June

I stood there, observing her. The way she moved in that setting... The beauty she emanated... The light glowing around her... I observed the moment in stillness. Saw the lovely imperfections that make her unique... Sensed the exquisite perfume she released through the breeze... But also, her sadness stuck in long overdue memories. The salty water descended through my face, and I embraced her, deeply, in my mind.

"When you try to understand something, it's often most effective to set aside your preconceptions and observe it quietly so that the object of your examination reveals what needs to be understood. (...) pure attention without judgment is not only the highest form of human intelligence, but also the expression of love." Haemin Sunim (2017). The things you can see only when you slow down. Photo by Monica Pinheiro CC BY-NC-SA (CC) May 2026.

April

"When you tape into the arts to foster a meditative state, the places in your brain responsible for judgment and personal criticism are quieted in your prefrontal cortex, and you can assess a more generous, perspective-taking point of view." Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross (2023). Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Obra de Cruz-Filipe. Exposição Modo de Ver na Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. 

September

"Build a life that you don't need to escape from." "If true peace and clarity are what you seek in this life (...) know that you will find them nearby and not faraway". Ryan Holiday (2019). Stillness is Key.

 

Photo: Probably the smallest garden in the city: tropical part. Taken in august 2023 by Monica Pinheiro. Free to use if you respect the license CC BY-NC-SA (CC).

December

"As we notice more and more in the present moment, we come to a deeper realization that a silent observer is within us. In the primordial stillness, the silent observer witnesses everything inside and outside."  Haemin Sunim (2017). The things you can see only when you slow down. Photo by Monica Pinheiro free to use if you respect the license CC BY-NC-SA (CC).

December

"Make what you can of what you have been given. Live what can be lived. That's what excellence is." Ryan Holiday (2019) Stillness is the Key. Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA ( CC ).

Horizon

"The less energy we waste regretting the past and worrying about the future, the more energy we will have for what's in front of us." Ryan Holiday (2019). Stillness is the Key. Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA ( CC ).

September

"Stillness presents a break or pause in the flow of habitual events, whilst illuminating temporal gaps and fissures within which alternative, even unexpected possibilities - for life - might emerge. (...) Here, stillness offers the simultaneous possibility of termination and also of a new beginning." Emma Cocker (2011). Performing stillness: community in waiting. in Stillness in a Mobile World, edited by David Bissell and Gillian Fuller. Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC).

Stillness in a mobile world

Stillness:"an ethical choice between stillness as first aid for an overactive world, and stillness as a real slowing down". Bissell, David, and Gillian Fuller (2013). Stillness in a mobile world. London New York: Routledge. Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (CC)