Photo of the week

When you encourage someone to be better than they ever thought they could be, you are making the world a better place. Also in some way that encouragement for others is probably making your day as well. So  have a better day tomorrow than today and just share your awesomeness with all of us!! Believe me we need you!!

 Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a

 smile so much as he who has no more to give...

[Lucy and Faedon,happy and dirty after a nice mud bath in the local stream...]

Love,peace and sharing

Eirini

I'd rather be left alone...

                                                I confess:



  I am sick and tired of the invasion of my personal space..

I suffer from invasion of personal space overload syndrome!


Here are a few symptoms of my condition:

 I don’t answer the doorbell every time. I  have stopped answering my cell phone when it is inconvenient ( that means most of the times,because when I'm working,I am working and when I am resting I definitely need my rest!) I only check my emails once a week or every ten days and I am even selective to whom I talk to on the phone at work. If you call me at home,my kids will tell you I am not around or the phone might be unplugged. I guess the best way to communicte with me nowadays is to come by and see me personally at work,where I see almost everyone out of necessity, or send me a text message on Facebook which I frequent  for fun and inspiration and which is a medium impersonal enough and so safe enough for me to express myself without being bothered too much by annoying attitudes and/or people .

Quite a few of my acquaintances have chosen to be offended by this attitude of mine.Have I turned into a hermit or a diva or something more sinister all of a sudden?


No, I haven't. I suffer from invasion of personal space syndrome.Which means,for the past couple of years and especially for the past six months too many people have been invading my personal space for the wrong reasons. Meaning,I've had too much of a load of shit to deal with in both my personal and public life and for such a long time,that now almost all approaches of communication from others are met with indifference on my part,unless they are about business. Meaning,I wish to be left alone more often than not. Even if we get to communicate initially, I probably won't follow through. Meaning,I won't be bothered to meet you half way in communication ,unless you have proven to me I can trust you not to be bothersome. (bothersome=demanding too much of my time or demanding more than I can give you at the moment).Meaning,If I have to choose between meeting you in person and talking to you on the phone,I'll choose the latter,because it's less trouble. And If I get to choose between talking to you on the phone and not at all,I'll  choose the latter, for the same reason.


Please don't take this personally.I mean,I know that you are a wonderful human being,I really do.Hey,there's hardly anyone in the world that I don't get to meet and like,because I am by nature forever focused on the positive side of people,things and situations. If you are a woman, I am honestly inspired by you inner and outer beauty and really,I am genetically much less competitive than most towards my sex.So most women inspire me and bring out my social self. If you are a man, your masculinity or other male admirable traits win my admiration and bring out my best feminine side.I might even be sexually attracted to you,but I definitely won't let you know. If you are a child,my motherly nature takes over and I want to love,guide and protect you to death.If you are my friend,I do love you dearly,think of you more often than you think and send you healing energy as often as I can,along with my loving thoughts.

 But no matter who you are,no matter how drawn I feel to you, I'd rather be left alone than get any closer to you right now. Because, knowing myself, I am more likely than not to absorb some of your energy,take on some of your issues,emotional or other (don't tell me you don't have any because that's a lie and you know it), and try to help you to the best of my abilities to overcome  them. But frankly,this is too overwhelming and exhausting,especially at times such as these that my own reserves of strength are low,because of the depleting power of other shit in my life.


Maybe you feel the same. Maybe you too,are suffering from the same syndrome.If that is the case,take heart,for I have some advice that has come in handy for me:


-Know thy limits

-Choose how and with whom you spend your time wisely

-Learn to say no

-Avoid energy vampires like the plague

-Explain to those dear and near to your heart about your need for privacy

-Find,create or steal some me-time and treat it like a sacred date with your God-self

Above all else,be unapologetic about your need for privacy and space

Love,peace and personal space

Eirini

 

ΚΑΝΕ ΚΟΥΡΑΓΙΟ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΜΑΣ!

Στη μνημη του ηρωα πατερα μου,Ιωαννη Χαριτου. Που πολεμησε το '40 εικοσαχρονος λοχιας στον πολεμο. Που εζησε και μου μιλησε για ολ'αυτα που διαβαζουμε στα βιβλια,για τα κρυοπαγηματα( πως εβγαζε καθε βραδυ τις μποτες κι ετριβε τα δαχτυλα με χιονι για  να μη πεσουν απ'το κρυο),για την πεινα,το θανατο και το αδαμαστο της ψυχης ...Που ερχοτανε κατι γεροντακια και μου λεγανε ''Ξερεις οτι ο μπαμπας σου με κουβαλησε χιλιομετρα στην πλατη του μες το χιονι,τραυματια,ενω ολοι με ειχανε ξεγραμμενο,και τελικα εζησα;'' ' H το αλλο¨''Ξερεις οτι ο μπαμπας σου τραγουδουσε στις πορειες πρωτος απ'όλους και μας εβαζε στο κεφι να τραγουδησουμε κι εμεις...''

Στη μνημη αυτου του ηρωα πατερα μου,που τον εχασα στα δεκαπεντε μου,που δεν τον χαρηκα αρκετα,( μ'εκανε στα πενηντα του) αφιερωνω κι εγω το δικο μου ''ΟΧΙ''.

ΚΑΝΕ ΚΟΥΡΑΓΙΟ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΜΑΣ!

OXI,δε θα παψω ΠΟΤΕ να ειμαι περηφανη/ος για τη χωρα μου!

OXI,δε θα δωσω καμια βαση στη συκοφαντικη δυσφημηση των Ευρωπαιων ''εταιρων''!

OXI, δε θα σκυψω το κεφαλι στη συμμορια των ανθελληνων,πληρωμενων και ανικανων πολιτικων που λιμαινονται την ελληνικη βουλη!

OXI, δε θα εγκαταλειψω,στους κρισιμους αυτους καιρους,τη χωρα μου στα χερια δοσιλογων και προδοτων σε αναζητηση καλυτερης 'τυχης' στο εξωτερικο!

 

OXI, δε θα χασω το ηθικο μου,τη χαρα μου και τη μαγκια μου επειδη μου στερησανε τα 'φραγκα', την ελπιδα και το ονειρο!

ΟΧΙ, δε θα πουλησω την ψυχη μου για το χρημα,θα μεινω νηστικος,αν χρειαστει,αλλα με ψηλα το κεφαλι!

ΟΧΙ,δε θα παψω ΠΟΤΕ να ονειρευομαι,να ελπιζω και να αγωνιζομαι για ενα καλυτερο μελλον για τη χωρα μου,τα παιδια της,τα παιδια μου και για μενα!

Παιδια της Ελλαδος-Το τραγουδι της Νικης

 

Μην ακουσετε απλα το παραπανω τραγουδι...Δειτε εκει στο βιντεο...μετά το 2.26 λεπτο...δειτε λιγο τα προσωπα τους...ανδρων και γυναικων...καθως φευγουν για τον πολεμο...δειτε τους,στ'αληθεια δειτε τους! Δε γελανε απλα,λαμπουνε...Νομιζετε οτι δεν ξερανε οτι πηγαινανε σε πολεμο και θανατο? Ετσι νομιζετε? Η ψυχη τους ομως ηταν τοσο αστραφτερη που επισκιαζε το φοβο...Αυτοι ειχαν ''τη χαρα της αφθαρσιας μεσ'τα ματια''.. Κι οταν δειτε το βιντεακι,καντε μου τη χαρη σας παρακαλω,πατε στον καθρεφτη σας και κοιταχτειτε...Δειτε το δικο σας προσωπο κι αν το δειτε σκυθρωπο,θλιμμενο,σκαμμενο απο φροντιδες και αγωνια για το μελλον,ανεκφραστο και μιζερο,θυμηθειτε ποιων ειστε απογονοι και απλα χαμογελαστε...Χαμογελαστε πλατια,μεσ'απο την καρδια σας και πειτε δυνατα : ''Κανε κουραγιο Ελλαδα μας κι οσο μπορεις κρατησου,γιατι ειμασταν και ειμαστε ολα τα παιδια σου εμεις μαζι σου''.....

ΚΑΝΕ ΚΟΥΡΑΓΙΟ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΜΑΣ  να μη μας αρρωστήσεις,
γιατί το θέλει  κι ο Θεός να ζήσεις και θα ζήσεις!

OXI, δε θα θεωρησω τη χωρα των προγονων μου 'ξοφλημενη υποθεση'!

ΘΑ ΜΕΙΝΩ,ΘΑ ΠΑΛΕΨΩ ΚΑΙ ΘΑ ΝΙΚΗΣΩ!

  

Take heart my Greece!

This post is in memory of my late father Ioannis Haritos.

He was a World War II hero that fought in those epic battles against Axis ( Italians -Germans) in 1940. He was 20 years old at the time,a sergeant and received a medal for his bravery at war. When I was a kid, old people would stop me in the street and tell me how he saved one's life by carrying him in his shoulders when wounded or how he would urge everyone to sing uplifting songs during a gruelling march....He himself told me of deathcold and of frostbite,of hunger and of non-existent supplies,of the indomitable of the human spirit,of companionship, of never-EVER giving up..He was also up in the mountains afterwards,during the German occupation,doing guerilla warfare till the very end...I only had my father with me for 15 years, ( he had me when he was 50) but I consider it the greatest of honors to be the daughter of a real hero. May he rest in peace.

 I am proud to be Greek and will always be so!  
TAKE HEART MY GREECE, for you are now fighting another,more cruel and infernal battle!



28th Octomber 1940. Greece said"NO" to Axis!(Germans- Italians)   The national holiday of Oct 28 is almost here. We Greeks celebrate the beginning of this war. Let us remember why:

RESISTANCE DAYS
Greece: 219
Norway: 61
France: 43 (a superpower by the time's standards)
Poland: 30
Belgium: 18
Netherlands: 4
Yugoslavia 3
Denmark 0
Czechoslovakia 0
Luxemburg 0


Greece became the breakwater against the horror and the general belief of the European peoples, that the victory of the iron-clad and armed to the teeth nazis and fascist armies was certain and that the isolated England was not able to stop the terrific German military mechanism.

The successful outcome of this daring decision and the psychic force that Greece sustained for a long time, contributed to refuting the legend about "the invincible of the Axis", and at the same time a change of estimations took place concerning the evolution of the war, positively affecting the diplomatic field. Countries which were assumed to participate in the war at the side of the Axis, started to show hesitancy as to their participation or not, or even denial. In the edition of 28th November the "Times" wrote: "The Greek victories had a tremendous impact at the Near East... The concerns about an Italian invasion in Egypt were removed whereas Mussolini,(the Italian fascist leader) considered as something significant in the popular imagination, because a comic figure


The Germans attacked on April 6 1941 after having rushed down through Yugoslavia (3 days). The Greek army at the time was way up into Albania chasing the Italians.

The forts along the northern borders fought the Germans until they received msg that Athens had fallen and the government had fled to Egypt. They were ordered to surrender.

During the German occupation that followed (41-44) 350,000 Greeks lost their lives to hunger, famine, executions.

The remnants of the Greek army joined the Allied forces at Cairo and regrouped. They fought bravely in north Africa (El Alamein, Tobruk, to name a few) till the end. In the fatherland many took to the mountains and fought as guerillas against the nazis. In essence, 219 days only refers to the days Greece lasted as a sovereign country. The fight was continued till the very end.

It is true that the nation feels exceptional pride for the great "NO" on the 28th of October 1940, said by the Hellenic people at the very early dawn of that historic day.
The generation of the '40s proved, once more, that the sacred passion for the freedom of the country is the ultimate duty for all Greeks, who have repeatedly proved it during their age-long existence, and they will not cease to do the same, as long as they live in this beautiful country.



Quotes:Adolf Hitler 1889-1945
Head of German state 1889-1945
"Thanks to  historical truth I owe it to admit that only the Greeks, from all opponents that we faced, fought with daring courage and contempt for Death''

Winston Churchil 1874-1965
Prime Minister of Great Britain at the World WarII
"Up to now we said that the Greeks fight as heroes. Now we will say: The heroes fight as Greeks."

Positivity Troll?

My 15 year old so John is reading posts on my facebook wall and says:'' Mum,you are a positivity troll on the Internet. And this is even worse than being a normal troll,because they just come,hate and go,but you keep filling people's heads with positivity stuff and make them fall into self-complacent stupor and do nothing to change themselves. Really,mum. At least offer some constructive criticism from time to time''


My answer to him was:

With so much pain and heartache in the world most people simply need two things; someone to listen and someone to walk with them through what they are dealing with. Time is our most precious asset and if we would take a short moment to offer kindness, a smile, a word of encouragement...we might just turn a life around. The one turned around could very well be our own... As you seek to encourage others, you become encouraged as well. 

Love,peace and compassion

Eirini

Photos from here

                         

Stop being scared!

There are only two emotions really. Fear and Love (thanks for the notion Christopher!). All other feelings and emotions are byproducts of those two universal aspects of human consciousness. At any given moment we can choose either. Fear, it seems, has become our instinctual feeling of choice nowadays. It's pervasive and contagious. Love,on the other hand (and its byproduct, trust),is rare -unless you count romantic love of course,which is more often than not an illusion dissolved by time and loss of sexual attraction anyway ), because it requires some kind of conscious effort, at least at first.


I have chosen Love and Trust when dealing with private issues on the Internet. I have been taught this first and foremost by Jessica Mullen, one of my Internet heroes, who summarises this idea exellently in her latest post:



''I also publicly share my thoughts to celebrate our one consciousness. We are all part of the same whole. We are all made of the exact same energy (love, or god, or source). We all want the same things – to have fun and be loved. We are all perfect. All of our experiences have the same value – to expand the universe.

Since we are all one consciousness, there is no reason for me to fear you or what you think. I may create a version of you that has negative thoughts about me, but you are not your mind. I know negative thoughts about me are not true. And I know that you are, at heart, me. With that logic I share my thoughts to practice fearlessness, to practice trusting you instead of fearing your judgement. I trust that you understand what I’m doing. I trust that you are a loving being.

Privacy is a big concern for many on the Internet. My belief is that we feel the need for privacy because we are afraid of each other’s thoughts, and we are afraid for our financial or personal safety. But what if we chose to trust each other, to not need privacy, to trust that we can all do our own things without penalty? What if we sacrificed privacy for trust and unity? You can argue there will always be some that will take advantage of the openness. But couldn’t we train ourselves out of that belief too? Jesus could. We are all made of god. None of us is bad, or evil, or wrong.''


Let's all practice Love for a change. For me the Internet is a great medium, because what other greater means of publicly declaring your Trust and Fearlessness is there? No,I am not scared of what you might think of me nor am I concerned with 'privacy issues'' (unless other people in my life are concerned about them,of course). I choose Love and Trust.


                                                         How about you?

Love,peace and Trust

Eirini

pictures from here

                                                          

Happy and not-so-Happy birthdays

 My oldest son is angry at me. Because of a blogpost about my freerange kids. He believes that my posts about him and his brothers and my husband are lacking in respect towards them.  Which is the reason why I am getting those posts down tonight. Because my kid is infinitely more important than a couple of blogposts. On his birthday yesterday-as his friens were planning a big surprise birhday party at my school for him-I asked him what sort of present he'd like to have and his answer was ''As a present I want you to never ever speak to me again''. It was an answer meant to hurt me of course. And it did a pretty good job at it. Because nobody can hurt us more than those we love the most in this world.

His birthday brought memories of his actual birth 17 years ago. I was just 23, (see this picture of mine above few months before I conceived him ) and I come from a family in which females are notorious for having long and hard labours. So I had a real tough one myself. I was already 14 hours in active labour and half crazy because of contraction pains. The dear good doctor that was attending me gave strict orders to the nurses not to let me stay in any position other than my left side and I was practically strapped to that bed. Whenever I even tried to move to ease the pain,the nurses would forcefully push me back down on the bed telling me how horrible and irresponsible I was.

The good doctor would pop in from time to time to check on me. He would ask if I wanted something for the pain and I would invariably say no because I was determined to have a fully 'natural' childbirth and not let them fill my baby's bloodstream with drugs. At one time when I was almost delirious with pain and dilation was not progressing at all and I was still refusing the doctor's pain relief offer,I remember him angrilly telling me :''Fine,then suffer!'' When I finally did give birth (thanks to the compassionate help of a visiting midwife that helped me find the inner strength to push my baby out intervention-free), I remember having my precious boy placed on my belly, still all warm and crumpled from my uterus,and seeing his big,beautiful,shining,really bright, dark eyes looking at people and things around him,trying to focus, in wonder and in awe. And I felt the happiest I've ever been in my life. I don't care how much of a cliche that sounds,because it is true. I' ve never felt any happier ever since,because nothing compared to that moment ever.

I breastfed him exclusively for 10 months, to save him from allergies in later life and help him get a strong immune system and a well-developed brain. Even though my nipples got infected at first,all bleeding and sore and so painful that I would cry whenever I put him to my breast. He was a 'difficult' baby that wouldn't sleep for more than three hours in a row until he became 2 years old,when I had my second son. Sleep deprivation became a chronic condition for me from then on...

Time goes by real quick,doesn't it? As I struggle with two teenagers,a pre-teen and a pre-schooler at home,I have to keep reminding myself of this poem by my favourite poet Khalil Gibran:



Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

                                              Love,peace and understanding

                                                              Eirini

40 things I've never done in my life

                           I am 40 years old and here are 40 things that I've never done in my life:




                                                      I've never ever:



1.Eaten sushi 

2.Had a tatoo 

3.Learnt how to ride a bike



4. Worked in any job other than that of a teacher



5.Travelled outside Europe



6.Been to cinema on my own



7. Smoked a cigarette or weed in my life



8.Been bungee-jumping

9. Smashed a window



10.Believed in Santa Claus



11.Been to prison



12.Been a popular girl in class



13.Got to say to my late father that I loved him



14.Drunk any pasterized milk without feeling bloated



15. Been afraid of the dark as a child



16. Broke anything in my body



17.Slapped a woman on the face

18. Been to a doctor's office without hating their guts



19.Drunk any vodka



20. Seen a yeti

21. Had a threesome



22.Learnt how to type properly (to this day I still use hunt and peck)

23. Killed anybody ( not untill now,that is )



24.  Given birth to a daughter



26. Had an extraterrestrial encounter



27. Had sex in a car



28. Liked Maths



29.Chewed any gum- I hate it!



30.Published any of my books/stories




31.Had a room of my own



32. Had my mum kiss me (she just didn't have it in her)



33. Liked greek coffee 



34. Let a couple of days go by without eating anything sweet

35. Liked or trusted animals that are not furry (yes,birds included )



36. Made hay while the sun was shining



37. Been horseback riding,which I believe is such a shame,since I am so much into horses

38. Kissed anybody's ass  EVER




39. Stopped believing in the beauty of my dreams




40. Stopped believing in God





 P.S. : As I  am re-reading all the above about myself, there's only one thing I have to say about me:



                                               -Boy, am I a boring person or what!

                                                           

Love,peace and little things

Eirini 

How to stay strong in tough times

My country is going through a rough patch at the moment. Hell,the whole world is going through a rough patch at the moment. Also, I am personally going through a rough patch at the moment. In more ways than one. 

Maybe you are going through a rought patch too. It can be really tough to stay motivated when it feels like your world is crashing down around you. Many people are living from week to week and struggling to make ends meet. Others are struggling with gloom and depressive thoughts. And everyone seems more sceptical and more unhappy than ever.

So what do you need most when you are going through a rough patch (other than a stroke of good luck of course) ?

Yeap,you've guessed it. You need strength!

How do you stay happy,strong and positive when in tough times? Here's how:  

The 10 Commandments of staying strong in tough times 

1. You are stronger than you think you are

Tough times call for stamina and endurance. Yes,you are strong. Yes,you'll live through this. No,you won't lose your mind. Yes,you'll be OK in the end,no matter what. You just have to find your second wind. You just have to believe that you have it in you.This is the most important and most difficult thing to do especially if your confidence has been shaken. It’s even harder when you lack the support behind you.Remember, this too will pass . IT ALWAYS DOES. One way or another.

2. Strength always comes from within,never from an outside source

Noone and nothing can give or take strength away from you without your consent. Even if it appears to be so. It is just you empowering or belittling yourself. Toxic thoughts create toxic emotions. If you think of  fearful thoughts you will feel fearful. If you think you’re desperate you will feel desperate. Repeat to yourself often enough how strong you are and voila! you are stronger already. It's as simple as that. I promise. Try it. Repeat after me: ''I am strong,powerful and focused''. Say it aloud,say it with conviction. Repeat as many times as needed.

3. The ultimate kind of Strength is actually Love

This is why strength is actually love.You see,there are only two kinds of  emotions: Love and fear. Fear freezes you,terrifies and stupifies you. The opposite of fear is not bravery or strength. It is actually love,because when you love- life,yourself,a person,a pet,a sunset,a hobby, God or whatever- you are simply incapable of feeling any fear in your heart towards them. Love drives fear away.  So if you need more strength in all areas of your life,incorporate more love. The more love you fill your heart with in a certain area of your life,the more love you will witness showing up in all other areas of your life as well. Tried and tested guys, I promise!

4. The more strength you share,the more you have for yourself

No matter how bad things get, it’s always possible to find someone else who’s in an even tougher spot.

So share your strength and courage with others. Combine resources with them, help with practical or emotional issues. Your levels of strength will automatically rise as a result of it  Remember,the more you give,the more you get back.

5.There is no strength without truth and honesty

I cannot stress enough the importance of facing the reality of your situation.  Don't do the ostrich thing. Admit how hard things are for you, admit the seriousness of your situation. Accept your fair share of responsibility. Admit that you are scared, lost,helples,desperate. Admit it to yourself .BUT ,always put the word but next to it: ''I am feeling lost BUT I am strong and eventually I'll pull it through''.

6.Fun and sense of humor can fuel strength

 Laugh in the face of the absurdity of your pains and troubles. No,I don't mean you should minimize or pretend that your troubles don’t exist. But if you are able to find humor in every situation ,you'll cope more effectively. And have fun,fun,more fun. Incorporate more fun in your daily activities.Keep yourself entertained without spending much: entertainment and fun doesn’t have to mean spending money. You can have a great time with your friends, relatives,kids, with your pet and with your partner. Put fun high up in your daily list of to-do things. Make it a habit. Your mental and emotional wellbeing depend on that,especially in rough times.

7. Strength and imagery

One of the things you can do is to think about what it will be like when the turmoil is over. Imagine that as clearly as you possibly can. Imagine every detail in living color and sound. Use all of your five senses in imagining what it will be like. Keep working on it until it is crystal clear and compelling.Now step in to it and live in that reality for as long as it feels comfortable. Next commit your vision to the Universe and let the Law of Attraction take over. 

                                         8. God creates in strength and rests in acceptance 

No long explanation needed here. Too much of anything is not good. If you feel like breaking down  from time to time go ahead and do it. Obviously it's good for the soul. So long as you eventually bounce back.

9.The stronger you get, the stronger you get

Oh,yes,it's true,I swear! Go read this article and find out how.

10 . The strength diet:

-Go On a Media Fast.  If you want to know what is in the news today I can tell you. It’s the same as yesterday. Same fear different story.

-Read  and listen to inspirational stuff.  Countless people have survived war, the depression, recessions and have literally lost everything. Yet they came back stronger than ever in all areas of their lives.

-Appreciate everything.  Learn to live in a state of gratitude.

-Learn to Live With Less. How would your life change if you became satisfied with what you have or even a little less than that?

Love,peace and inner strength

Eirini

pictures from here

How to never ever lose your job or a customer again

This is the nanny of my youngest kid,Achilleas. Her name is Mrs Suzie and she's the best one I've ever had. She is a nanny only for Achilleas because my older kids,being 10,15 and 17 years old can fend for themselves,so they don't need a nanny. Except they sometimes do,so I guess she's a nanny to all of them. She works every weekday from afternoon until 10.30 at night when I get back from my school. In this picture she's with Achilleas who is wearing a fancy Spiderman costume that she bought for him as a present . He saw it in a shop window and was crazy about it,I wouldn't give in and buy it for him,so she had to go and buy it herself because she loves my son to bits and she spoils him like a real Greek granny would.

She's been Achilleas' nanny since he was a few months old . Now Achilleas,4 and a half, is old enough to attend a nursery school  from morning till afternoon and my older kids are old and responsible enough to take care of him in the evenings while I go out to work. But I am still employing her and I will go on doing so,although I have cut down on many other expenses in my household and although I had made redundant some people in my staff and  taken on some of their reasponsibilities (economic crisis and all). But Mrs Suzie? No,I just couldn't do without.

She has become indispensable and irreplaceably as an employee and so she's the last person I'll ever fire.Because you just can't fire an indispensable or irreplaceable employee.

Here's how you too can become indispensable and irreplaceable so that you'll never lose a job (if you are an employee) or a customer (if you are an employer) :

 1. Be happy and positive all the time  What I love about Mrs Suzie is that I'd never seen her in a bad mood! Never! Doesn't she have any problems of her own?  You bet! But she looks as happy as a lark when she's around my kid. If you go about thinking that your job stinks, you hate your boss and nothing you do makes a difference,don't be surprised if they oblige to make it come true for you. So, go on,don't even try to be positive, ever. Complain loudly about everything and look for more opportunities to be unhappy. Don't participate in office meetings or brainstorming sessions.Then see how fast you are made redundant the next time they have to let people go.Same goes for your customers.Keep complaining to them and about them ,they'll surely appreciate it and come back again next time they need your services,right?

2 .Don't work fewer hours or take more days off – Mrs Suzie has taken only a week off throughout the four years she's working for me and that's when she was in hospital!  But why not take a day or two off?  I mean,it's not like you don't deserve it. Of course you deserve it. But that's not the point here. The point is,how to become irreplaceable. And irreplaceable employees don't  take days off that often. For one thing because they enjoy their job. And for another because they are aware that they are indispensable,so who is going to fill in for them? If you want to be fired, whatever you do, don't come in early or work late. That would make your boss or co-workers think that you might actually care. As for me, my motto is: if you are the boss and not about to die or give birth,you show up for work . Period.

  3.Don't stop contributing after a while– If no one sees you, it's like you aren't there, right? Don't talk about work issues or help brainstorm new ideas. Don't reply to your email and don't make suggestions to your boss. Just try to be invisible. I mean,you do your job, you show up,you do what is expected of you, you go through the motions. What else is there? I'll tell you what else is there. Actually caring and going the extra mile is what makes the difference between crap performance and top performance,whether you are an employee or the boss. My nanny was hired only to look after my youngest son and help with the ironing. But when she's working at my home,she just can't stay still. If Achilleas is napping she'll go about doing housework,sweeping,mopping,washing dishes,folding clothes,cooking something light for the kids,anything that I'd do if I was around! Without my asking her or expecting or even paying her to do so! Why? Because she actually cares. And that makes her irreplaceable.


4. Don't just say no –  Here's how to be easily replaceable: If your boss asks you to work on a special assignment, just say no. If your co-workers need help on a project, just tell them that you are too busy. If you aren't involved with any of the important projects, it will be easier for you to be let go after all. Also make sure that you aren't working on anything valuable so that you will be free to go at a moments notice.Don't put in overtime,no matter what. If you own a business or are offering a service,just say no to your customers asking you for something extra,a favour or a small add-on service . I mean,what kind of a sucker would that make you? I'll tell you what that would make you in the hearts and minds of your boss and customers: irreplaceable! I sometimes ask Mrs Suzie to work the extra night when we have arranged  parties or special nights at school for the students or on the rare occasions that I might want to do something for myself without the kids (and of course I pay her extra for that).She is almost always happy to oblige .There are even times that she's like ''Hey,Eirini,I hate to see you always staying at home and never having any fun,go out tonight,I'll be taking care of the kids for you''.

A job or a customer is hard to come by these days,global economic meltdown and all .So unless you'd rather live on an unemployment allowance ( that's an option too of course) or you needn't worry about money any more (lucky you!),you should make an effort to become irreplaceable for either your boss or your customers. Give more,get back more.

Or go off and change society so that everything becomes free for everyone and we all get to live happily ever after...

Love,peace and work ethic

Eirini