Let's talk about THAT -Uma Kriko

-You two, it’s enough! Simon, you have no right to yell at mommy. And you, Uma! This is enough! The boys are kind, polite, and compassionate. You can’t force them to be there for everyone. Remember what your grandma Vanda said.
She said you can’t save the whole world. Make sure you and your family are happy, and try to make a small impact every day. It doesn’t mean you need to give your precious time to everyone and take the joy away from yourself. Don’t be a pleaser. A smile, a kind compliment, helps an elderly person cross the road, buy a book for kids who can’t afford it. Enough. You must understand that kind and friendly don’t mean everyone belongs at your dinner table.
Uma was shocked. She was a Pisces sun, very compassionate; she always served others. She didn’t know how to claim boundaries. She was seemingly disturbed by the fact that her blindfold might have hurt her own children, requiring so much understanding and comfort for others.

She started to remember Vanda’s words. “ You only need to learn free sentences. Thank you, I am sorry, and No!!! No is liberating! No IS respect! No is uplifting!
She made herself some tea and retreated to her favorite place.
The patio looked over the ocean. It was a waxing gibbous moon. Sitting there in silence, she realized she hadn’t even made a New Year’s resolution.
She looked up at the moon, and she imagined her grandma Vanda and her favorite grandpa Michael, sitting hand in hand and listening to the gipsies playing the violin.
At least that’s what Grandpa Michael told her when she was a little girl. He was the best storyteller. He said when he dies, he will be sitting on the moon and listening to the gipsies who play the violin on the moon.
He said he would be there to listen to her if she ever needed to talk; she could talk to the moon.
She could hear them laughing and kept repeating, “You left out the joy, you left the joy out.”
Remember, you can’t give water from an empty well.
When she returned to reality, she grabbed a piece of paper and started writing. A note to herself, a reminder of what is important from now on.
“ Don’t take it personally because it isn’t,” she wrote.
- I will do it out of love and respect. Self-love and self-respect.
That night, she decided to love herself.
This is my new year, new me resolution, she thought.
But this time she won’t fool herself, like losing weight, eating less chocolate, and exercising more.
She had it hard for a while.
Lost so many friends in the last 3 years!
Some died, some disappeared on her. She is still crippled by that unbearable pain in her soul when she thinks of them..
She never bothered anyone with her grief; she wanted to protect them. She battled with her darkest agony on her own. She wanted to be rescued, but never asked for it, so she became her own superhero.
Staying awake night after night, analyzing. Often, she felt she couldn’t breathe anymore! Broken into pieces! It was hard to scoop herself up from time to time.
However, she did! She did it for her boys and friends.
She did it for YOU, maybe!
She misunderstood and thought her life was spared when she was born only to help others. So she did. Out of compassion. Never expected anything in return, so often she had been USED.
She is the one you can lean on, give her shoulders to cry on. You find comfort in her wisdom and knowledge; her voice is peaceful, and her advice is soulful.
It’s easy to feel close to her; she IS peace. You find her where people are in need. Homeless shelters, orphanages, hospitals!
She is like Santa Claus; she is the book-fairy lady.
She has a great ear for listening, and she keeps it to herself. Secrets!!! All the secrets she cannot tell anyone slowly consume her.
Some misunderstand her compassion and fall in love with her. Both men and women.
Some misunderstood her kindness and squeezed her till she felt suffocated, till she had nothing more to give or say. She has never been greedy; she always chooses integrity and intellect, so she often becomes a project for some bored, privileged people.
She knows it’s wrong. Remember, friendship cannot be a one-way street because it often ends in a dead end. It always gives and takes.
She realized she doesn’t want to be a rubbish bin, nor an umbrella that shelters ALL from the storm but is forgotten when the sun is shining.
Finally, she remembered.
So she had changed. Just like that. In the moment.
She chooses joy, laughter, peace, and dancing in the rain. She turned the page. Just like that. And started over on a beautiful white paper that was waiting to be filled with happy memories.