HAPPY MOMENTS

 

From time to time I love silence. I love quietness. – Do you observe that we live in a real frightening, loud world? At every corner of our daily life are innumerable chances of being covered up with sometimes unbearable din and noise. The loud outcry gives me the needle. We don’t have nerves of steel forever.

I am not really a fan of going out at night. If you ask me how to spend a lovely evening after a hectic and stressful and, especially, noisy day – plain and simple.

The nicest occurrence is the silence, the intimate taciturnity, which can even “weld” people or partners together. It might sound just like an idiomatic expression, but believe me; not being forced to talk is great! No, I don’t mean that we have nothing to say to each other any more – or, he or she won’t listen to a special reason… . I am talking about a deep understanding between people, who are together and are able to share time in quiet and silent happiness.

After a long and strenuous day, it is a real big comfort to sit and lean back, read all the (old!) newspapers and magazines from the last days and weeks while enjoying a glass of wine and a handful of peanuts. A crossword puzzle is easier to solve while having a “silent” radio program in the background, instead of a “roars to hell” television show.

Try it. It’s indeed relaxing after traffic woes, the heat and dust of the day, telephones’ ringing, machine rattling, meetings and never ending discussions. Why should we talk right now?

Feeling safe and secure, inseparable, indestructible with peace in our minds and our surroundings, this is what we really mean to each other, understanding without words. At home, somewhere in the garden, at a beach – there are many wonderful places. And, suddenly out of the blue from the bottom of our heart and from the depth of comfort and ease, we might be able to speak about things, which couldn’t be discussed earlier. A good talk grows – but without compulsion or constraint or obligation, desperate or being forced.

Try it, and it might feel like walking hand-in-hand on a lonely sand beach, such as “once upon a time” with our first partner. And, unexpectedly: we become silent again AND thankful for it.

We really seldom take a break. We spend too much time in this terrible and frightful loud world… 

Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness said already William Robertson Davies (28 August 1913 – 2 December 1995) who was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor

Never forget: A smile never goes out of style. All it takes for anyone to live a happier life is to live it one smile at a time. Be your own reason for your happiness. Believe you can, and you’re halfway there. Bringing the sun wherever I go. Chin up, buttercup!

THE COLORS OF MY LIFE

 

By

 Klaus Döring

 -

Saturday, September 12, 2026

SOME people view life as a complex mixture of every human feeling, while others reduce it to simple dualities. Violet stands for joy, indigo for knowledge, blue for peace, green for love, yellow for tranquility, orange for sanctity, and red for strength. The union of all these rays creates energy within human beings and guides us through life with seven precious qualities from God.

The Ups and Downs of Our Life. We all live our lives through the prism of our experiences and emotions. And, naturally, we all want to live a happy life.

Therefore, the colors of life that we discover throughout our journey on Earth represent the different ways in which we see and interpret the world around us.

I have always been fascinated by Celine Dion’s song “The Colour of My Love”: “I’ll paint my mood in shades of blue; paint my soul to be with you…” and “I’ll paint the truth, show how I feel…” The colors of love are also the colors of life.

Passion and ignorance — our intense emotions and our uninstructed or unlearned behavior — are not always justifiable reasons for pardoning the guilty. Those words may sound rough and unpleasant, but sometimes they need to be expressed clearly and directly so that they reach our minds and hearts.

However, the weight of evidence may point to the fact that failure to see the different colors of life can lead to unnecessary death and injury. We may be barreling down the tracks of life with plenty of people in tow. Our decisions can influence friends, relatives, colleagues, and others in our daily surroundings. I don’t like your style? Still, you belong to the colors of my life…!

The colors of life are not always colorful. Many times, we may also find ourselves going through black-and-white periods.

What makes your life colorful? Be curious; make it your mission to discover new ideas, places, people, and interests. Be expressive; don’t be afraid to speak your mind and communicate your feelings to others. Take the initiative; don’t sit around waiting for permission to do what you love.

Life is full of colors. In our lives, we see bright colors — the happy, hopeful, and positive moments that make life beautiful. But life would not be complete without challenges and problems. Just as a picture needs contrast, the colors of life would not be complete without the darker ones.

Here is another important person. He was born in a stable. His friends were fishermen. He never traveled far beyond his homeland. He died in disgrace while he was still a young man. And yet, through the centuries and around the world, Jesus of Nazareth, through his life and teachings, has inspired more people than anyone else who ever walked this earth. He, too, became one of the most important colors of my life!

***

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, X (Twitter), or LinkedIn, or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com./PN

Making a difference

 

The Daily Guardian is a renascent Iloilo-based publishing firm and media outfit with bureaus across Western Visayas and beyond. Led by Iloilo's most respected journalists, we pledge to tell the Ilonggo story as seen through the various lenses of society so that every side may be told.

BUREAUS:Kalibo Boracay Roxas Bacolod Antique Guimaras Manila.

September 12, 2026

By Klaus Döring

Our globe and its population bear innumerable strange facts. In many people’s opinion, this world shows mostly worrying characteristics and symptoms nowadays. No wonder. Just try to consume and digest today’s headlines and news from all around the globe.

It is a world with quickly bridged distances — our Mother Earth is becoming smaller and smaller. Any tourist, even with little time and only a small budget, can travel to other faraway cultures. But joining them, as well as different races and religious communities, requires, first of all, great care, tact, instinctive feelings, empathy, and logical ideas.

The stranger whom we meet for the first time during a business meeting, for example, may be an uncommon, odd, and extraordinary guy. He may be someone from a foreign country who speaks another language and whose skin is of another color. He may be a migrant, a restless hiker, or an expatriate in our neighbourhood.

The foreigner beside you and me can become a provocation or a challenge. Strangeness can become exoticism. Maybe that’s why my family and I decided to move to the Philippines. On the other hand — going abroad can open other and even better horizons. We must not feel like “a stranger in paradise.” By the way, I never did, since I have toured around the globe many times.

However, a migrant bears a juxtaposition of optimism (even calculated optimism!), confused feelings, nostalgia, and homesickness. Yes, guys, during the first two years of my expat life in the Philippines, the round-trip ticket was always on my mind because no one among us can escape his native roots.

But I am really a lucky guy. I experienced amazing tolerance in the Philippines. A real, practiced tolerance. Already during my first business meetings, I met supportive, forbearing, and broad-minded people. A wonderful mix of different cultures without giving up their own identity. …

Every new challenge in a strange country means a change. Changes in life are necessary and important. Let’s alter or make a difference; let’s put one thing in place of another; let’s shift; let’s quit one state for another; let’s put on fresh clothing. Let’s burn the “lock fat” away. And remember: nothing comes from nothing.