The Hectic Attic

This post is supposed to be the first in a series o bilingual posts (English and Portuguese).
I really hope my friends cannot find new excuses to be silent.
So, please, leave a comment. It will make a certain Aline VERY HAPPY!

MY FRIENDS ARE THE LEAVES OF MY TREE!

There are people who make us happy simply because they crossed our path.

Some travel by our side, watching many moons passing by, but others only are only seen now and then. All of them call friend.

There are several types of friends. Perhaps each leaf on a tree can be one of them.

The first bud is the friend- father and mother. They show us what life is like.

Then comes the friend- brother, with whom we share our space for him to flourish as we do.

But fate has other friends in store for us, who we did not know were going to cross our path. Many of these are designated best friends.
They are sincere, true. We know when they’re not well, they know what makes us happy …

Sometimes one of these friends lights a sparkle in our heart and is then called a boyfriend. They make our eyes shine, bring music to our lips, leaping to our feet, but there are also those friends for a while, maybe during a vacation, or even a day or an hour. These tend to put smiles on our face, so long as we’re around.

Speaking distance, we can not forget the distant friends, who are on the tips of branches, but when the wind blows, they appear again among the leaves.

Time passes, the summer is gone, autumn is approaching, and we lose some of our leaves. Some are born in another summer and others remain for many seasons.
But what makes us happy is that we can feel they are around…somehow, enriching the roots of our tree

Memories of wonderful times.
Wishing you…. leaf from my tree, Peace, Health, Love, Success, Prosperity and more …

Today and always .. . Simply because: Each person in our life is unique. They always leave a bit of themselves and take a little of us. And this is the greatest proof that two souls do not meet by chance.

THANK YOU DEAR FRIENDS.

Aline Martins

Have you ever met someone, and from that first moment you knew there was something special about them?

When a friendship was formed quickly and easily, and from the start you felt like this person knew you better than anyone ever could. You may have just met an Anam Cara.

Anam Cara is the Gaelic term for a soul friend. It is much more than just a regular friendship – the Anam Cara friendship is deep and transcendent. An Anam Cara knows your thoughts, your feelings, your past and your present sometimes better than you do.

The meaning of Anam cara is Soul Friend – Anam = Soul and Cara = Friend. An Anam cara offers spiritual direction. This includes the invitation to the awakening of your emotional body/mind/soul.

At one time or another we have all felt lonely or isolated. We have all had times were we felt misunderstood; standing on the outside looking in, just longing to belong. The Anam Cara eases that feeling of loneliness and isolation. Our Anam Cara understands us at a deep, spiritual level, and reminds us that we are never alone. They provide shelter from the storm and a light in the darkest of places.

Our Anam Cara is not necessarily our spouse, or partner (though they can be). Frequently our Anam Cara fills the role of a best friend and confidant. An Anam Cara may be a life time friend, who appears to us in childhood and stays with us throughout the years. Or they may appear later in life to accompany us on our journey. They may stay for years, or go out with the tide. However long they stay, their presence is a gift and a blessing.

And just as we are blessed by this relationship, so they are blessed too, because we, also, are an Anam Cara.

A Friendship Blessing
From the book “Anam Cara” By John O’Donohue

May you be blessed with good friends.
May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.
May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love, warmth, feeling, and forgiveness.
May this change you.
May it transfigure that which is negative, distant, or cold in you.
May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship, and affinity of belonging.
May you treasure your friends.
May you be good to them and may you be there for them;
May they bring you all the blessings, challenges, truth, and light that you need for your journey.
May you never be isolated.
May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam cara.

How great is writing about things and people we love?
Yesterday I interviewed the Fabulous Lorraine Garland -Neil Gaiman’s Personal Assistant

How to become personal assistant to a celebrity

In the business world, a personal assistant is a trusted employee who assumes the role of an executive’s chief-of-staff. In the past, a personal assistant worked only with celebrities, but that’s no longer the case.

When you become a personal assistant, you are in charge of organizing a great part of your employer’s life, so initiative is vital. The ability to work under stress and to multitask is also very invaluable.

According to Lorraine Garland -Neil Gaiman’s Personal Assistant for 17 years- being a Personal Assistant is not exactly like acting like a mother to a child, instead, it’smore like being another “part of their brain”, or another “set of hands.” “You have to take care of all the things they don’t have time for, from food to someone to listen to them, so you free them up to do what they do best”.

If you are thinking about glamour and meeting celebrities, being a Personal Assistant may sound very tempting at first glance, but there are some drawbacks you must consider.

The average Personal Assistant may put in anywhere from 40 to 80 hours or more a week and if the working relationship becomes strained, the role of personal assistant can become very stressful indeed.

Far from being a tedious job, Lorraine Garland says, “It can be very tiring, exciting and demanding. You have to be willing to learn fast and work whenever you are needed. Which might be 5:00am, or until midnight.” Concerning being a very successful writer’s Assistant and getting involved with her boss’s works she also adds, “I do read his books, and love them. Sometimes I transcribe them for him, he writes longhand in a notebook. Sometimes I research strange facts for him.”

On the other hand, Personal Assistants are often in a position to interact with high-level executives. Executives may also invite a personal assistant to attend business dinners or private parties. Vacations for executives often become a working vacation for a personal assistant.

When asked, “Which are the three keys to becoming a Successful Personal Assistant?” Lorraine Garland points:
1. Check your ego. You aren’t the talent.
2. Write EVERYTHING down, make a to do list and keep it current.
3. Be as nice as possible to everyone you come in contact with. You never know.

To become a personal assistant, you should also need the ability to communicate professionally, remain calm under pressure, be tactful and also be aware of the technological needs to perform your job. “Know your Smartphone very well. Sleep with it. Never turn it off.” says Garland.

Now you must be thinking, “where do I start?” and “Do I have to take a course, or read books about it?”

The best way to learn how to become a personal assistant is by doing it! “If you find yourself in such a job, you will know very quickly if it is for you. And you will never know all you need to, if your Boss keeps getting bigger, you will learn fast what you need to know.” says Lorraine, who started working when Neil Gaiman moved to the United States and needed someone to put his library on his shelves.

Just keep in mind; you must enjoy the routine you are about to face, which to Neil Gaiman’s Personal Assistant includes: Airline reservations, booking hotels, renting cars and trip itineraries, setting up events, dog care and training, keeping the pantry stocked, mail coming in and going out, garden things, requests from fans and letters from them, cooking, saying “no”, buying clothes, archiving books, keeping the Schedule, setting up interviews things come up. But this will vary from Personal Assistant to Personal Assistant.

Fabulous Lorraine - photo by Kyle Cassidy

A good tip is to start by looking for a job opening locally, even if you have to volunteer your services at first. Join professional organizations, network, and improve your skills. Once qualified, a personal assistant is usually trained in-house so you can be molded to fit the employer’s requirements.

When asked about the wonders of being a Personal Assistant, Lorraine doesn’t hesitate to say “I think it’s best when I pull off an Amazing Coup and everything goes perfectly. I can find anything, schedule anything, make anything work, whatever it is, I can Make It Happen. That’s the best.”

by Aline Martins for Helium.com

PS: A blog´s death is promoted by shortage of comments.
A lot of visitors don´t realize that their comments are VITAL for the blog´s survival.
SAVE OUR BLOG! KEEP IT FED!