Έφυγες νωρίς

Η φωτεινή ένδειξη έσβησε για λίγα λεπτά κι έπεσε το απόλυτο σκοτάδι. Ένιωσες ξαφνικά ένα κρύο αεράκι να περνάει αστραπιαία από τη ραχοκοκαλιά σου. Γύριζες σαν χαμένος ψάχνοντας διαφυγή χωρίς να βλέπεις τίποτα. Έκλεισες τα μάτια και εστίασες στις αισθήσεις σου να σε οδηγούν προς την έξοδο. Νιώθεις αβοήθητος μέσα σε αυτό το άψυχο κτίριο και ο τρόμος σε κυριεύει όλο και περισσότερο. Ακούς ένα κρότο μακριά και νιώθεις την κίνηση του φρέσκου αέρα στα ρουθούνια σου. Αντιλαμβάνεσαι ότι είναι τα σημάδια για την έξοδο και ξεκινάς με αργά και σταθερά βήματα.

Ελπίζεις να μην πέσεις στις παγίδες που είχες δει πριν από κάτι ώρες σε εκείνο το μικρό δωμάτιο. Ώσπου βλέπεις ξαφνικά ένα φως μαζί με ένα δυνατό θόρυβο να έρχεται προς τα εσένα.
Σκέφτεσαι γρήγορα ότι μπορεί να έχει έρθει το τέλος και αφήνεις τα τελευταία δευτερόλεπτα σε όλα αυτά που δεν πρόλαβες να ζήσεις.

Τον τελευταίο καιρό είχες αφοσιωθεί στην τέχνη, ζωγραφίζοντας τοπία όπως σου έλεγαν οι γνωστοί που τα έβλεπαν. Εσένα σου φαινόταν  περίεργο γιατί στους περισσότερους πίνακες είχες ζωγραφίσει κάτι σχήματα που δεν θύμιζαν σε τίποτα τοπία ή ζωή. Είχες απομονωθεί γύρω στα δυο χρόνια και μετά τη δουλειά κατέληγες στο μικρό σου διαμέρισμα ζωγραφίζοντας ατελείωτα λες και σε κυνηγούσε ο χρόνος. Μέσα στους πίνακες σου αιχμαλωτίζεις όπως λες τα νυχτερινά φαντάσματα σου, τους δαίμονες. Κυριαρχούν παντού σκούρα χρώματα και όσο πιο σκούρα τόσο πιο έκφραση δείχνουν.


Είχες ζήσει πολλά παλιότερα και προσπαθούσες να τα αποφύγεις. Είχες κάνει τη ζωή σου και είσαι μόλις είκοσι και κάτι. Έχεις χορτάσει τα πάντα και έχεις βαρεθεί τα πάντα. Παρέες σε είχαν εξοστρακίσει επειδή δεν τους καταλάβαινες πλέον και είχες τόσες πολλές παρέες που καθόσουν δίπλα τους όσο έπρεπε για να μην φθαρείς... Είχες σιχαθεί το αλκοόλ και όλες αυτές που έψαχναν τη σάρκα σου στα νυχτερινά μαγαζιά. Η μουσική είχε χαθεί από τα αυτιά σου, λες και ξεπέρασες ένα επίπεδο και είχε απορυθμιστεί η άλλοτε σωστή κριτική που έδινες στο κάθε άκουσμα.
Κάπου εκεί πίσω έχεις και τις δυο γυναίκες που αγάπησες. Και αυτές κατά βάθος τις είχες βαρεθεί κι είχες φύγει από δίπλα τους χρόνια τώρα. Για κάποιο λόγο τα ένιωσες όλα ανούσια και κλείστηκες στον εαυτό σου απότομα. Πολεμούσες με τον εαυτό σου τις νύχτες τα τελευταία δύο χρόνια.

Πρωί ήταν όταν έμαθες για την κατάρα που έπεσε πάνω σου. Έτσι την ονόμασες και την πολέμησες σαν θεριό, αλλά τις περισσότερες φορές ηττημένος βγαίνεις από τέτοιες μάχες. Στην αρχή είχες υπομονή και δύναμη. Σιγά σιγά η υπομονή  έγινε αδυναμία και η δύναμη μετατράπηκε σε πόνο. Δύο χρόνια πονάς, χωρίς να το ξέρει κανείς. Ζεις κάθε μέρα σαν κανονικός άνθρωπος και φαίνεσαι τόσο δυνατός. Όταν γυρίζεις σπίτι βγάζεις τη μάσκα και δίνεις τον πόλεμο σου. Διπλός πόνος γιατί δεν τον μοιράστηκες με κανέναν και όταν το έκανες, συνειδητοποίησες ότι πάνω στην αδυναμία και τη θλίψη σου, σου ξέφυγε.
Πολλοί θα σε έλεγαν λιοντάρι και κάποιοι άλλοι θα σε έλεγαν ψυχρό, νευρικό, που δε δίνεις σημασία σε τίποτα. Δεν σε ενοχλεί πλέον τίποτα και γαληνεύεις μόνο μέσα σε αυτούς τους σκούρους πίνακες και στα χρώματα.

Τα δευτερόλεπτα πέρασαν και όσα σκέφτηκες, τώρα πια δεν έχουν σημασία. Έχεις φτάσει στην αρχή ενός τούνελ, ίσως κάποτε να περνούσαν τρένα από εδώ, κι ένα φως στο βάθος σε φωνάζει. Στο κάθε σου βήμα σταματάει ο πόνος και νιώθεις υπέροχα.
Κυλάει χωρίς να το θες ένα δάκρυ. Ένα δάκρυ που κρύβει τις πιο γλυκές αλήθειες σε όσους αγάπησες.
Αρχίζεις να νιώθεις κρύο, αλλά δεν σε νοιάζει, τουλάχιστον δεν είναι το κρύο των ανθρώπων.
Εκεί που πας θα θυμάσαι ότι ο πόνος δεν παλεύεται, και πιο πολύ η μοναξιά.

21 romantic facts about Paris

Rome may be the city for lovers, but the ever graceful Paris is the city of love. The museums, archways, gardens, candlelit bars, and decadent pastries of the French capital inspired romance well before the city’s breakout artistic and literary period of the early 19th century. Here are 21 romantic facts about Paris.

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21. Love Locks

What could be more romantic than a bridge lined with padlocks that are engraved with the names of lovers? The locks started springing up in 2008, when tourists took to locking in their love along the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge in Paris that crosses the Seine. However, a part of the bridge collapsed under the locks’ weight in 2014, prompting the city to launch the social media campaign #lovewithoutlocks. In June 2015, the city started cutting away the padlocks.

20. Temple of Love

Built in 1778, the Temple de l’Amour stands in the middle of the field of Versailles and was commissioned by Marie Antoinette. Couples from all over the world visit the site to propose to each other or to renew their vows. Some people believe that sharing a kiss at the centre of Temple de l’Amour strengthens their relationship.

19. A Museum of Romanticism

Named for the Romantic period rather than romance, the Musée de la Vie Romantique still looks idyllic . Built in 1830 for artist Ary Scheffer, the villa which now houses the museum includes artifacts from composers like Chopin and the writer George Sand—the two were lovers.

18. A Secret Garden

The tree-lined courtyard of the Musée de la Vie Romantique has a secret garden that includes an outdoor cafe. Nestled among the lilacs, roses, wisteria, and other flowers, it’s described as one of Paris’ most beautiful hidden escapes and a perfect place to sip tea on a summer’s day.

17. Romantic Pilgrimage

The neighborhood of Montmartre is famous for The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart Basilica). The big white church is a place of pilgrimage for romantics as well as the religious. The views of the city from atop the steep staircases that lead up to the basilica’s lofty dove-white domes are unparalleled.

16. Moulin Rouge

Immortalized in the movie of the same name, the Moulin Rouge cabaret near Montmartre was filled with Bohemian artists and poets at the fin de siècle and turn of the 20th century, and remains a popular tourist attraction to this day.

15. For Swingers

Musée de Montmartre is a 17th century manor where Renoir used to house his studio. There is even a small, romantic garden with a rope swing hanging in the trees that evokes Renoir’s own The Swing from 1876.

14. 250 Ways to Say I Love You

The I Love You Wall, an art project by Claire Kito and Frederic Baron, has the phrase “I Love You” scrawled on it 311 times in 250 languages, so you can brush up on your French while strolling with your beau in the park surrounding the wall.

13. Secret Hilltop

A hidden hilltop village located minutes away from Parc des Buttes Chaumont offers up stunning views of the artist neighborhood of Montmartre. Accessible by three staircases or a single winding road, this quiet village also has a vineyard, one of the last of three remaining vineyards in Paris.

12. Dead Poets’ Society

Père Lachaise cemetery is the final resting spot for some of the history’s most famous poets, musicians, and writers: think Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, and Jim Morrison; this is one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. The tree-lined pathways are also great for walking hand-in-hand.

11. Go Wilde

There is a “kiss wall” protecting the tomb of Oscar Wilde, the Irish poet and playwright, in the Père Lachaise cemetery. The wall was built to keep visitors from leaving lipstick marks on the tomb. Wilde was known for his flamboyant lifestyle, and the line “A kiss may ruin a human life” is from his play A Woman of No Importance.

10. The Kiss

Rodin’s sculpture The Kiss is one of Paris’ best-known works of art. One of the great images of love, The Kiss is displayed at the Musée Rodin, which opened in 1919 and houses many of Rodin’s other masterworks such as The Thinker and The Gates of Hell.

9. Tango on the Seine

Along the river Seine in Paris’ 5th arrondissement, dancers tango until twilight when the weather allows. They gather and dance at the mini amphitheaters while spectators watch from their perch on the steps, sipping wine and enjoying the ambiance.

8. Shopping Beauty

With its mosaic floors, arched glass ceiling, and golden lighting, the Galerie Vivienne is one of Paris’ famous arcades, and it’s easy to laze away the afternoon in one of the cafes or bars nearby.

7. Picture Perfect

A popular place for couples, the walkway under the Pont de Bir-Hakeim has been featured in movies like 1972’s  Last Tango in Paris. With the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, it’s also a hotspot for newlyweds taking wedding pictures.

6. Under Love

Despite its name, the Pont Neuf (“New Bridge”) is actually the oldest bridge in Paris, and stands near the Île de la Cité, the birthplace of Paris in around 250 B.C.

5. Back in Time

Île Saint-Louis is another time machine inside paris: its winding streets, riverfront paths, and quaint buildings will take you right back to the 17th century; Île Saint-Louis was preserved even through the massive renovations of the city during the Second Empire.

4. Total Monet

The Musée de l’Orangerie is probably most famous for housing eight of Claude Monet’s Water Lillies murals (also called Nymphéas), and many visitors to Paris check out this Musée’s crown jewels. Monet gifted the works to the city, and they are displayed in two oval rooms, lining the walls with the soft strokes of this French master of Impressionism.

3. High Notes

A night at the opera in Paris means heading to a performance inside the Opera Garner, but local musicians also play on the steps of the opera house, framed by the stunning architecture.

Dear girl read this

2. Top of the World

With panoramic views of Paris and 20,000 gold lights sparkling every hour on the hour after dark, the 324-meter Eiffel Tower is the scene of numerous marriage proposals each year. The iconic tower is one of Paris’ dominant landmarks and main attractions. The lights of the Eiffel Tower are considered a work of art of which the copyright is owned by the artist. For this reason, it is illegal to distribute images of the eiffel tower taken at night.

best love songs listen here!

1. Wine and Cheese

Wine and cheese reflect French culinary pride. According to French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, “a meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” Restaurants, wine bars, and cafes in Paris offer a delicious range of wines and cheeses.

Another View is for you!

Being a positive person

What most people may not realize is just how beneficial being in a great mood can be to their lives. Here’s how to be more positive and make a change.

Life is hard. It can be a real bitch to get through and if you’re always in a negative mood, it can be even harder. The best way to make the most out of life is to figure out how to be more positive.

Knowing how to see the bright side of any given situation will help you avoid getting into any negative slumps. You’ll face a difficult situation and be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s now exactly as easy as just deciding to be more positive.

How a negative mindset can destroy your life

If you look at successful people, what do you usually see? Typically, they’re friendly and able to keep their mood light throughout the day. You don’t see too many successful people complaining about how crappy their lives are.

Even if they are going through a rough patch, they’re not going to be bitching about it. Why? Because they know how detrimental a negative mindset can be to their life.

Not only can a negative mindset be harmful to your career, it’ll also impact the rest of your life in horrible ways. Your relationships won’t be as healthy and you just won’t enjoy your life as much as you should.

How to be more positive and have a much better life

The great thing is that you can change your life around even if you’re a primarily negative person by default. And yes, being pessimistic or optimistic is something that your brain is automatically wired to be.

Luckily, you can change all of that if you want. Here’s how to be more positive and give yourself a better, happier life.

#1 Start your day with positive thoughts. You won’t wake up on the right side of the bed every day. You’ll probably have some mornings where you just want to hide away from the world but instead of wallowing in your angst, think positively.

Focus on getting up every day and telling yourself a few positive things about yourself and your life. Listing those things off every morning can help your brain get into the habit of waking up in a good mood.

#2 Step away from negative situations. There will always be bad shit going on in your life from time to time. The best thing you can do to get away from that is to just walk away. When something is upsetting you or someone is making you angry, remove yourself from that situation or person and calm down. Put your positive thinking cap on and get back to your happy place.

#3 Get rid of negative people in your life. Negative people are like leeches. They don’t have any positivity for themselves so they basically have to steal all of yours, leaving you nothing but negativity. Get rid of them. I know it might be hard but in order to better your life and become more positive, the people weighing you down need to go.

#4 Surround yourself with positive people. Just like negative people can make you feel worse, positive people will only add to your positivity. They’ll make you feel better. It pays to surround yourself with people who always seem to be in a good mood. That mood will be certain to rub off on you and you’ll be more positive because of it.

#5 Stop negative thoughts when they come. This might take some getting used to but you can definitely learn how to do it. Whenever you notice yourself being overly negative and down about a situation, just stop those thoughts. Start thinking of something that makes you happy instead and soon enough, your brain will default to positive thoughts.

#6 Be grateful for what you have. Truth be told, your life probably isn’t as bad as you think it is. Take a good hard look around and see how much greatness you have. Taking a minute every day to just appreciate what you have can make you be a lot more positive. You’ll start looking to the good things instead of focusing on the negative all the time.

#7 Think of solutions instead of setbacks. If you’re a pretty negative person, you’re automatically going to sit there and see the setbacks in a situation. A positive person, on the other hand, will see the solutions. In both cases, you’re recognizing that there’s a problem but if you want to know how to be more positive, you have to start seeing only solutions. It’ll make you a lot less upset and you won’t complain nearly as often.

#8 Smile more. You might be annoyed at this one because it seems as though you can’t smile more if you’re overly negative. Well, smiling more can actually help you be more positive. Your brain can take physical cues from your body and adjust itself. Cool, right? Smiling more will trick your brain into thinking you’re in a good mood when you might not have been. The result? You’ll be in a good mood. 

#9 Have better posture. This is something many people aren’t aware of but it could potentially make your life a lot better. Your posture is very much connected to your mindset. If you stand up straight and keep your shoulders back, you’ll be way more positive than if you slouch when you stand.

#10 Do more kind things for others. Doing nice things for someone else can actually put you in a better mood. When you’re bettering the lives of other people, you’ll realize how much good you can be putting out into the world. This will help you think in a more positive way regularly. 

#11 Spend more time in the sun. Sunshine isn’t just great for Vitamin D, it’s also great for your mood. Getting some fresh air and being out in the sun can do amazing things for your mood. The next time you’re feeling a little down, get outside. Spending more time outside in general will help you be more positive.

#12 Do more things you love. Maybe you’re in such a bad mood because you haven’t been doing anything you’re passionate about. When’s the last time you did something you loved? Something that made you really, really happy? Being more positive means being able to express the things you enjoy. So do more of that if you want to know how to be more positive.

#13 Cheer someone else up. Instead of trying to make yourself happier, try to cheer up someone else. Go put some work into bettering someone else’s mood. Then ask yourself what you did to make them happy. Oftentimes, we tend to help other people in the ways that would most help us. Figure out what that is and apply it to your own life.

#14 Fake it ‘til you make it. It’s an old saying that still holds true today. If you want to be more positive, just pretend you are and you’ll get there eventually. This method works by tricking your brain. The more you pretend to be a certain way, the more your brain will think that’s how you should be.

#15 Practice every single day. This isn’t something that can be accomplished in a single day or a single week. You’ll need to work at it every single day but after a while, you’ll wake up and realize you’re a much more positive person than you ever have been before.

Being a more positive person isn’t out of reach. Knowing how to be more positive and let go of the negativity can help you live a much happier life.
Another View is for you!

So what is true love?

It’s work. True love isn’t just about meeting someone and falling in love with them. True love is about sticking it out when times get tough. It’s working together even when you’d rather not even see that person at the moment. You might not be ready to know just what true love is all about.

Most people aren’t prepared for what true love is really like

Oftentimes, people fall in love and a month into being truly in love with someone, they suddenly can’t take it. They’re convinced it’s too hard and so it must not be true love. Make no mistake, you can be in love and have hardships within the relationship.

Love isn’t all fun and games. The initial feeling of bliss wears off and true love is more like a slow burning fire that you always have to stoke. You can’t just expect a relationship to work simply because you love each other. [Read: 10 signs of true love that might make you a believer]

What is true love?

Are you really ready to hear all that true love is? You can forget all about your fairytales and knights in shining armor. This is what true love really is and what you’ll need to know if you want to make your relationship with someone you love work.

#1 It’s supporting someone endlessly. Your partner will have dreams and hobbies. If you’re truly in love with them, you’ll support their desires, so long as they’re not harmful to you or anyone else. Even if you don’t fully understand their dreams, you still need to be there to cheer them on.

It’s not always about encouraging them when they’re succeeding, either. It’s about pushing them to keep going even when they’d rather give up because it’s their dream. This might not always be easy to do. 

#2 It’s caring for them no matter the cost. It’s unconditional love. You care for them no matter what happens. Through injury, illness, or even just hard emotional times, you need to be there for them.

Again, this isn’t something that’ll be easy all the time. Your partner could end up going through really hard times that’ll be difficult for you to stick through. But that’s true love.

#3 It’s putting away your pride to make things right. You’re going to argue. Any couple who doesn’t get into arguments at some point are either both lying or they’re not truly in love. Couples fight. Sometimes you’re going to have to bite the bullet, swallow your pride, and apologize.

And you definitely won’t always want to do this. Obviously, you’ll have to talk through your problems and then get to a point where whatever issue you had has been solved. But even then, you’ll have to put away your pride and make things right again. 

#4 It’s actively showing your affection daily. You can’t expect love to last if you’re never putting forth any effort. That fire won’t stay lit unless you stoke it and add something to help it burn.

That something is your affection. Make sure your partner knows how much you love them. Tell them every day. Show them how you feel through kind gestures. You need to make sure they feel appreciated and loved and it’s a daily task.

#5 It’s making an effort even on your worst days. You’re going to have bad days. Some of those bad days won’t have anything to do with your significant other. It’ll be easy to lash out at them in anger simply because they’re there.

True love is about making sure you’re trying to be loving even when you feel far from it. This is really hard when you’d rather mope and seethe in silence. But you’ll have to make it work.

#6 It’s lifting their spirits when you know they’ve had it rough. You love your significant other. You want to make sure they’re happy and therefore, when they’re feeling down, you want to help cheer them up. This means you’ll have to try and try hard to make them feel better when they’re down. Because there will be a time when they’re in low spirits. 

#7 It’s being selfless when they need you to be. True love is not selfish. You have to put someone else above yourself at times. When your significant other is having a hard time, you’ll need to put your own needs aside to help them.

This can be really hard if you’re also not feeling that great and need someone else to take care of you. Occasionally, you’ll have to take one for the team, put your needs aside, and make sure your partner has what they need.

#8 It’s loving their flaws. Everyone has flaws. Your partner will definitely have flaws. True love isn’t about being blind to those things. Instead, it’s about loving those aspects of who they are, anyways.

If your significant other is always forgetful, you might get frustrated sometimes but overall, you’ll learn to love that about them. It’ll be a cute quirk instead of a hindrance. That’s what true love is.

#9 It’s remembering the little things. There will be a lot of stuff you’ll learn about your significant other. True love is about remembering the small, but very important, details. It’s about knowing they hate pepper on their food and making sure the waiter takes down the order right.

It’s about knowing their dog’s birthday because that animal is one of the best things in their life. Making an effort to know the small things and show that you’ve been paying attention is what true love is about. 

#10 It’s wanting the best for them even if it means less for you. Some people won’t be happy with you. It’s just the truth, as hard as that is to accept. If it’s true love you feel for them, you’ll want the best for them even if that means you’ll be unhappy.

I’m not saying you should give in to someone else’s will just because you love them. This means that you’ll have to make some sacrifices for true love. But if it’s with the intent to make the other person happy, it’s really love.

What is true love? Now you know that true love might not always be butterflies in your stomach and stolen kisses. It takes a lot more to fall and remain in true love.

Dear girl..

Dear girl, 

I know you still love him and there's always going to be a part of you that will, but just because you love him doesn't mean you should be with him. 

Just because you care about him doesn't mean he's good for you. 

Just because it feels right with him doesn't mean he'll make you happy. 

You know you're supposed to move on, but it's not that simple at the same time and that's understandable because how do you easily walk away from someone you've had your heart set on for so long, especially if he's the one who broke it and it feels like he's the only one who could fix it? 

Listen, I get it. It's hard to be just friends with someone who's seen your heart and it's even harder to go back to being strangers with someone who's seen your soul, but you know what's the hardest thing to do? 

Finding happiness again after being lost in someone else for so long and if you were to go back to where you lost your happiness, you'll never find it. 

The easy thing to do is to go back to what feels familiar and comfortable, but sometimes what feels familiar and comfortable will only hurt you if you stay. 

So please, be more selfish and put yourself first for once because that's the only you'll be able to love yourself.

Μείνε δίπλα μου

Όταν χάνεις την ανάσα σου για κάποια λεπτά
και γυρεύεις να την βρεις ξανά

κι ένιωσες τόσο μόνος
και ξύπνησε δειλά ο πόνος

μα τώρα πια στέκεις εκεί
χωρίς καμιά άλλη αντοχή

κι άλλη μια νύχτα ξεκινά
περπάτα με βήματα γοργά

ζήσε ξανά
νιώσε πολλά