Mira Matar

Every life is a miracle. The chance of having been conceived, let alone being born, is infinitesimally small. The chance of your ancestors having also being conceived! then born! then survive! and then successfully conceive their offspring & see a repeat cycle (all the way through to your successful turn) is also inconceivably infinitesimal! It really is miraculous that you are here. Please , both you and your sister, Never lose sight of that. Let the miracle be a fire that ignites the 'passion for life' in you.  Let it light up the desire to bring your potential to life.  Let it be be the thing that drives you, to give to the world (the version of yourself, that is honed by a vision + discipline + creative work). (Yes, I too thought of both The Little House On The Prairie; and about Eskimos!) Btw: In contrast to the tiny chance of you having been born, The joy that your birth has brought is immeasurably grand!!!

Life is given meaning by us. Life is brought to life you may say. Life can transformed into meaningfulness and into meaninglessness. It all depends upon the stories that we tell ourselves. Some of the stories that we tell ourselves come from our homes. Others come from the environments we spend or have spent much of our time in (including societal and cultural stories). Yet other stories come from knowledge, expansion through investigation, and development by reflection. September 11 has stories attached to it that are connected to global politics. For you, September 11 2022 is the day that you met your mother's maternal Aunt Tania. She cried upon seeing you. She was flooded with emotions of love, touched by your fragility and immediately desirous of spending time with you. That is a story that you can read again in the future darling. It will remind (of even inform) you of the love that surrounded you even in your earliest days. The stories that we tell ourselves are defining in l...

You are currently receiving your sustenance via breastmilk sweetheart. Mum's been great with her eating habits; making sure that the Nutella and cakes are supplemented with the more radical stuff! Given we're off the back of summer, there are lots of energizing fresh fruit & vegetables available to savour up. The eggs, beef and other protein sources (including omega-3 rich seafood) are in high supply too fortunately. Nutrition is something that you'll need to look out for yourself, in time & in the years ahead, as a responsible young lady. What you put into your body directly affects what happens with and to your body. Physical activity is also critical. That is, what you do with your body. How you move it. How you keep it strong. How you get on with your agility & flexibility. None of this happens by accident. What we've just said about your body darling, can also be said regarding your mind. Be responsible with what you put into it, and with what you do wi...

I mentioned yesterday that Every day is a blessing. That is because there are no guarantees. It's a blessing because life is fragile. Waking up, and having a new day, means waking up and having a new opportunity. Opportunity to learn, to do, or to be. The three are intertwined. More about that another time. Life is fragile in general. When it comes to early childhood, it's even more precarious. That's why in the earliest period, post you entering the world, a doctor, and a nurse, check up on you weekly. They do such incredibly important work sweetheart. We are really grateful and thankful for their contribution.  Remember that expression about health that I shared with you recently... In that light, their raison  d'être   is to protect that base human need. What a mission! (This was Dr Victoria checking on you today) By the way, do you know that you have an Uncle and an Aunt who are doctors?

Three weeks already! Amazing! Time is relentless sweetheart. It moves forward every moment, irrespective of whether people choose to do so themselves or not. Never forget that Every day is a gift. Yes, darling, every day.  Look after your health darling. Always. It's the first building block. Physical health. Mental health. Spiritual health. Financial health. Keep a note of the instructive phrase: "A person with good health has millions of dreams. A person in poor health has only one". Jumping back to the gift of life... The opportunity to live is a remarkable one. You could even broaden what I just said about opportunity to live, and instead make it "to live and to give". To give of yourself.  To give yourself to the task of realising your potential, to your chosen ideas and to your chosen projects. To give yourself to being a person of value to yourself, to your family, to the community. The greater your potential, the greater the community that you get to imp...

I spoke to a friend today sweetheart. He is from Ireland.  When we spoke, he was located in Germany. He was visiting his kids, who happen to live in Berlin.  Prior to visiting them, he'd spent a month in Amman, Jordan, studying to improve his base in Arabic. Amongst other accolades, he is a polyglot who speaks fluent Russian and Persian. The main European languages are a given in his repertoire :) Why am I mentioning, and sharing, these details? No, 😂, not to show off about having amazing friends. Rather, 😮, to show that the world has amazing people in it. Sharing time with such people makes life fascinating, interesting, and invigorating. I haven't even told you what we spoke about yet! (When you visit Paris, you'll get to meet the sparks of joy in this pic with me. That is, Uncle Patrice and his eldest; Arthur. You'll also get 'girl time' with Aunty Emilie and Louise!) I can tell you that discussions of the future, of various probable outcomes and of what mo...

As you are adapting the world, there are times when you are relaxed and there are times when you are uncomfortable. When uncomfortable, you usually let the world know by crying out. That is, you take action. If you were to suffer silently, the world would know and could not respond (even if it wanted to). The first responders at this stage of your life are Mum & Dad. We are here for you. Extensions from us are also here for you. I mentioned a few days back that our families and friends are also here for you. As you grow, you begin to help yourself. And then further along, you will also develop the capacity to help others. Always remember that it is BE first and then HAVE.  In the BE, self-responsibility is key.  We grow ourselves into the being that then earns the right to HAVE. At school that can be grades, in sport that can be a place on a team, and in business that can be making the right investment decision (or even being exposed to the right investment opportunity). I...

I forgot to share a picture with you a few days back sweetheart. Remember that I mentioned on September 01 that it was the first day of school? Remember that I also mentioned, more recently, that your elder sister's name is Dunia? Well, combine those two moments and you'll probably guess where I am going with this! On September 01, I attended the school's opening assembly for the 2022-2023 academic year. That opening assembly has a special name. It transcribes from Russian as "Lin-yay-ku".  Whilst it only lasted half an hour or so, the linyayku aimed to set the tone for the year ahead. Bear in mind darling that... Every student has their own journey; within the wider framework. Realisation of potential, is all that can be asked of a student. (Ideally, actually, a student would demand it of themselves). Remember sweetheart... IT IS NOT a competition with others. It is a competition with oneself. With earlier versions of oneself.  Daily effort, and step by step impr...

It's Father's Day in Australia today. It's not everywhere that Fatherhood is celebrated. But it's everywhere that father's celebrate the birth of their kids. You see Mira, there are (hidden in plain sight) bonuses when kids are born. The obvious bit is: You come to life.  The less obvious bit, but long term hope, is: You give to life.  The most profound part is: You bring to life. Let me settle a little on this last one. There are deeply latent parts of a man, often invisible to men themselves, that ONLY come to be, when you come to be. Whilst you may be helpless to yourselves at birth, you are immediately & extraordinarily helpful to fathers.  You provide something remarkable to us. You provide pure inspiration.  You make us want to improve.  You make us want to give more.  You make us rise. So, on Father's Day, as you congratulate us, we thank you!

A penny for your thoughts. That's a phrase that you may occasionally hear darling; when someone expresses a desire to know what you are reflecting on, or thinking about. What am I thinking about right now? Your name. And the fact that at some point in your life, you are likely to ask yourself "why was I called Mira?" Great question! 😀 At the time of your birth, there is much conflict. Your birth is by default, the birth of new. It is the birth of a chance. It is the birth of potential betterment. Where there is conflict, what do you want?  Peace of course! (Remind me to talk to you about this one in a little more detail when you'll a little older ... Sometimes you need to fight ... Typically so that the future is a brighter place than the present ... Sometimes so that energy can be directed towards creation!) Back to your name and it's meaning... In Russian, your name means "Peace"! As though that were not enough of a fabulous outcome, there is a second...

You had a visitor today sweetheart. Someone who'd been waiting anxiously to meet you; since your birth 15 days ago.  Who could that be? You are right to think that there are people far and near, looking forward to meeting you.  There are many that look forward to getting to know you.  There are even some who look forward to helping you, help yourself, realize your latent potential.  (I have to note here darling that this last one requires self responsibility more than anything else actually... yet it's a wonderful and huge bonus to have a support network that help us bring things to life).  Of those most wanting to meet you are family, and close friends of your parents; you can almost think of the latter as adopted family!  With family, you have two halves darling (.. just like your biology.. more on that later..). Half from mum. Half from dad.  It's a bonus double whammy, right from the get go! Your visitor today is one of only two individuals on the ...

On the 1st of September every year, in Belarus & other former Soviet states, "school" begins. By "school" I am referring to everything from first class through to university.  You have a while to go yet. We're not talking "walk before you run" here.  We're not even talking what precedes that level; "crawl before you walk"! We're talking: "lay before crawl". That's perspective sweetheart. Perspective gives life context. Context gives life life. You can zoom in. or you can zoom out.  What you let into your view, will shape what you see. Remember Mira, different people sometimes disagree simply because they've let different amounts in. Here, less was let in Here, more was let in Now here's the kicker: Sometimes less is more 😍

💓 You're an August baby Mira. What does that mean? Good question. Time will tell. Having joined the world on August 18, there is much that lies ahead of you.  I dare say that you were reflecting on that, as you enjoyed some daytime respite yesterday. Your unconscious expressions were MIRAculous. They spoke to me of guardian angels in your mind; imagining up, and seeking to protect, a beautiful future. Here's to exactly that!