Lets.. go.. FLY a kite! :D

Close your eyes with me for a second. Picture this!

Sun shining!
Seagulls soaring through a clear blue sky.
Kites dragging helplessly along the ground as you and your friends run enthusiastically in the opposite direction...

Yep, it was a wonderful wonderful day. :)

Kite-flying though, ladies and gentlemen, is not always as straightforward as one might think.
It turns out there is a considerable amount of skill involved.
Firstly you need to get on top of putting the darned things together! Which, due to the wonderful observations and creative problem solving skills of Joe and Ruth, we eventually managed to sort out. :D

Secondly, there's that whole thing about getting the kite in the sky.
Which HAPPENED! Just not for all of us.

LOOK! There she is!... That little speck of happiness and freedom, which you can see in this lovely photo by Joe! ^_^

That my friends, was Heathers kite. :)

And also the only kite that managed to make it to greater heights...

BUT, never fear! There are no failures! (Well three, but we won't talk about those)
Because we did it!
By the end of the day, a sunflower kite was hanging effortlessly in the air as we sat and played cards in the sunshine. :)

SO darling readers, what I'm choosing to take away from this (as pointed out by Ruth), is the idea that even if only ONE thing works out right, it is all worth it. :D
Hell, if none of the kites had managed to fly, it would still be worth it.
Because at the end of the day, life isn't about learning to fly! It's about all the fun you have running around flapping your arms. :)

Let's reflect on a quote from Abdul-Baha! :D
It's about excellence! ^_^

"We all, the Eastern and the Western nations, must strive day and night, with heart and soul, to achieve this high ideal, to cement the unity between all the nations of the earth. Every heart will then be refreshed, all eyes will be opened, the most wonderful power will be given, the happiness of humanity will be assured. … This will be the Paradise which is to come on earth, when all mankind will be gathered together under the Tent of Unity in the Kingdom of Glory."
- Abdul-Baha (Baha'u'llah and the New Era, pg. 286)

Thank-you Joe for the lovely quote by the way! :)

Personally, looking at these words, I can't help but think about what a powerful thing it is to work together!
I mean, INCREDIBLY powerful!
Look at that second line! Hearts = refreshed! Eyes = opened! Happiness = assured! :o
Sounds amazing, right!
And it's up to us! We can make that happen.
:o
Anyone else getting a little empowered?
Sort of like that story about the sticks! When the children ran outside and each brought back a twig, the teacher was able to snap it easily... but when the twigs were all put together in a bunch, and passed around, not a single person could break them.
But it takes EVERYONE! Trying! Working together! :D
In UNITY!
^_^
Lets go world. :)

Personally, in regards to our kite flying adventure, I think we did a pretty spiffy job. :D
Alot of working together was done after all. :)
And, whaddya know! The kite flew for us. ;)
Oh! And we also tried really hard - which the quote talks about too. ^_^

And on that note my friends, I bid you all the love and happiness you can bid in a blog - wherever you may be! x

Oh! And you can open your eyes now. ;)

Musical Prayers...

Get it? Like chairs..!

:D

Good stuff music. It's so easy, to be sitting in your room, singing and chanting the words of God at the top of your lungs and just completely lose yourself in it! :) That was me this morning, and at least MOST of me found its way back again...

My voice didn't. At least not completely... well done Ingrid, well done. :p

But that's okay, because it was a pretty easygoing day anyway. :)
Pshht, who needs a VOICE when you have LOVE pulsing away in your fingertips. ;-)

It was wonderful actually. There are two elderly Baha'is in the Kirkwall community, living only a short walk from where I do. So it was a nice day to go visit them and share a prayer together. :)

They seemed to really enjoy it as well, which is wonderful. At least I hope they did! But as I was going to leave, I looked into their eyes as I thanked them for spending that time with me, and they really smiled back. So it makes you feel like they totally liked to see you too. :D

Good stuff.

Anyway, looking forward to the Scottish Bahai Summer School coming up soon. :)
Should be wonderful.

Speaking of which, they sent us a bunch of quotes the other day. :D
Here's one on selfishness that made me think a little..

"... This is a strange trait and means of the destruction of many important souls in the world. If man be imbued with all good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues will fade or pass away and eventually he will grow worse."

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha, pg. 730)

WHooaa! That's some pretty serious stuff.
ALL the other virtues! So pretty much, if you only live your life with this love for yourself, all the other good qualities and virtues you may possess will not make a difference. :o Because you're only living for yourself anyway.

Well then, gonna have to strive towards selflessness. :)

My love to you all, wherever you may be.

x

Always ask.

I think this applies to most things in life, because when you think about it, there are few things as powerful as a true, honest question.

Questions are amazing things. They happen when we realize that there is something we want to understand, but don't yet, and officially decide to take that first step in making that happen. They make us grow as we learn from them. And it's through questions that our minds fill with all these wonderful new ideas about the world, that we might otherwise have missed out on.

And to think, that's where this all begins. A question.

I was thinking about questions yesterday, as a friend of mine very lovingly invited me to hear one of her friends performing at a youth cafe. Of course I said yes, and went along! :)

But ahhh, the questions I should have asked!

Nevertheless it took me back a bit! To the days when I may have fit in to those sorts of concerts a bit better ;) (See image). But honestly, after a few hours of loud heavy metal music, I decided it may have been nice to have asked a couple o' questions beforehand.

Not that I probably wouldn't have gone anyway! It was definitely a good thing to bond with said friend over a little awkwardness and dodgy headbanging. ;) As a side note, she is amazing actually, and getting into music herself! So if you feel so moved, feel free to mosey over to her youtube channel and check her out! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpiCu3KFdRQ). ;)

So what I'm deciding to take away from all this, besides my headache and throbbing ears, is regarding INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION of the truth people! Because that's a lesson that just totally fits... ;)

But yes, I suppose it is easy to listen to the things others say and draw your own ideas and conclusions from it, but its something else entirely to investigate things for yourself, ask your own questions, and shape your own understandings. I think its a wonderful thing to be curious! :)

So, disclaimer, that idea is actually a million times broader, and filled with other wonderful ideas and concepts that my story does little to illustrate... nothing even, on closer observation... but honestly... it's 1:30am at the moment. :p

I hope y'all are well and happy, and I'll leave you with this quote from 'Abdu'l-Bahá! :)

Being one, truth cannot be divided, and the differences that appear to exist among the many nations only result from their attachment to prejudice. If only men would search out truth, they would find themselves united.

POWERFUL STUFF! Right!? :D
UNITY! Through seeking truth.
:o

Love.

Floral Necromancy

Here's a random little tale for ya! It all started about 4 days ago.
I was casually sitting and admiring my lovely new living room, when I noticed this pot of flowers sitting on the coffee table!

"Well this is rather exciting," I thought. "I've never had flowers in my living room before!"

I gave them a sniff and smiled at them for a bit. It made me appreciate how something so simple can feel so welcoming.

Anyway, I didn't really think about them for a few days. But then, out of the blue...

They were DYING! D:

Or dead, or something. They were all leaning over at the stem anyway; limp and lifeless. I knew it was too late. I had messed up!

"OH Ingrid! Flowers need WATER! You should know this. You were raised by a horticulturalist and everything..." >_< 

But nevertheless, as a gesture of respect for the warmth and colour they brought to my living room, I rushed over to feed them some water. When I woke up the next morning the last thing I expected to see was this...

THEY'RE ALIVE!

All except for one anyway. I named him Phil, after no one in particular, but even good ol' Phil is starting to get some colour back to his petals. ^_^

So there you have it! An unnecessarily long story to communicate a rather simple concept: dearest friends - it's never too late to make a difference! :D

Or, I suppose, it could also be a lesson to water your plants regularly. But that wouldn't fit in NEARLY as well with this quote I'm about to read to you! :) It is from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

Lift up your hearts above the present and look with eyes of faith into the future! Today the seed is sown, the grain falls upon the earth, but behold the day will come when it shall rise a glorious tree and the branches thereof shall be laden with fruit.

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Empowerment. That is what I feel, personally, when I look at this quote. It makes me think about the significance of my actions and how powerful they really are, particularly now, in regards to my year of service. It seems to say to me that even if, in the present time, I may not feel like I'm doing as much as I could, so long as I never give up and continue making every effort possible to make a positive impact to the world and my community, with perseverance and love, the day will come where my actions will bear fruit.

How good are plant metaphors! :D

Anyway, that is my story for today. I am going in a few minutes to make my way over to some ScOtish country dancing at the St. Magnus Cathedral. :D Prett-y exciting!

My love to you all, wherever you are! :)

Love and Oats

It's hard to believe that only a week ago, I was in a room, in Australia, surrounded by a jumble of the clothes and books I would soon be carrying 9128 miles across the world.

I kissed my dog, hugged my parents and stepped eagerly into this strange 'in-between' place of adventure; filled with question marks, oat cakes and unsuspecting future friends.

Pretty exciting stuff!

A day and a half later, and I was there! Edinburgh, Scotland. I was welcomed by a wonderful Baha'i couple, who kindly hosted me during my 5 day stay. We had a BBQ in the yard (alas promptly crashed by a flock of uninvited seagulls), shared stories of 20m crocodiles (that I'm still convinced are out there) and wandered casually through the most amazing museum I've ever set foot in. I also had the wonderful opportunity to visit the places Abdu'l-Bahá spoke and stayed during his time in that wonderful city. But to cut a VERY long story short, I really did have a wonderful time. :)

Now I'm in Orkney, a little island community in the north of Scotland, and its just a hunch, but I'm pretty sure this next year is going to be amazing. :D

I wanted to start this blog so you all might join me, as I take on this new path of service. For the next 360 days, I hereby vow to go through every effort possible to make a positive impact on this community in whatever ways I can. Be it rain, hail or the best kite-flying weather you can imagine! PROJECT SERVICE: 2013 edition... let it BEGIN! :D

For those interested, here is a quote I was reading earlier today, which I hope to reflect in my words and doings during my year of service in Orkney. :)

"Such must be thy steadfastness in the Cause of God, that no earthly thing whatsoever will have the power to deter thee from thy duty. Though the powers of earth be leagued against thee, though all men dispute with thee, thou must remain unshaken.  

Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the Message of Him Who hath caused the Dawn of Divine Guidance to break. Consider, how the wind, faithful to that which God hath ordained, bloweth upon all the regions of the earth, be they inhabited or desolate. Neither the sight of desolation, nor the evidences of prosperity, can either pain or please it. It bloweth in every direction, as bidden by its Creator. So should be every one that claimeth to be a lover of the one true God. It behoveth him to fix his gaze upon the fundamentals of His Faith, and to labor diligently for its propagation. Wholly for the sake of God he should proclaim His Message, and with that same spirit accept whatever response his words may evoke in his hearer."

- Baha'u'llah (Gleanings from the writings of Baha'u'llah, pg. 346).