The day that was named Christmas

It was December , the 24th , normally the main Christmas holiday for RATON and 
his family . Normally that would mean lots of delicious food , many gifts , 
lovely shiny decoration and lots of not funny jokes . 

This year for sure was a gruesome one. It was cold and grey , and the wind blew 
strong over the giant patio , knocking everything in it's path down. Flowers 
pots, pillows, little decorative wooden houses and plants were thrown through 
the air like they weigh nothing . Even the bamboo chime which normally never 
moved , was making noises, which  meant that it was very, very stormy.  

The weather didn't add  to the already somber atmosphere at home . Dad's health 
had worsened actually , he almost couldn't speak any longer, and became more and 
more frustrated with his situation . The stubborn bull was turning weak and un 
coordinated totally depending on any helping hand that was available , moaning 
in pain and agony. It was really time to go it seemed, but for some reason , he 
wouldn't let go . He simply wouldn't die , simply because he wanted to live . 
That's at least  what RATON thought . 

His mother continued running around trying to make dads life as nice as possible 
. She was visibly shaken by all the current incidents, an emotional roller 
coaster , of which she had to carry the heaviest burden . It was hard to watch , 
especially because she didn't get much back in return. Yes, she was driving 
around in her fancy car , wearing a mink coat and expensive shoes , living in a 
big house , but love and kind compassion , the one thing she really was hoping 
for was not available to her at this point . It had never changed for 50 years. 
Dad simply was not able to give her what he wanted deep inside of her heart, but 
had accepted it a long time ago that this is how her life would pan out . Not 
bad, she was grateful , but there was always this little hope in her eyes, 
hoping for dad would soften and to say how much he loved her. 

by RATON (c) 

meet Nira

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Since the starting days many things have changed and she elegantly adjusted to 
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From working from home off her kitchen table , to welcoming guests at her retail 
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the journey has been long and satisfying . 

She is a published author and public speaker , teaches cooking seminars and 
continues to develop all organic products to add to her Rooibos Tea collection , 
educating and making new friends one tea bag at a time. 

Rooibos Red Tea is her passion. Get a taste of her world by trying out one of 
her recipes. Click here for her delicious Banana Spice Bread recipe and Red Bush 
Tea-Rhubarb Gelee. 

Nira Maslin can be reached in Los Angeles at ARTSHOP . Please email 
info@ARTSHOP-USA.com

By RATON (c) 

clean home = clear mind

Pick up after yourself! This is not a hotel room with daily maid service ..... That for sure is the first good advise, and yes practice what you preach, so it had not been easy for Raton to actually do at home what he did for others. Living in a clean and organized house was always very cleansing, Throughout his work load he sometimes came across a couple of clients , who not only asked for a simple decorating job , but they truly needed help "cleansing" their home . They were either so busy with work or traveling too much, or some had a traumatic life change and turned depressed. There are many reasons why perfectly beautiful homes can turn upside down quickly.

Not that Raton was a clean fanatic , but he did like to keep his place tidy even just for the simple reason of when returning home from a long day, that his space was organized and neat. And by all means , he didn't mean super clean just not a mess , he disliked stumbling over things or see laundry and shoes spread out all over the place. And he realized the smaller a place was , the messier it got fast , so he got into to the habit to just touch an item once and placed where it supposed to be. Once he got used to this system , it was actually really simple and easy to stay on top of things . It turned into a habit. 

We all know people that are so organized and neat , that even the socks inside of their drawers were color coordinated , which can be a little bit annoying , but those people most likely never would run into the infamous onesy problem, meaning have many , many socks but of each pair just one . That continued to be a mystery in Raton's life , and to this day it was a phenomena that no one was able to explain. Again there is nothing better then a lived in house , so we don't want to take the cleaning and organizing tasks too seriously, but what we don't realize is, that it is actually much easier to stay neat and clean , then having to take the time to clean up.  

Once you stick to your little routine, you will see how easy it really is and how much better you will feel to have less clutter all over the place . And if you don't know how to go about it , you might want to continue reading this and will learn a thing or two, even though there is nothing to really to learn, there are really just normal procedures. And for the guys , don't think you are out of a sudden a girly man , because you are trying to have your apartment  tight. See it as normal , try to see it as sexy. The biggest turn off is when you walk into someone's flat and it's messy. It compares to the the broken window theory, it reflect that actually no one cares. 

Raton started his home "cleansing" project with a decent laundry bin , that way in the morning and evening he was able to place his worn cloth right where they belong. He got even one that separated the whites from the others  , he felt he was already one step ahead of the game , because nothing would fly around the house any longer. And they are actually really cheap, it doesn't have to be anything fancy. A foldable mesh laundry bin costs as little as $10 and they are so easy to find these days. There are fancy once as well of course, but that's really up to the messy person that wants one.  . 

Then a big help for him was to get into the habit to make his bed right after he got up or basically within 10 min of rising. Sometimes he had to squeeze in a run to the bathroom first, but the essential thing was it was done and the bed was made right from the beginning of his day . That way he didn't have to look at his messy bed , which immediately started to calm his mind and again he felt he had something accomplished without even really thinking about it. Nice crisp bed linen always seemed to help as well . If you like what you sleep in , most likely you will take care of better.  ....Yes, sometimes he did wish the days back when there was a full time house keeper on hand, which really just contributed to become lazy and feeling too superior . 

Certain things one have to do themselves, that includes flushing your toilet (you are not Diana Ross for crying out loud)   , brushing your teeth and picking up the basics after yourself. Yes, it is luxury to have a housekeeper once a week , every day is heaven , but it is the same like being driven around , sometimes it is just necessary that one is on their own . Helps to keep you grounded and independent. 

Raton did remember those advertisements in the magazines that promised the ultimate house cleansing experience , and oh boy on some days he was day dreaming about hiring someone for himself and not the other way around. Important for Raton was as well that he would get control over the cable and extension cord madness . Just looking at it made him confused and  puzzled . He thought there must be a way without it constantly looking like cable chaos. And yes , there are many solutions to take care of it, one just has to put the time and effort and it can be done very easy . . But how ? 

It was a picture perfect California fall day. Just warm enough without braking out in a sweat. He felt awkward during summer arriving to work all drenched in sweat. Today is was perfect and Raton enjoyed the walk to work like it was a stroll in the park. How lucky we are he thought. In Europe they were freezing already, all bundled up, dealing with the never ending rain. Every Sunday morning his mother would tell him on the phone about it. Not here, he smiled as he was walking in to the russian deli around the corner where he started working, helping to revamp a clients home, which had started with a rude awakening and served as a reminder how important a clean home really is. 

The first 3 days had nothing to do with revamping or decorating, it was trash removal, carefully combing through things and determine what needs to be thrown out and what would need to stay. 

Some mother had called asking the office if we can help her to decorate her sons home. He had fallen into some kind of depression, and she wanted him to spent Christmas in a nice and proper new home. Sure, no problem Raton thought, but she forgot to mention that her son was actually a dirty pig with three indoor cats and that he was a horder, so when Raton arrived at the house , he almost lost it over the unbelievable amount of trash and boxes and cloth laying around all over the place. 

The living room was so messy, that one could hardly see the furniture and the stinging smell of cat urin didn't make it any better. What a sweet man he was though , so grateful that someone had actually showed up trying to help him. At this point he said, he was so overwhelmed that he didn't know where to start, so he didn't start at all and the piles just grew by the day . So the first day was intense sorting our , organizing in piles determining what was trash and what were the treasures. And their were many treasures under all the filth, nostalgic old mini trains, frames, vases, jewelry. Some wonderful stuff he had not seen in months he said. Raton felt good helping the guy, he felt he was making a difference.

Raton was grateful that he was able to help this guy, but at the same time so sad, realizing that a traumatizing event had caused all this . On day three the enthusium had kind of stopped and his client ended up sleeping again for most of the time , which is a sign of deep depression. Raton had seen before in other people.  He was just hoping that clearing everything and make it nice and new would inspire , but at this point it wore out quickly. 

Day three was productive , by 4 o'clock Raton wrapped up and grateful that he was doing just fine . He maybe had a melancholic Sunday afternoon once in a while , but thankfully nothing like this . Sometimes it was good to see , how others really have it not so good and actually really suffer , so personal problems he thought he had might not be so big . It goes to show the importance to be healthy, physically and mentally and a clean and organized living environment for sure is the first step to success .  Clean home = healthy mind. Makes sense? 

by RATON (c) 

Today blog is sponsored by retro gallery , LA's finest glass gallery for over 20 years . 

just blog and have fun with it

How important is a daily routine?

Or any routine for that matter . How important is it? Is a routine holding you back from an  exciting and adventurous life or is a routine necessary to stay healthy and focused? 

Small triggers can lead to big changes , that is if you notice them . For Raton it seemed to work best to have and stick to a daily and weekly routine . That way his overloaded mind could at least make him do one thing at a time , it gave him guidelines on how he would get things done and be on time . A routine  created somehow the feeling of home and having a purpose. It seemed it was necessary to stay balanced and the beauty was, everyone could create their own routine, whatever fits their lifestyle. It was always when Raton was traveling or in between projects , that he got off his path without a routine.  

Routine is so important for your mind and for your body . It helps to balance your way of thinking and you therefore are able to be more productive and happy. But you don't have to force and live by the hour. Being aware what you would like your day to look like is almost enough. Well, and following up of course. So what really is a routine? How do you define it? The dictionary says it is a prescribed, detailed course of action to be followed regularly, a standard procedure, a set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activities. Does that mean shopping could be categorized as routine well ?  Or would it be more drinking a cup of red tea every day at the same time ? Moisturizing your body with your favorite body lotion in the morning ? Out of a sudden Raton could think of many things that he would consider as routine , but then he felt he would need to narrow it down a bit.



On a regular base he was happy , sad and somewhere in between. He felt while sticking to a more healthy lifestyle that yes , his life would become more stable and solid and less frantic , but at the same time Raton realized how stale and boring it could be to do every single day the same thing . 

Everything was running out of a sudden like a fine oiled machine for him . Get up at 7.30 in the morning , walk eyes half open to the coffee maker and quietly bickering to himself , how if he would have prepared the coffee maker the night before, he now would only need to push the button and how much more easy that would be right now. Talking to each spoon of coffee remained important to him , because that would determine how good the coffee would turn out that day . Then the walk to bathroom , then switching on the computer to check emails . The coffee was done by then , and now thinking became much more easier . For Raton it seemed no matter what, it would take at least one hour before he was completely there . He never could understand how some people just got up , showered, brushed their teeth and leave the house . Something would be missing he thought , and that was exactly the routine , Raton was trying to define .

 Puttering around for an hour in the morning, before really doing anything was it . That was what he loved to do and if he didn't have that , his day would be completely different .  Meditation in the morning made a big different for him as well even though he was better doing it with others in a class setting then by himself . Trying to meditate in the morning by himself most the time made him fall back asleep , and that was not a good way to start the day , waking up twice .

So bottom line, routines are different for everyone. Some run out the door in the morning right away , others fall back to sleep and so on.  Maybe we can describe and compare routines a bit with computer programming. For a computer a routine and subroutine are general and nearly synonymous terms for any sequence of code that is intended to be called and used repeatedly during the use of a program.  Similiar to how we are programmed to get through the day. Once we have developed a routine , days go by actually much more easy and faster.


Our main sequence of logic can branch off to a common routine when necessary. When finished, the routine branches back to the next sequential instruction following the instruction that branched to it.  So things we do that turn into a routine can be called  procedures as well ,  which is similar in meaning.

There are different types, levels and descriptions of routines , like routine activities which are completely mundane and almost boring , daily tasks we do all the time over and over again. Then there are routine decisions, which are  decisions we make on a regular basis and are obvious and require little or no consideration of an alternative. Routine administration are being used to run day to day organisations.

Learning about all these different angles of routines, Raton got actually so tired that after his delicious cup of morning coffee , he went back to bed for another one hour snooze . It showed him how important routines really are . They are   different procedures for each indiviuals , but make or brake how communities and groups are functioning. Without routines there would be chaos , he thought and fell back to sleep . Overall routines are a really positive thing, so are change of routines. Raton evaluated what he could change in his daily routine . Add more meditation , go to the gym , eat better , there were plenty of things that could make his life better . He and his friends would appreciate it.

by RATON (c) 


"The less routine the more life."
Amos Bronson Alcott 

Two lamps made all the difference by RATON (c)

It sounds maybe silly, but the other day RATON received two beautiful vintage glass lamps to hold at his place and ever since they shared his living space , he started feeling much more at home, more balanced and charmed by their presence. Maybe material things shouldn't count when it comes to feeling well, but RATON's point really was that beautiful things to have at your home can actually make you happy and feel at ease. They are part of a healthy, balanced life. 

Now that could be really anything; an ashtray, a painting, a tea pot, your favorite toy from your childhood or that vintage Ken doll you liked so much growing up . Well , it doesn't matter what it is, important is that you love it.  ... Through 25 years of moving around, RATON was amazed that there were still a handful of items that have not gotten lost in the big shuffle of things. Through out all his travel and jumping from place to place, storage and having to sell some items, there was still a small glass bull dog sculpture, a can of paint which supposed to be a door stopper and piece of art, a healing stone, an angel painting and a wooden man sculpture, which was given to him by his now ailing dad. They all have emotional value and had helped to each new place into a home. 

While working hard, RATON was able to add some new pieces to his home collection, of which he was hoping most of it will stay once he moved into his new and bigger dwelling. In the meantime he had beautified his tiny home and had turned it into a very cool, manageable place, something everyone commented on very positive. His next natural step would be to actually invite friends over, either for coffee or a good cup of Rooibos tea, a small pot luck dinner party would be nice, but the place was so small, that inviting guests over and have them all sit and eat on his bed , would maybe not be so ideal. As a matter of fact he was sure that his friends would not like it. So how would RATON get his precious home social life back in a tiny studio apartment? No matter how creative you think you might be, that for sure was a tough one to pull off and it he realized to start saving his pennies and plan to move into a bigger space soon.

So, overall what RATON suggests to all of his old and new friends is not to short change yourself when it comes to details and enough space in your home. Buy that painting you loved so much, frame those family photographs and hang them on the wall, you had plans to do that for the last ten years. And try out your green thumb and create small green areas. You will be surprised how easy it will come to you, even though you think you don't have the time for it or avoided doing it for whatever reason. Get those hands dirty, even if you got a manicure the day before. Live a little, buy yourself something and use your hands at home and create something. It will make you more grounded, happy and helps you to connect to the space where you rest your head, where you refuel with new good energy to tackle the next day. 

"A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body"

Benjamin Franklin 

Even when it rains make the sun shine by RATON (c)

It is always easy to blame other things for why we don't feel how we want to feel . Oh , it was too cold , it was too hot , it was this or that. You know what , that shouldn't really matter and we have to realize, even though extreme surroundings might interfere with our mood, that we are the ones that are in control of each and every moment . We have the power to make the next hour a good one or a bad one .

So try not to get caught up with old memories or associate with what you had experienced in the past.  RATON always caught himself getting down when it rained on the weekend , because it reminded him of those lonely days back home when he was a child . He couldn't help it , it was embedded in him and he always got melancholic when it rained on the weekend, especially on Sundays.

Now , instead of associating lonely Sundays with the rain , he tried to turn it into something more pleasant . For example , instead of standing with a long sad face by the window , RATON grabbed all his favorite food snacks , displayed them nicely on a plate , grabbed his favorite book or took his iPad and crawled back into bed thinking how lucky he was that he had this extra time to read and write , to snack on his favorite foods and to embrace this time alone . It was not lonely time, it was time by himself with himself which is  a different approach.

This different angle , a different approach of thinking helped him to feel much better about rainy Sunday afternoons. When he was done with his Time by himself, he bundled up to go outside and tried to just enjoy the scent , the  smell of the rain , how fresh and cleansing it really was . If he really got rained on and ended up soaked and wet , RATON thought of how great it would feel to get dry again . It sounds all very vanilla and it is not always that easy, but you know what, try to find a way to make it better . Even thou you might not want to take that yoga class or go to the gym , or meet a friend for coffee. Do it , push yourself because most of the time when you actually get out there, afterwards you come home with a really great experience and you realize all you have to do is to show up .

Better results come all with the approach  and yes, there is nothing more  annoying then being Mr or Mrs positive all the time, but if it makes your life even a tiny bit better , try it . You will become a better more happy person because of it . Every little experience counts to flush out the bad memories . Just try it, next time the sadness bubbles up , nipp it in the butt and do something you think you would actually enjoy , alone or with friends. You will see how quickly your mood is going to change , and if you feel you just want to crawl back into bed, there is nothing wrong with that either . Because nothing is right or wrong when it comes to your time, how you spent it and what you want to do with it . It's really as simple as that and it is a given , somthing that is not even up for discussion , just remind yourself how good you can really have it by not falling back into old patterns or memories. Memories are from the past and they can make you sad very easy . Try to stay in the now and you will like everything around you much better.  

“Closed in a room, my imagination becomes the universe, and the rest of the world is missing out.”
― Criss Jami

What are the 3 most important things in life ? by RATON (C)

What are the 3 most important things in life ?

The more RATON thinks about it, the more confused he got. He was trying to give a really

smart answer, when a friend of his actually did ask him that question, and then he realized 

that his answer didn't really made sense at all. Not even to him ... so the question kept 

lingering on in his head for days, he started reading more about it and he came across one 

analogy that maybe was a thought in the right direction.A lot of people said food, friends and family, which made sense to RATON at , but then he was thinking are there really 3 essential things we need?




As Mike Murdocck put it, that one of them for sure needs to be financial freedom in order to really live out the others. In his mind there is no true freedom without Financial freedom  .... 



and not fire even though spirit purifies like fire. Spirit is not an "it" but rather a Him, The spirit 



We used to call it having  F***  you money , but RATON  was holding his horses and listened. Murdock  basically divided  it into SPIRIT , a PURPOSE and a VISION for the future. Thosewere  the three  most  important things in life ,  which  seemed interesting, his approach that is.






SPIRIT is not like water, yet it refreshes like water, is not wind, even though it moves like it 





is a person not a presence that created us. Our spirit gives us life, it helps us to find our 

higher power and is the only source of true joy, peace and love.  ..... woa , that's some heavy stuff RATON thought, all he wanted was to find out and explore some more what were the 

three most important things in life .....  but it got interesting and over all it was not that easy to define and he got sucked into the whole subject.  So one as it seemed was not Pizza, so the toppings Pineapple, Bacon and Onions had to wait for a bit . Murdock continues saying that our spirit will give us discerning regarding our friendships, increases our patience with other and gives us courage and strength to withdraw from company of foolish people. Furthermore our spirit grieves and is offended by wrong conversations and conduct and withdraws so we won't be able to manifest our presence. Our spirit tends to love singing and provides us with our own language, on one else is able to understand. Spirit therefore is number 1 in importance in our life. 


The 2nd most important thing in life apparently is to have a purpose, that we have assignments that fulfill us and make us happy. Everything created was created to solve a problem . A car solves transportation problems, a telephone communication problems etc. We were created to solve a problem, problems are catalyst for creativity. Somebody needs, wants you today. You are necessary to somebody somewhere today. You get rewarded according to the problem you solve. You are absolutely perfect and genetically accurate for solving a specific problem for somebody on earth. Somebody needs exactly what you have been given. Someone is literally dying emotionally, mentally or spiritually waiting for you to come alomng and rescue them. You are their reward. When you "discover" to whom you have been assigned ,  you will experience great peace, fulfillment and provision for your own life. You discover this by looking for opportunities to heal, strengthen and bless others. 


What you love lost is the clue to your assignment, you will always have wisdom towards what you love. What really excites you, brings great enthusiasmus and happy moments (days) of you life is a clue to  your assignment. What you hate is a clue as to something you are assigned to correct, you cannot really correct and or change something unless you have a hatred of for it ... you cannot change what  you tolerate. Hatred and Anger is passion, you need the most. 


What grieves you is a sign, clue, to something you are assigned to heal. what makes you cry is a clue to a problem you need to change, conquer and heal. Also, where you hurt most is a clue to what you may heal best. Your asignment is geographical (to a place); where you are determine what grows within you. Your weakness or strengths requires a climate to grow ... places matter! Seek to be where you want to, Hourly, daily, weekly. Go where you are celebrated instead of where you are tolerated, when you are with the right people, the best comes out of you and the worse part of  you will die. Your success is always linked to a place - a place of your assignment. Your assignment requires season of preparation, maybe misunderstood by those  closest to you and will always have an enemy because it will stop something wrong from growing bigger. You will only succeed when your assignment becomes an obsession.


Number three and the 3rd most important thing in life is: The Seed.

A seed is a tiny beginning with a huge future; it is anything that can become more. You seed is anything you have received can be treated for something else. Such as love, time, patience, money kindness, prayer, forgiveness... Learn the secret of giving your seed a specific assignment. Your seed is always the door out of trouble. It is anything you do that helps another person to improve life . Information, finace, assignment so that your believes may not waver. Wait long enough for your seed to grow to produce exactly what you wanted, because waiting, reveals trust, you must be willing to trust yourself through the season of greatest blessing came after longest waiting. Be willing to begin harvest with a small seed, begin with what you have. Qualify the soil , the quality of the soil affects the growing of the seed. Sow consistently, when you sow continously, your harvest will become continuous.


Sow proportionate to the harvest you desire; the size of your seed determines the size of your harvest. Always sow with expectations of a return and remember to sow instantly in obedience to your Spirit without rebellion or Negotiations with Him.




Last but definitely not least is Whatever you make happen for others it will happen to you.




out takes written By Mike Murdock

Why [ATMOSPHERE] is so important for our well being - by RATON (C)

We seem to underestimate the importance of our surroundings , how it can make or brake our daily living. If the environment is not set to our liking it really influences our productivity, well being and how we interact with people around us . For me it always has been important, that where I work and rest my head , is in an environment that fits to what I believe in is soothing, comfortable and inspiring.

We all of course have different sets of standards and taste. but my point is that if you don't feel well or good about yourself , try being aware of what your surroundings are . I do believe that wellness and good health, mental and physically, begins with a beautiful home  and working environment. Not always can we choose where we work and what we think our office or work place should look like, but certainly we can dictate and influence our environment at home. Being conscious of what you need at home is just the beginning, and even though budgets might be limited , just the thought of wanting to live in a place that suits you is the first step of creating a healthy and flourishing atmosphere. Make a wish list , or even better have a wish board and collect items you eventually would like to get or even moods how you like to feel. Yes there are virtual sites like Pinterest and others , they are great, but by looking at what you like to have or accomplish every day , you eventually will exactly manifest what you were originally just thinking of . 

  

And once you feel you are set with the right material things around you (try to be humble), start looking at the people who come in and out of your daily life . Well, that might be even more important , but is a whole other blog to write , which I might do at a later time , but for now, we all know we  are only as good as the people around us and the environment we put ourselves in . It's all part of the ... art of living. And don't get me wrong, there is no right or wrong really , it is al about how you want it and what decisions you make and it remains a constant always changing challenge . 

“Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley,