I had the fortune of attending a few days' remote training recently during which I learnt some useful and interesting things which I hope in time to implement. 

Today, I wanted to continue my theme from last post regarding blessings. I am truly thankful for all that I have and for this reason I am re-posting something I wrote in 2017 which seems fitting. 

Gratitude is something that comes with age and wisdom.

How can you be grateful for what you have until you have known its loss? Abundance and joy can only be appreciated once loss and sadness are known. So I am grateful for my health because I have been so ill I thought I would die. I am grateful for my closest and most trusted friendships because I have known their opposites.  I am grateful for love because I have experienced its loss. I am grateful for all that is beautiful in mankind because I have seen its polar opposite: ugliness at its very core.

I am grateful for my freedom because I have escaped captivity. I am grateful for my education because of the opportunities it has afforded me when so many do not have these. I am grateful that I can have a fulfilling life, with enough food, water and shelter to never question where my next meal will come from or where I will lay my head.

Life is a gift which I unwrap each day grateful that my eyes still open, my legs still move, my heart still beats and my mind still works.

Blessings

It is true that things happen for a reason. 

Oftentimes when things do not go as we had planned or hoped, we think it is the end when actually it is only the beginning of something better and more beautiful.

Today I pay homage to this as I reflect over past losses and the new opportunities these enabled for me. I am truly grateful for all that I have. 

As I sit here in Turkey enjoying the sea and mountain view I am thankful for all that has been given to me and for what the future may hold for me. 

I hope today is a bright day for all of you. 

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Tonight I would like to write an entry about the topic of copyright. 

When an author or a poet creates a piece of work, it comes from that individual and is protected by way of copyright which forms part of intellectual property law.

The many hours that a person spends thinking about, planning, writing and editing a piece of work culminates in a final product which is protected in law, published and sold. 

So why is it that people see fit to break copyright and publish entire pieces of work online or in the public domain, without paying for this right?

This is completely unacceptable and essentially removes income from authors. It is like me going into your bank account and taking your salary. 

Yet this has happened to me not once, not twice but three times. Each time I have had to follow up with culprits or publishing companies to address. 

If you like anyone's work that much then you need to buy it! And if you cannot source it you should contact the publisher or author his/ her self if the item if no longer published in order that you can purchase the right to hold or share the work. 

That's it.