, now that the sun  is setting, spreading a mixture of lights into the horizon, I’m determined to fill a few blank pages of yours with something I think I would really like to read again in the remote future, so that it should remind me of the pure thoughts I have this moment….

            Well, some thoughts, that I want to bring to light, are related to FRIENDSHIP….FRIENDS…I  suppose these words are very familiar to everyone; I can claim that love, health, faith, hope, family, hobbies, career are very important indeed to our lives, some of them even indispensable, but I strongly believe that friends play an extremely important role for each of us. Life is simply better and more  beautiful if we have friends around us… and I don’t know…. maybe the whole world is based, among others, also on millions of friendships….maybe these two notions  - friendship and friends – are unquestionably considered to be part of our lives, so that many people don’t even bother themselves to think too much about that, but simply accept it as a reality. That’s why I think most people would find needless to write about  friendship… But the fact is that I don’t want to change anything by transfering my thoughts on these pages;  moreover, I believe that no writer would be able to explain what friends mean neither in a story, nor in a novel, so I don’t intend to impress anyone, I just want to clear up my thoughts. In my opinion, someone could know the real value of true friends only when they find true friends; this can’t be learnt from books or movies; experience is worth a great deal in this case and life is the one to teach us how to live.

            ……This cosy, little room makes me feel nostalgic. It’s a weird feeling….I suppose it’s terribly cold outside but here it’s so warm and comfortable; I guess my pen finds its way, guided by my hand, only due to the gentle light coming from the simple lamp on the desk. This reminds me of very old times, of scenes I’ve only seen in movies – fire burning in the fireplace, warming up the room and people writing letters at the light of candles; or maybe great philosophers finishing their most important works; or even an introvert writing down a secret story, then hiding it and hoping that nobody will find it. Well, I have no notion whether some of  those people could have written something about friendship or not, but one thing is certain – I am here, trying to arrange my thoughts in a logical order so that I should reveal how a true friendship has changed my life….

            First of all, do we really know how to choose our friends or  we let ourselves tempted by anyone who wears the mask of a friend? Perhaps most people don’t understand the deep meaning of “friend”… In my belief, there are two kind of friends – true friends, who most act with their hearts and you can  feel the essence of friendship within them, it’s like an invisible light which comes to surface, and “artificial” friends, who only play the role of a friend; in fact, these last ones don’t even have genuine feelings, they just want to deceive, to betray in order to benefit from other people’s friendship; they have their own purposes and try to accomplish them also resorting to hurt people’s feelings. I am wondering how some people can pose as friends to someone who really believes in them and then gradually remove the veil which covers their true faces. However, I think that if it hadn’t been for these artificial friends, life wouldn’t have been the same, because there wouldn’t have existed conflicts, challenges; if we didn’t meet artificial friends, we wouldn’t appreciate the value of true friends, so maybe this is how things must be. We are surrounded by these two kinds of friends and we are the ones to choose the right people. I think it’s very important for us to know how to keep the distance with those who seem to reveal only the superficial meaning of “friend”; we should learn to read between the lines, to read people’s hearts in order to find out their true intentions. But there might also be a lot of surprises and unexpected situations; for example, I believe that time and circumstances are able to determine an artificial friend to become a real friend, but such a process can last for  years. On the other hand, however, I think it’s almost impossible for a very good friend to transform into an artificial one, because once a true friendship is established, it should never disappear – at least that’s how I see it but I suppose most people would find that a bit exaggerated.

            … Another two notions that people often mistake are “true friend” and “perfect friend”. But I am just wondering…. How should a perfect friend be? Should he/she have a good looking, never mistake anything, never do anything wrong, never lie, but always tell you absolutely everything about his/her own life? Well, I am sorry to disappoint those who think they’ve found a perfect friend, but perfect friends don’t exist… Nobody is perfect. We, humans, have been created to have also flaws, do mistakes from which we should learn, so we shouldn’t focus on  perfection, but on what is kind, genuine, sincere. We had better look deep inside a human being because appearances are so deceiving.

            So why should we care about religion, nationality, financial status when we seek for friends? The colour of your skin doesn’t make you different, nor the blood which runs through your veins – a peasant  or a member of a royal family? Why should we care about the family someone belongs to? God has created us so that we live in different countries, speak different languages, have different cultures and beliefs, but the essence of the human spirit is universal. That’s why I think we shouldn’t let these shallow things influence us. All that really matters is the moral values, which are priceless, but unfortunately many people don’t see them at the right time.

            …. Nowadays, people use too often the word “friend”. For example, especially teenagers call “friends” those who they go out with and have fun, but nothing more than that; no exchange of feelings, nothing serious, just having fun… these are not true friends, but rather fellows, companions when someone just wants to have fun.  Also those who do something for you and then ask for something else in return are not friends either, because true friends help each others unconditionally. In addition, some people call “friends” those who circumstancially help them achieve something and you often hear them saying: “Oh, I’ve got a friend there….He/She could help me…”; these are not friends, but acquaintances, I would say. To be honest, I find quite strange that people often mistake the real meaning of “true friend”; they call “friend” even a person they met a few days before….

            As for me, I am so glad I’ve found a true friend… Well, maybe the words “have found” are not the right ones because actually, HE has found me. The thing is that we don’t necessarily have to seek for friends – we might “bump into” them casually or…. not! Destiny also plays an extremely important role in all that and, about my case, I can say it was meant to be like that. So, always keep your eyes and heart widely opened because you never know  neither when the unexpected strikes you, nor if it brings something good or bad. Perhaps we have to accept that we live in a mystery, life will never run out of surprises. Well, the curious thing is that at first, I didn’t believe it was going to be such a strong friendship between us, I didn’t even think that I would consider HIM  a true friend…. Now I am simply amazed of how things have been evolving…. But it’s so complicated to describe all that. Maybe I am not able to transpose my feelings well in writing or maybe they can’t be transposed.

            I’ll try to give some reference points of how a true friend is supposed to be, by observing HIS attitude, behaviour, which successfully enlightens his qualities and on the same time promises to be a life-long friendship. Well, being a kind and sociable person is among the first steps to a beautiful friendship. Even if we might talk about shy, introvertite people or extroverted, easy-going ones, I think it’s important for a friend to be open-minded, willing to listen to what you have to say, but not judge; it’s very good for friends to be able to talk about all kind of things, even the oddest ones because that helps a lot. Talking, discussing, we could learn a lot of things from each others but another point, which is worth being considered, is that even though  many people don’t realize, it is terribly awful not to have someone whom you could talk, confess… It is  terrible being compelled to keep your thoughts only for yourself, to be the only one to enjoy or hate them. It is a great relief to know there is someone you could openly talk to, share your memories, thoughts, ideas, concerns, maybe stupid questions…. Moreover, I think that having the sense of humour is indispensable; sometimes, jokes are more than welcomed and we should look at the bright side even if the situation were not good at all. That’s why I appreciate him when HE makes me smile – no matter how sad I am, it’s impossible for him not to say something funny in order to bring a smile on my face; and he also keeps on smiling, regardless of the difficult moments he has to face.

            A thing I can’t overlook is that you can learn a lot from friends. Maybe you learn how to speak a new language, or information about other countries and cultures, or maybe you learn from your friends’ mistakes and advice or perhaps just little things that haven’t stirred your interest so far. If it hadn’t been for him, I suppose I would have never put Pinocchio, Frankenstein and Quasimodo together, finding out their common features. I was offered a  very impressive and interesting outlook upon these well-known characters…. Also the mirror, this thing which reflects every day both my appearance and my inner self….. I would have never attributed so many features to such a thing. And when I’m thinking that he didn’t even believe I would like  that short writing….. What is more, “Women vs Guitars”….it’s just woowww….who else could have thought of such a comparison?? As I didn’t know much about these musical instruments, it was a good and interesting way to learn more about them. However, I am curious what a woman guitarist would think about that…..Something that strongly impressed me and also proved me that sometimes we might think the same was that about Angels….. I do believe in angels and I have confidence in my beliefs but I didn’t dare to write about that, as he did; so I’ve found it quite touching and thought provoking…..and I’ve just thought there had to be something of an angel within him  because my life has changed in a positive way due to his presence. Why do I say angels must have interfered? I do say that because I believe HE has been sent by God – he entered my life when I really needed a true friend….

            Who would have believed me if I had told them that one afternoon I saw a heart shaped cloud on the  blue sky? Perhaps many people would think it was just my imagination but I can surely claim that the white cloud had exactly the shape of a heart. I knew it was a sign and so did he. HE believed me and I am very pleased to know that. Furthermore, I can’t be absolutely sure, but maybe he told nobody but me about the butterflies that have become divine signs to him. Unbelievable is the fact that a few days after he had told me about that, something very strange happened to me – I was walking on the pavement, when a tiny, white feather suddenly made a few  pirouettes in the air, in front of my eyes and then fell softly on the ground. All happened so quickly that I could hardly stop from walking. But when I wanted to pick it up, the wind blew and took it away. It was amazing because I knew it was a sign too. HE had told me to  look carefully around me in order to see the many signs God might have sent for me… It’s something very difficult to explain…. When you have a true friend who is willing to listen to your strangest experiences and also share with you thoughts that maybe he hasn’t told anyone else before, you are feeling as if you exchanged emotions, feelings. I suppose each of us has realized  there are also things we can’t tell our parents, sisters, brothers, relatives  or so called artificial friends; maybe because there are too personal things, or unusual ones, things that most people would not believe or understand, so that we need a true friend, a trustworthy person , ready to keep secrets, to help us observe, analyze, understand, surpass hurdles and bad moments; a true friend is the one to laugh with you in the good times and enjoy your success, but on the other hand, he is the one to offer you a shoulder to cry on. Friends are supposed to pass together through goods and bads. Also a good friend is able to read you like a book, read your eyes, your heart….

            However, I think the most important quality of a friend is SINCERITY. If it weren’t for sincerity, then we would permanently live surrounded by lies. So, I expect from a true friend to tell me his sincere opinions, even if I might disagree with them. If we want to change for the better, to improve some aspects, then we shouldn’t be told what we would like to hear, but be told  the truth, no matter how painful it might be. In my point of view, those who hide some things from others, hoping that way they will manage to protect the last ones, act wrongly, because doing that, they create some false circumstances that, once revealed, may leave a deep mark on people. I remember how excited I was about the novel I still want to write one day; and he wanted to help with as much good and sincere advice as possible; I’ll never forget these words: “first…keep notes of every good idea you have…everything….second…when you decide to write, don’t rush it! Don’t just start writing…. Take some time to make a draft of how your story would go….and third and probably most important…live your life….gain experiences…get in touch with more people you can…get in touch with nature and God…travel to places you’ve never been…. That will surely broaden your horizons….that’s my advice….”

            ….Well, my conclusion: true friends really exist but I think they are rare and I think you need patience, faith, luck and , of course, a bit of help from  Destiny in order to find such a friend. But once you’ve bound a strong friendship, I do believe it could last forever. As for me, this friendship has completely changed my way of thinking; it’s something so complex and envolves so many different things that is able to change the lives of both of us…. Well, dear diary, you’ve just found out how a true friend is, although maybe you don’t understand anything and you will only have to play host to these thoughts…. Funny shadows are dancing on the wall everytime I move. Outside, the snow is sparkling in the gentle moonlight  and the stars seem  to be golden dust on a black velvet. I’ll start stargazing…. Perhaps HE does that too, I know HE  likes it a lot…..

P.S.......The above text was send to me as a birthday gift from a very good friend....It's all about friendship and probably the best birthday gift I ever got..The word moving would be only a mild expression of how touching those words are to me....So in return I am publishing-hosting those beautifully articulated thoughts into my blog.....Cause these are the words of a very promising young "under construction" ;)   author....Enjoy the words....Enjoy them like I did......(anybody wanting to talk with her about the text inform me and I will contact you).........

Art............

“Art is a place. A place where the few remaining romantics of this world have gathered and thrive”.  I recently heard this phrase on a radio commercial of a newly opened art gallery. No doubt about it. Art is a place indeed. A place where romantics live and die. Better a place which romantics live and die for. It’s the place where they are allowed to perform and thrive. Art is all that, and more than that. Way more than that.

• Art is endless. It’s limitless. It has no boundaries. As long as there are people who have imagination, art knows no limits. It goes on and on.

• Art is devotion. Art can be a colored stain on a black and white canvas. Or a song comprised by three single notes. Nevertheless art means devotion. Devotion to what is and what you can call art.

• Art is timeless. You can make art in a minute. And you can make art in a century. No matter how much time it takes, art is art. And the magnificence of art cannot be measured by “time” standards. Art must ripe before exhibited to the public eye. And no one knows what is the exact time for an artwork to ripe.

• Art is everlasting. True art does not age. True art matures. Changes by time. Alters. But a masterpiece is never out of fashion. Art stays art no matter how many generations pass and how many changes take place in  the world. Art is eternal. And stays eternal.

• Art  is emotional. It is born from emotions and it is born to bring emotions. Art “hits” straight to the heart and to the mind.  And combines them in a mostly pleasant way.

• Art is artificial. It is a man made invention (let’s put aside for a while the art of nature). It is a creation. The embodiment of the artist’s mind. It is composed, sculpted, painted. It is material. But its’ influence goes far beyond any material limit. It exceeds the human boundaries.

• Art is love. You have to love the object of your art, in order to create it in the first place. And you have to find love in your life in order to create that object. Most artists talk about love through their “art”. And they express in their own way the kind of “love” they have found in life (or seek to find in life). Love transformed to art is art transformed to love. 

• Art is unreasonable. There is no place for pragmatism, dogmatism and realism in art. Art can be as reasonable or unreasonable as neede as long as it stays true to the roots of its’ creation.

• Art is multidimensional. No artistic masterpiece has one dimension. The power of art lies in the many dimensions it can create. In the many different directions it can take. There is no certain path. It’s a maze of feelings and dimensions which sometimes extend to forever-ness or sometimes cross each other only to get broke up again.

• Art is controversial. There ain’t no single piece of art that has only friends or only enemies. It’s not about how many of them a piece of art has, but in what extend do they express it. Extremism is one of art’s many attributes.

• Art is abstract. In fact art is abstractly elaborated. Either copying perfectly the smile of a woman or drawing her in an imaginary way, art is not the means but the internal way of seeing things firstly and expressing them this way afterwards. 

• Art is truth behind lies. Art is based in creating illusions and fake worlds. In a sense it is based on lying, yet the worlds created are to give a certain amount of truth. 

• Art is life. It is inspired from life and it is a life creator itself. The imprint of life seen from the eyes of one single man. The vision of life. 

• Art is incomprehensible. True that we can’t always understand art. Or not completely understand it at least. For art, is the world of the artist given in human means. Sometimes the more complex this world the more difficult it becomes to comprehend his art. And on the other side the closer we are to the artist’s state of mind at the time of creation, the easiest it is for us to get in his shoes and see from his point of view. 

• Art is unconventional. Art does not follow pre-walked paths nor does compromise. It is original and always differently formulated.   

• Art is relentless. No mistakes are to be made when you are an artist. Mistakes are unacceptable. For art is perfection.Even flawed art is perfectly imperfect.

• Art is not only about masterpieces. The best representatives of any form of art are its’ masterpieces. They are the cornerstone for every future reference. Yet, real art is not about masterpieces but about making little pieces of art the right way.

• Art is seriously fun. Yes. Art can be fun seeing it from a certain perspective. In general art is serious for real art is about serious things. But serious though it might be, it is fun exploring the serious side of it. 

• Art is subliminal. Although the things that we see are usually the ones we admire, true art works in a subliminal level. That’s the real magic of it. 

• Art is not compromising. For art is freedom of expression and therefore and attempt to “imprison” that freedom is only an attempt to make it fade to black or make it vanish. Art is a “nightingale”. Confine it, imprison it and its’ beauty dies alongside.  

• Art tells no lies. Art can tell stories. Art can tell feelings and notions. Art can tell many things. But true art does not lie. It might be a little deceiving and disorienting but still art is never lying. Art is always  true to its' values.

• Art always has an identity. It has a mark. It is completely and instantly identified although sometimes it is hidden behind causes. Art might be camouflaged, but it underneath there is always an identification mark which makes it unique.

• Art is not repetitive. True art can't be the same twice. Art is unique. One of a kind and always evolving.

• Art is revolutionary. It creates new roads. It breaks the rules and tears down the walls. Art always has a way. Always has a different irrational but completely justifiable way.

• Art is visionary. Art sees in the future and sometimes projects it. Other times it speaks from the past, yet in a kind of futuristic aspect. Above all though art has a certain vision to what things were and are about to be and in that way it is expressing itself. 

• Art is picky. It chooses the place, the time and above all the way it will reveal itself.  

• Art is evolutionary. One piece of art gives inspiration to another. Art is continuously evolving. It takes from the past and gives to the future by altering the present. Sometimes it’s being copied from, even in different forms but copying art without creating something is not art at all. 

• Art is not about money, fame or narcissism. It’s true that true artists (and unfortunately “false” ones too) get to become famous and wealthy. But true art is not about all these. True art is about creating inner wealth. It’s not bad though being able to acquire a few more coins in order to be undistracted when you want to create art.

• Art is not recyclable. You can’t recycle, reuse and recreate art. 

• Art is to be admired. You can surely create a masterpiece and lock it up on a dusty attic, away from the prying eyes forever. And it would still be a masterpiece nevertheless. But art is mainly to be admired. Art is to be exhibited and be given to the public. For not only the public is one of the judges, but also if art is true and it has to give something to the world as it ought to do, then it should be presented to as many as possible.

• Art is respected. For a strange reason art through the ages was and is respected. Obvious why

• Art is not racist. There is no nationality, color, race, financial state, IQ or any other kind of racism when it comes to art. Everyone and everything is equal. Art is the epitome of democracy in the world.

• Art is not competitive. No work of art is better than another. They are all the same, and the only thing that you can compare about them is the amount of impact they have on public.

• Art is freedom. Freedom of speech and expression. Art is freedom and artists free people as long as they serve their inner force.

• Art is not always beautiful. Cause life itself is not always beautiful. And art is surely the extension of life experiences. Romanticism is only a part of art’s history, but “dark” art, controversial though it might be, is sometimes closer to the roots of human urge to create art.

• Art is oblivious. Simply art can “forget” and start all over from scratch. 

• Art is universal. It’s not regional. It’s not global. Art is universal. A vessel for interstellar travelling. 

• Art is undying. For even if you “kill” the material representation of art, true art lingers in the minds of those who admired it. 

• Art is a lover. Once you taste it there is no escape.

• Art is art………………………… True art needs no justification at all.

Love Is : Part 2

Love is : Pt 2

• Love is to wait be the first who will say "I am" sorry and the first who will accept it.
• Love is romantic dinner by the beach.
• Love is devotion
• Love is a white dove
• Love is imprisonment
• Love is a feeling, a reason, freedom.
• Love is sacrifice
• Love is to wait forever,anticipate
• Love is meant to last forever
• Love is blind
• Love is a loaded gun which sometimes backfires
• Love is never waiting
• Love is a path
• Love is to forgive even when not forget
• Love is to see the whole world in the eyes of a girl
• Love is to see the eyes of a girl everywhere in the world
• Love is all
• Love is the blushing in the cheeks
• Love is a stairway to heaven or a highway to hell
• Love is a lying truth
• Love is to lose every hope and yet still hoping
• Love is love (no need for justification)
• Love is a free fall from an airplane with no parachute
• Love is a what fills the empty spaces
• Love is the 7th sense (way more powerful than the 6th)
• Love is the light, but it always leaves a dark shadow
• Love is a sticky spideweb trap
• Love is possibly impossible
• Love is stock and can go up or down
• Love is a bee and we are the flowers
• Love is a miracle
• Love is music that the ears can't hear
• Love is everything,everywhere,every-time
• Love is a point of no return 

Let us all share...

     Just before I began my (obliged by the motherland) military service, my best friend told me something I won't forget "While in the army be prepared, cause you're gonna do a lot of thinking and reevaluation". I took this advice seriously cause if my friend who's not much of a thinker did it,then I was doomed before I even began. True though that his words might have been, I had a somehow different experience in the army. I had to close myself in my self-made shell, stay away from all the noise and distraction that awful military life creates and absorb only those nutritious for myself experiences.In a certain extend I managed to control everything, bring them in balance and have a generally smooth time until now (God and luck also helped to be honest). But contrary to the thinking I managed to apply another long lost technique. The one of observation. My story happened almost three weeks ago, back when I was stranded in "Sparta", a place far far away from home. I had it in my mind but never thought of putting it on the net. Not until some days ago when I read a post in Paulo Coelho's Facebook page. His story can be found in the link below and mine after that.....I only post mine because I have experience something similar...

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2011/01/27/prague-1981/

     It all started a rainy afternoon back in Sparta. I had already had a difficult day inside the military camp. Thankfully that day I was given the permission to leave the camp for a few hours and take a rest in the town of Sparta which lies some klm away. I needed my free space, my alone time of recollection, so I preferred to refrain  from following my fellow-soldiers who admittedly care only for bars,pubs and cafes. I took a walk, around the narrow stone paved streets of that striving with history small town. I walked and walked pointlessly around the town, having my music on my ear-buds and my mind wondering around millions of things. What would surely be a drawback was proven to have been a strange kind of blessing. The raindrops were not so hard, and not annoying at all. On the contrary they did create a moody but widely accepted by me atmosphere. All this scenery drown me deeper in my already troubled mind. Strolling around finally brought me to the main street of the city. The main long avenue. I decided to walk it all the way to pass my time. While walking upon that mildly glamorous street I stumbled upon a man. He was crippled. He had one of his legs amputated. He was a rugged man with a deep dark tone on his skin, obviously from another country. He was a beggar. Yet not the traditional kind of beggar. What caught my attention was that this poor beggar was holding a guitar. I stood over him listening to his music. He was actually singing in his mother tongue, a song totally unknown and unfamiliar to me. His song though, had a strange kind of charm. Not my style at all, nor my kind of taste. But strangely his song touched me. His peculiar melody found a pathway into my heart. He was not the best singer in the world. Not the best performer or guitarist. Far from it I'd say. But he had a certain charm. A charm you don't usually meet in people of his kind. I was standing in the middle of the pavement. People were passing by around me. I was standing there listening to that man's music, in a place where no one else would bother. I began wondering "Why the hell don't I leave him alone?".The first answer was simple. "Cause I sympathize with his problem". That was not true. I encounter many beggars on my way and although I have the habit of helping some of them it was not this that kept me standing over him. The second answer came immediately after."Cause he has what you don't". True. This man was not a beggar. He was a performer just like myself. Life took him everything I would speculate. He was missing one leg. He was missing probably a cozy home,a warm plate of food or even a friend or a family. And in my mind I felt so blessed having these back home. This man had nothing at all, but had something I did not have at this point. He was holding and playing a guitar. I had been away from my guitar for almost two months and the truth was that I had really missed it. While these were taking place, that man had already noticed that I was staring at him. He gently changed his songs, making them somehow even more pleasurable for me. He had a fan, and he loved it as it seemed. I slipped my hand in my pocket and through in his "begging" basket (which was almost empty) whatever change I had. Being a soldier myself I had to be a little careful with spending. But at this moment I can't say I cared. He needed those money way much more than I did. It was not much of a serious amount of money. But for him it would probably give him the luxury of eating like a real human for 2-3 days. He thanked me with a big smile and an even bigger nod, while he kept singing and playing his old guitar. It was my time to leave. It was my time to get out of his life and let him get out of mine. For a strange reason we were not strangers for some minutes. We both had a common point of interest. The guitar. I was about to step away. But I don't know what power made me do what followed. I stood there and nodded back at him pointing with my finger at his guitar.No words had to be said (and we never really spoke to be honest). He stopped his song half-way through. He extended his arms bringing his guitar close to me. He offered me his means of making money. I did not care whether snobby people around me would look and judge me. I knelled next to him, holding his guitar in my hands. I played the first chord. The the second, the third and then a progression of chords, until I was playing a catchy tune I had just discovered. And now the roles had changed. The beggar was being entertained by my music. And not only by my music. In his dull life of begging he stopped asking for money for a while and began having fun. As much fun as I was having playing with his guitar. As much as I liked it, I did not play for long. I stopped after a while, and returned to him his guitar. He was smiling, just like a small child. I was too. Our brief interaction gave both of us a reason to smile in this moody dark evening. That day I found a guitar, and a strange few-minutes friend. And that man found a smile in his heart and some money to spent the next days. I turned my back, walked away trying to get back to what was my normal rhythms of my life. Just a few steps away I heard him talk from back..."Ευχαριστώ (Thank you)". I only turned my head while walking away...."Εγω Ευχαριστω (I Thank you)" I nodded back at him and never saw him again.

What I later that night discovered is how different our lives could have been if we all shared with each other. Share small insignificant things. Share feelings. Love. Share words. Share in general whatever we have with those around us that need it. Share,share,share. A song I like says "What you give you get back". Indeed. The more we share, the more we get back in return.........