Christmas is getting closer, we
get excited with decorations, presents and all that stuff – I admit, I love
them too, they are part of the Christmas spirit, but I would rather say it is also the ideal time to think about change and make our "every day" more meaningful.
Let me show you a story in a
nutshell, presented in this Christmas WWI commercial. It will express what I meant to say. You may find an article about the video here.
I am not going to make an endless
morale, but ask you a few questions. What did you always plan to do but never
had time? Who are the people that you care about the most? Are they aware of
your appreciation? When was the last time you have been happy like a child in
front of a new toy? What is the first step that you need to take in order to
accomplish your dreams?
I already started writing my
Christmas story, I thanked today some persons for their friendships (Facebook
application “Thank you” is awesome) and I made someone happy by making an invitation
to Christmas decorating.… and I can’t wait to get home and prepare the
Christmas Romanian cake, “Cozonac”, with my mother…
Perhaps Christmas stories are not like in
the movies; maybe nothing absolutely spectacular will happen but, hey, why not
use it as the reason to reconnect with yourself and make every day more special?
Have you ever challenged your
life assumptions? Have you ever thought about your inner perceptions about the
world? If not, then you should give it a thought.
One of the effects that journeys
have on me is to bring out my philosophical side and make me more aware of
myself. You may wonder why life assumptions are particularly important. I see
them as a set of unwritten rules, embedded in you, that govern your individual
life and perhaps your social life. There is a theory that I like very much and can be applied here –constructivism -,
saying that our identities are socially constructed. Moreover, it also states that the structure
and the agent construct each other. Applied, these things can mean that the way you
see the world shapes your identity and personal structure but, in the same
time, you have the power of remodeling your ideas and assumptions. To add on, as long
as you have the wrong or just inappropriate perceptions about the world, your
social relations are also different and this in turn it affects your
identity.
Maybe it seems twisted, but it is
actually quite simple. To bring your life assumptions to surface, practically, you
just have to think about your own decision-making process, about what makes you
happy and sad, and especially about the situations that make you feel uncomfortable. Particularly these last ones have the potential
to reveal hidden assumptions. And then, talk! Just find someone that you rely
on, that is really close to you and that does not judge you, and talk things
out!
It happened to me as well, though
it is not to be shared here. However, it was an automatically generated inner
idea that I happened to carry with me for years without even realizing.
In the end, it is a journey of
self-discovery. Due to the fact that we are increasingly more dynamic every
day, we tend to ignore our foundation, our history and the way we have been
built. Perhaps it is the right time to give it a closer look and create a
better self.
Perhaps you met Alina
[Procopiescu], perhaps she has been one of your best friends, perhaps you only
heard of her, and perhaps you have no idea who she is… Whatever the case might
be, let me tell you a story about a life lived at its maximum, a person that
tried to make this world better… a narrative about the life lessons that we are
given unexpectedly.
She was one of my best friends,
my room-mate in the dorms for almost two years, my group colleague in
university, my hard-working partner in the projects we had to deliver… And now
she is not here anymore. She passed away
in a tragic car accident on the 13th of March 2014. I remember that
night so clear, standing on the chair, in our room, scared about what might
have happened and hearing the voice in the phone: “Alina is not anymore. She
died.”… and then starring at her bed, incapable of processing the information… While
now, after six months, I became accustomed to the idea in a way, I still find
the event unbelievable.
What did she leave behind? A lot…
a lot… considering that she was not even 22 years old when the accident
happened. She was committed to bringing change in the world, for her it wasn’t
just an ideal scratched on paper; it was something she believed in. Alina
thought that the best way to accomplish her mission was through the
international youth-run organization AIESEC. She loved this community and she
dedicated so much time to it! When she passed away, she had just finished her
one-year experience in the Executive Board of AIESEC Bucharest and she had just
been elected for a position of vice-president at the national level. In the future, she dreamed of travelling to
India. She was so ambitious and hard-working that I am sure she wouldn’t have
stopped here… she would have gone really far! She was dedicated especially to
the area of Outgoing Volunteering Exchange(GCDP) so, in case you will ever
follow such a program of AIESEC, think of her! And, of course, Alina was also
one of the best students in university and all the professors knew her. Who
could not remember that long-haired girl that always sat in the first row,
raising her hand constantly and trying eagerly to find answers to any problem.
I remember all the small things
that made our relationship unique. We were in the same time very similar
(ambitious, hard-working, energetic) but also different regarding the daily
habits. She always strrrrronly disagreed with me waking up so early, like 8 a.m.,
because she always wanted to sleep as long as possible and me, with all my
activities in the room, disturbed her sleep. Actually, a few days before she
passed away, we had reached an agreement that I wouldn’t wake up earlier than 9
a.m.… I keep in mind the days and nights that we spent planning and doing our
projects, carefully splitting our work using even spreadsheets (which she
loved, by the way). She always left for me the introductions and conclusions,
she did not like them. And I remember one of her favorite meals: salad!! I guess
due to her I also got now this habit of eating salad as a meal itself almost
every day. And there are so many more small things I remember about her, that I
would probably write a book…
This article is a tribute to her
memory, an attempt to pass on her legacy. Do everything you like, everything
you are passionate about, now!! Set high goals for yourself and work hard
achieving them! Always care about the people around you, help them, try to be
an inspiration for them and as well get inspired by them. Believe in leadership
and try to lead by example! I did
not mention yet, but the cause of her accident was the fact that she had been
hit by a car while passing the street in a forbidden place, not on the
crosswalk, at 1 a.m., in a very central and busy area at night. So, take care
about these things – we always think it is not going to happen to us, until one
moment… She died happy! – Just a few hours before the accident happened, she
had talked to her sister briefly, telling her how happy she was… Well, in the
end, you cannot predict what is going to happen tomorrow; you cannot be sure
100% about anything, so live your life happily! Real life shows these are not
just some random inspirational words.
This picture has been taken just a few days before she passed away (with her new haircut).
Alina was known and loved by incredibly
many persons… At a moment when many of us were still grieving and in a day when
she should have celebrated her 22nd birthday, we launched lights
(Ro: lampioane) in her memory. We have been there about 40 persons. I hope that
these lights at least made her smile up there in the sky… Here you have a short
video from our meeting.
Some days ago I watched a movie
that made me question myself again about the way we live our lives, about the
way I live my own life in the end… It was a beautiful story of a young surfer
who dreamed to surf mavericks and who eventually work tried to achieve his
dream. Unfortunately, a few years later, when he was only 22, he died in the Maldives while free diving. What remained into my mind about this
person was his happiness, his passion, his determination and courage… I totally
recommend you to see this movie (“Chasing Mavericks”). It has a very strong message and the story, through its beauty and tragic, quickly connected to my memories of Alina.
On the 6th of
September, her family will commemorate 6 months from the moment Alina passed
away. Unfortunately, I will not be able to be there, since I am currently in
Vienna, but I decided to write this article with the hope that one of the best
things that we can do is to try to keep alive the memory of the ones that we loved...
In the end, I want to leave here a citation that Alina loved and which, in the
end, reflects her life…
“Shoot for the moon.
Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars!”
