Olivia's Blog !!

I apologise to my English readers, as I am proudly posting my daughter Olivia's first blog and it's in Dutch. To those of you who can read it, ENJOY !!!  :-)

Hallo

ik ben Lara en dit is het verhaal over

liefde

het begon op een gewone schooldag.

Ik was aan het spelen met mijn vriendinnen.

toen gebeurde het. ik stond oog in oog

met Hendrick.

(Ik ben verliefd op Hendrick.

Hij is zo knap.

Ik weet nooit iets te zeggen als ik

hem tegenkom.Ik zeg meestal niks.

Want ik wil niet laten merken dat ik

op hem verliefd ben.En dan loop ik

gewoon weer verder)

Op dat moment wou ik sterk zijn.

Ik moet het ooit wel eens zeggen.

Maar het enige woord dat er uitkwam

was hhhh....hhh..hallo.

Ooh. Ik schaam me zo.

Niet voor mijn vriendinnen want die weten het al.

Nee.Voor de groep jongens die erbij stonden.

Ze waren me aan het uitlachen.

Ik haat die lui. Ze pesten iedereen hier

op school. Ik denk dat ik ze eens terug zal

pakken. Maar hoe?

Met deze letters waren ze me ook al aan het pesten.

hgahneiguheofigjhdbejhtlkehirthgosthu

dhfwhhhhyjtjudtumkutlticliu.

Dat heb ik alle andere keren gezegd.

Ja ik weet het raar.

Maar dat van vandaag was wel al wat

beter. Toch?

Ik moet alleen meer oefenen.

Nog iets. Hendrick zit in mijn klas.

Dat is nog niet het ergste.

Nee, zijn hele groepje ook.

Ik word er gek van.

En na school dan.

raad eens wat ze deden?

hhh...hhh..hallo.

Maar Hendrick deed niks.

Volgens mij heeft hij een oogje op me.

Ik droomde dat Hendrick me

verdedigde tegen die jongensgroep.

Ik hoop maar dat die droom uitkomt.

En raad eens het was waar.De jongensgroep wou me weer

pesten maar

Hendrick zij nee. Zou ik vragen waarom hij

dat deed? Ik weet het niet hoor.

Ik denk dat hij dat deed omdat hij me

gister zo verdrietig zag. Maar ik zal het toch eens vragen.

Voor de zekerheid.Toen ik die avond thuiskwam was ik

gek geworden. Ik was aan het gillen.

Niet omdat ik boos was. Nee.van blijdschap.

Ik vroeg hem namelijk of hij op mij was. En hij zij ja!!!

Ooh. Ik ben zo blij dat hij geen nee zei.

Want ja anders zou ik niet zo blij thuis zijn gekomen.Toch?

Ik kwam terug op school en Hendrick gaf me een kus

op de mond. Ik heb dat nog nooit meegemaakt.

Maar toen kwam de jongensgroep weer.

Ze hebben gezien dat Hendrick mij gekust heeft op de mond.

Maar ze stopten met pesten.

Het leek alsof ze accepteerden dat

Hendrick samen was met mij.

En zo ontstaat de vrede

tussen De jongensgroep en

Hendrick en mij

EINDE!!!

Olivia - 25-01-2011

Je kunt nu ook naar :

'Olliesblogje'

Friends

Why is it, that the older we get, the more demanding we become in the friendships we have.This sets us up, for disappointments that we may only have ourselves to blame for. At times expectations are high, and if we don't comply with what friends expect of us, we appear rude and uncaring. Other times we are the ones who feel back stabbed or disillusioned, by our friends' actions. In times of personal need we easily feel neglected when everybody is too busy with their own life, to care, and we also feel taken advantage of and hurt when the friendship appears mainly one sided. Sometimes we may even find ourselves competing for first place award in the fraternity league, stepping over everyone and anyone who may get in the way.

So what is it we want, and truly expect from our friends ?! Should we give as much as we get ?! Do friendships thrive on co-depency or is that exactly what kills them ?! What is the right balance ?!

In this world of constant turbulence and desire for more and better, we even put our friends through the 'are-you-good-enough-for-my-needs' test. We want them to be there for us unconditionally, yet we know that it is something we ourselves might not even be prepared to offer. We expect so much for so little in return. It doesn't seem fair or even logical. How can we want something we won't even value once ours. It baffles me that we are greedy enough to feel entitled to a luxury good we can't truly afford, that of true friendship, for only when we offer the same thing in return this becomes a fair trade.

I often wonder what example we may be setting for our younger generations, we've gone back to Darwinian times where it seems that 'survival of the fittest' is what counts. Hereby eradicating all other options. It is slowly becoming a very egocentric world, where only that which we ourselves most want, matters. This is where the 'trouble' starts if you ask me. By putting our needs before others constantly, we neglect what may be the more preferable option in specific situations. No consideration is taken for others and therefore we end up living in a 'theatrical play' that we nowadays most commonly call 'friendship'. But this type of friendship has nothing to do with real friendship, it is just a weak extract of the true commitment it ought to be.

Through thick and thin, is one of the key elements I believe, and like in other relationships love and empathy lie at the base, a kind of love that cares and protects. One that accepts the good with the bad, because we're all human and none of us is perfect.

When I was a little girl I learnt a rhyme at school :

Make new friends, but keep the old,
One is silver but the other gold. 

It struck a chord that kept me in tune with what friendship entails.

I have to admit that it is not always easy and it's also not possible to befriend anyone and everyone. There are people with whom there just isn't a connection however hard we may try. Sometimes I catch myself not being a good enough friend, putting my needs before my friends' needs. Somehow though I think that is where we find the balance, in learning when it's time to give and when it's ok to receive. One thing that may characterize a good from a great friendship is the amount of effort we put into the giving and the thankfulness that goes into receiving.

For what it's worth, friendships are valuable and fragile and maybe we should all try a little harder to see the wonder of it all, a little more often. Stopping to think about how much that other person really means to you. Learning to appreciate one another in good times and bad times, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, because many, many friendships outlast any other kind of commitment !!!

Weighing in

New year and even though the skies are cloudy and grey mostly, the spirit is up. Some things just gotta go different this year ! Old patterns die hard and new ones aren't easy to stick to, but this year it's not a matter of choice. It has to be done, and it has to be done good.

Lately I think I felt a bit like a pot plant, left to wither and not flourish, figured that anything would help me grow and stay healthy, but without adding the right ingredients it turned out to be a foolish thought indeed. So, as the ground at my roots dried out and formed cracks I was surviving on the last little bits of energy left within me. I felt flaccid, just like the poor pot plant.
 
It's time to quench the thirst, and fertilize. And so, I have started drinking water again, lots of it, something that I just seemed to forget to do, during the day. As you may know, when you pour water onto dried out soil, it doesn't really sink in, it just makes the soil float...and so I drift...a little lost for now but knowing that one of these days the water will slowly drench the soil and therefore me too. Slowly but surely it will seep through my pores. As I'm hoping other stuff will sink in too...given time.

So, not only 'watering' is taking place but proper feeding as well, in the hope that I will re energize a bit, for I have felt pretty drained these last few months physically and mentally.


Day 4...the water seems to have irrigated my body, it's making my skin feel creamier and more supple even wrinkles are looking softer. I think I like this !! Not there yet of course but for day four, it's looking pretty promising.

I know we shouldn't diet to try to look like page 3 models, and so that is not my motivation. Mine is looking and feeling healthy again, by thinking about what I eat, instead of just stuffing myself with bars of chocolate, handful's of crisps and practically anything that appears in front of me. At one point even the air I was breathing made me gain weight, that's when I realized I was g(r)asping for the wrong things in life. I guess I'm trying to become more conscious of what goes in now. I don't want to bore you with the details, but believe me, it's a good thing in my case.

January is my most crucial month as all us girls have our birthday to celebrate and therefore lots of cake and party to deal with !! I've survived one, 2 left to go !!
Today was my first 'weigh in' and eventhough I've secretly weighed myself' 'in between' and know the weight has fluctuated, it is now back to what I started with, but I refuse to feel disappointed. I'm sure it's just a case of my body getting used to this new treatment. Feeling more saturated, I think it's just a matter of time before the actual weightloss will kick in.

To be honest I too look forward to any phsychological changes it may bring about, curious to find out if the Latin saying... " Mens sana in corpore sano" turns out to be true, for my head has been weighed down long enough by constant doubts and thoughts.

Wishing myself lots of perseverance and great fun searching for yummy recipes with healthy alternatives at the start of this new year !!