The globe is at war, and it ain’t pleasant. The phrase “Go fly a kite!” and accompanying physical act when one is angry 😡…. to give time to relax the intense emotions, breathe some oxygen and get some healthy sunshine 🌞 is so needed NOW by all of us, and so also the political “greediness“ …

In Greece this Monday it’s a cultural tradition to fly a kite 🪁 symbolic of the soul flying high as the majority are Eastern Orthodox Christians and it’s a “clean Monday” no meat, subdued and happy moments with family and the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. In light of what’s happening in the Ukraine, the fact is that both the Russians and Ukranians are mainly Eastern Orthodox.

However, the Ukranian Orthodox church split off the Russian Orthodox church Patriarchate in early 2019 (autocephaly) which likely set off Putin. Archbishop Daniel, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in U.S. commented asking for divine forgiveness of the former. Metropolitan Epiphanius of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine states that we as Christians, “as people of faith, we also have a weapon in our hands — and that’s a prayer.” (See Feb 25th article)

We need to think 🤔 and take some time to personally contribute to a better world starting with us … manage our systems and manage our anger in healthier ways. It is not as easy as it looks.

And of course who would forget Ms. Sarakosti her 7 feet symbolize each week of Lent. She humbly reminds us to turn within and add our family members names (optional) to keep us on path for our detoxification and spiritual growth.

The hope is that we learn to soar and the “growth mindset” takes some time ….

1. Manage yourself first ….including rethinking about what you do and say. No one is perfect.
2. Sit with it — Extreme emotions may be warranted but not to the detriment of your relationships. Start counting ….it takes about 10 seconds to realize how you’re feeling and a quick body scan, 🛑 reflect and then act!
3. Listen — Can you really “hear” truth or simply perceive criticism ? Good friends and family often want what’s best for us, so tease out what is valuable.
4. Clean house — inner and outer, literally and figuratively. A bit of fasting and reflecting is healthy. Decluttering also makes you feel great and the KonMarie method is one to follow!