by Gundula Welti
06 Apr 2020
The albatross
Many of us loved the flying scene with Bernard and Bianca in Walt Disney’s The Rescuers. Wilbur the Albatross dons his aviator goggles and takes off with the two mice in a dizzying drop from a New York skyscraper.
Albatrosses are splendid birds: their wingspan, their elegance in flight, their intrepid dives.
Some of us in our areas of interest are albatrosses.
They may have difficulty taking off with their cumbersome wings. On the ground, they are clumsy and awkward, and that’s how we think of them. But when circumstances allow them to take flight, they are utterly majestic. Albert Einstein said:
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life thinking that it is stupid.
Who of those around you deserves to be looked at it whilst in full flight?
by Gundula Welti
06 Apr 2020
Mother’s Day
Florists invented Mother’s Day, and diamond merchants, the slogan “say it with a diamond”. So now half the world says “I love you” with flowers and diamonds without stopping to ask themselves why.
My father-in-law, a Michelin-starred chef, took a step back and invented his own way to say “I love you”, for example with a wonderful fresh lettuce heart! My mother-in-law just needed to be able to interpret the signs!
Why shouldn’t we invent our own language? What can you say with a plate of spaghetti, a screwdriver or even a peppermill?
What would you like to reinvent about your life to make it more you?
by Gundula Welti
06 Apr 2020
The expert
It had been at least thirty years since I last skied with an instructor. I made the very most of his knowledge of the ski resort, his well-chosen descents and his expert advice.
I let myself be guided by an expert, a master of his trade, and it did me good to switch off for a few hours and not have to make any decisions, leaving me free to trust in a person who knows what he’s doing.
Following a master like that made me want to repeat the experience in other areas of my life: trust someone, follow them, discover something and just enjoy doing something with a person who knows what they’re doing. Rather than wanting at all costs to do everything myself. Most of all, not asking for help… does all this sound familiar?
What about you? In what particular area of your life would you like to put yourself in the hands of an expert?
by Gundula Welti
06 Apr 2020
Pass it on!
During a trip to India, we had long discussions about Buddhist teachings, especially gratitude.
I have long been a fan of gratitude exercises to celebrate small (and big) daily joys, and have now reached the next level for novices of Buddhism:
Instead of keeping my gratitude – and the satisfaction that goes along with it – to myself, I offer it to someone else.
Obviously, this is something I do in my head and heart rather than with a gift-wrapped parcel. At first, I was dubious, and struggled to assimilate this silent gift. But with a bit of training, I’ve understood the additional benefit that it brings: I’m delighted about something and I pass this feeling of delight on to someone else, which of course makes me feel good.
What about you? Who would you like to silently pass your delight on to?
by Gundula Welti
06 Apr 2020
Who looks after your parachute?
Charles Plumb was a fighter pilot in the American Navy in Vietnam. His plane was shot down and he ejected, landed, was captured and spent six years in prison. He now gives talks about the lessons that can be learnt from this experience.
One day a man came up to him in a restaurant and said: “You’re Charles Plumb, the fighter pilot whose plane was shot down. I was the one who looked after your parachute when you went on missions.”
Surprised, Plumb expressed his undying gratitude: “If my parachute had not worked, I would not be here today.”
Plumb had forgotten all about this man. How many times had he seen him without even saying hello to him? Plumb was a fighter pilot while this man was just a simple sailor. A sailor who spent hours on board the ship carefully folding parachutes on a long wooden table, and who held the fate of a person who did not know him in his hands.
Today when he gives talks, Plumb asks the audience: Who looks after your parachute?”
And what about you? Who looks after yours?