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I’ve talked many times about gratitude on this blog and in my videos, for me it’s the ultimate tool in the pursuit of happiness. So today, I'm going to dwell on it and tell you how it works for me!  First, this is an exercise I do twice a day. And yes, I say exercise, because it’s by practicing it regularly that it becomes a habit. By the way, remember in my article Be Positive, I taught you the 21-day method, time to form a new habit, and after 90 days we even talk about lifestyle! But do it at your own pace, once a week, on weekends for example, then once a day, at the end of the day remember 3 things that you were grateful for. It’ll become automatic and without realising it you’ll naturally do it several times a day. For my part, I do it in the morning just after my first meditation, it helps me charge my positive energies and put me in a good mood, like getting a shield to protect myself from the bad vibes that will hit throughout the day (like the news on TV for example!). Then I do it again in my bed just before to fall asleep, this time to release the pressure of the day, congratulate myself on what I’ve accomplished and just to feel happy. And if there’s one thing that I’m very grateful for today, this is the internet! I couldn't share my experience without it. It was actually my video on social media last week: There are 2 methods that work for me. If I feel perfectly balanced, well connected with my inner self, I just say things out loud, but it's important to express it clearly & audibly to increase the frequency of our vibrations and to be heard by the universe. On the other hand, if I’m feeling a little confused, frustrated, sad, or depressed, I write all the things I'm grateful for on a piece of paper, and read it several times a day. Start by looking around and jotting down the obvious, simple things like electricity, tap water, a roof over your head, clean clothes, food in the fridge. Lots of other things will naturally come to your mind and you’ll eventually mention more important topics like love from your children, support from your friends, nature ... And I add here my first video on gratitude: A video summarising this article will be on social media in a few days: This year, I’m grateful for being confined, it allowed me to participate in world events I couldn’t have been to otherwise, like seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama live! Being stuck at home doesn’t mean being disconnected from the world, quite the opposite ... And you, what are you grateful for this year? Take a few minutes to answer it.  And of course, in my life, I am extremely grateful for My Solo Wedding in Santorini, it opened the doors to infinite possibilities and made me discover my tremendous self-love. Obviously, I was going to forget, especially be grateful for what you are, this is how I begin my exercise of gratitude. Listing your qualities to enhance yourself is essential, we too often forget how strong and full of potential we are. It's good to remember that. Express yourself, unleash your true you, and shine gold like Paloma in the song at the end of the article! Read or reread my previous articles: Have a great week ! Christmas is coming… Love & Joy, L.
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"The whole world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page.” St Thomas Aquina And as we can’t travel anymore, I’ll continue to show you virtually the wonders of our world. I realised that I regularly talk about the sea and the ocean, but not that much about the desert which nevertheless occupies nearly 20% of our beautiful planet. Certainly, I’ve already told you about Las Vegas which is located in the middle of the Nevada desert, but this doesn’t count. Previous articles:  I'm not going to lie to you, the reason that brought me to visit this desert, well it's a spa! You know it's one of my passions after reading my article Spas Around the World. And I'm not talking about a mirage, but a magnificent establishment nestled in the sand. Today I’m taking you somewhere where the word impossible doesn’t exist, in the desert of Dubai ... When it comes to Dubai, you think of luxury, and for sure the 5-star Al Maha resort and spa is no exception. In the heart of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, just 45 minutes from the city, this is the perfect place to regain your energy in contact with nature, and to forget the hustle and bustle of the city. Lounges filled with traditional furniture and local antiques immediately transport you to another world. Relaxing here is nothing difficult especially when you see a gazelle by the pool. And when you have lunch with a view of the desert, it’s a truly unique and magical experience. Without forgetting that the 42 suites of this luxury hotel are hidden in the dunes and the vegetation, notice the small white tents… Another reason why I’ve been there is for the animals. I admit none of them is mentioned in My Favourite Animals, but yet I’ve always wanted to see oryxes, gazelles and antelopes in the wild. Follow me, a guide takes us in a 4x4 to visit the reserve ... Thanks to conservation efforts since 2004, the reserve now has more than 70 plant species, 140 bird species and 44 mammal and reptile species. It has received numerous awards for the protection of nature and local wildlife. All the activities and excursions organised within the reserve respect its ecosystem. With its 225 km2, representing 5% of the emirate of Dubai, it’s the largest area protected by the government of the United Arab Emirates. I’m delighted to have discovered this reserve of Dubai, totally magical and unreal, with its dunes as far as the eye can see, drawn by the wind, a soothing and timeless silence. And sometimes a landscape that reminds me of Mars (reread In the Air 2) ... I hope you’ve enjoyed this article. It’s a wonderful memory for me. You can also check my other article about Dubai. Have a wonderful week! Love & Joy, L. As I said in my article last week Greenwich Meridian, many of us are confined again. Besides, I’d very much like to use time travel if it existed, to be able to relive some of my trips, and why not even redo My Solo Wedding in Santorini!!  At that time in 2018, I was in Crete writing my first book, an extraordinary and very emotional journey, I was realising a childhood dream while healing my love wounds. I've shared a lot about this beautiful Greek island:  Then, in 2019, I was in London, I was working on the English version of my Book, and I took the opportunity to show you around this city that I particularly love: No idea where I’ll be in 2021, but who knows today with the uncertainty around us. Nevertheless, I posted a video on my social media last week, to keep our physical and mental health! When the news broke of a new lockdown, many of you confided in me, expressing your worry and anxiety. The idea is that moving your body with music is a great benefit to your health (body and mind), so I ask everyone to choose a song every day and to dance on it, anytime during the day. It’s simple, easy and I promise it makes you smile every time!! And on my Instagram, every day I remind people to dance, those who wish can even make a little video, tag me and I'll repost it. Many people have embraced this idea and are spreading it around them in addition to practicing it, which makes me extremely proud and happy. Happiness comes from small things and I keep telling you it on this blog: And in my videos:
All videos: here  However, this time and unlike the first Quarantine, I intend to continue to follow my Healthy Routine! Reread therefore:  If you need to occupy yourself, don't hesitate to sign up for the free webinars of the School of Jewelry Arts (Van Cleef & Arpels), I've already mentioned this school in my article Bird Paradise. These live talks (in French & English) hosted by specialists and teachers from the School are extremely interesting and last only an hour and a half. Coming up : New York Architecture & Art Deco Jewelry - November 18 & 19, 2020 Flora in Jewelry Arts - November 24 & 25, 2020 From the Gulf to France, the Forgotten History of Pearl Merchants- December 9 & 10, 2020 Register online for details: Link.  Have a lovely week everyone and don't forget to dance!! Love & Joy, L. You know how much I love travelling, just re-read all my travel articles, especially the latest one about Palm Cove in Australia. We also experienced Time Travel together in one of my previous articles, and that’s what we’re going to do again today. Several countries have changed the clocks and I thought that travelling back in the past to understand time and space was welcome. So I'm taking you to the Royal Observatory of Greenwich near London!  GMT, does that mean anything to you? Greenwich Mean Time, and yes, the mean solar time at the Greenwich Meridian has long been used as a world standard for time, based on Earth's rotation. And if you remember my article Pantheon in Paris, there was a huge clock on the floor that operated with the movement of the Earth. But you wonder why Greenwich in England? This is quite arbitrary, because while latitude is measured by the equator and separates north from south, longitude, on the other hand, has no benchmark to separate west and east. In the 19th century, many countries used their own meridian based on their national observatories. However, in 1884, at a conference in Washington DC (USA), Greenwich was recognised as the Prime Meridian (O° of longitude) as an international standard, because the majority of shipping companies and the American rail system were already using the British system. In addition, they took the opportunity to adopt a world time based on this same meridian. Thus, the Greenwich Meridian, which crosses the Observatory, was the world's benchmark measurement of time and space. However, France didn’t adopt it until 1911, preferring to use the Paris meridian of course.  However, since 1972, GMT has been replaced by UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), a more precise calculation method. That’s the reason why you sometimes see Paris UTC + 1 or Los Angeles UTC-8. The Greenwich meridian or prime meridian crosses England, France, Spain, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana and the Antarctic. You’ll observe in the photos, the names of the cities, their longitude in degrees and a letter (W for west and E for east), and of course Greenwich is on both sides of the line. Here I am, I stand above the Meridian of Time and Space, between West and East! In the observatory you can admire the telescope invented and used by George Biddell Airy (7th Royal Astronomer), to calculate the prime meridian. You’ll notice the system to open the roof ... But how did it all start? Located in east London not far from the Thames Barrier, which I described to you in my article Technical Feat, the Royal Observatory was established in 1675 by Charles II of England. At that time, the sailors and their precious cargo encountered a major problem, they knew how to calculate their north-south position (latitude) but had no way of knowing their longitude (west-east). Many were lost at sea and perished. John Flamsteed was the first Astronomer Royal, responsible for improving star maps to aid mariners. Royal astronomers over time have thus created more precise tools and methods using various instruments, some invented at their request, several are on display at the observatory including a telescope from the Victorian era (1893), which is still in use today! Moreover, the red ball on the roof of the house (installed in 1833), goes up shortly before 1 p.m. (in summer, noon in winter) and at the exact time falls, this allowed the boats which were on the Thames to reset their instruments before going to sea. I’m speaking in the present tense because the ball is still used today. Another major discovery was the invention of the marine timekeeper for boats. It was essential to consider the rolling, the temperature changes and the salt which rusted the pieces. After 45 years of work and research, and 4 versions of the clock, John Harrison invented the H4 in 1760 and revolutionised watchmaking. The measurement of time was an essential discovery, the observatory has a large collection of sundials, clocks and watches. It’s interesting to see this evolution until the wristwatches that we know today, these were initially created for ladies, men preferring the pocket watch, however during the WW1, they lost them in the trenches and decided to strap it to their wrists… Today the wristwatch is adopted by everyone. The bronze planetarium was installed in 2007 on the property which makes this place a place full of enrichment and discovery. The Observatory and the Greenwich Park where the building is, offer incredible panoramic views over Greenwich and the City of London. The splendid building that extends below was a royal residence including the Royal Navy Hospital, now it’s the National Maritime Museum. A very pleasant and relaxing environment, inspiring to daydream and new inventions ... I admit, this article was a lot of reading, but as we are confined again, I figured this would pass the time for you. Don't hesitate to re-read the articles about my Solo Wedding in Santorini if you’re looking for a bit of hope and courage. You can also review my articles on London, and then, at the end of the article, a video on the best attractions in the city! Have a fantastic week everyone! Love & Science, L. |
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