Inspirational

For My Grandmother

Inspirational

December 20, 2025.

My Grandmother Detelina was born 83 years ago today. She left this earth 63 days ago on October 19 and now resides in Paradise.

As the matriarch of my family, her passing has profoundly affected all of us.

As for me, it has wholly penetrated through my existence and core. She was more than my parent and my best friend throughout my life. Until my husband came into my life 3 Decembers ago, she was my one and only; she was my person in this world. Sending her off into eternal love and freedom and laying her physical body to rest triggered a paramount change within me and in my life.

The wonder and astonishment in the magic of the Good Lord shine through the fact that He ensured I am not alone and I have my twin soul and husband, Ken Grady—a Giant among men, here with me during this colossal turning point in my life. And even though he did not get to meet her in person as we were planning to do in the fall of the upcoming year, we take solace and comfort in the fact he already knows her as she lives in me and is forever in our hearts.

So today, with a full heart, as I bow before her yet again, I celebrate her amazing life, her iconic spirit, and her sweeping legacy. I celebrate the woman she was—that one of a kind, eternal woman. The refined kind of woman before whom words like beauty, grace, elegance, and class bow and pale. The kind of timeless woman who, in all her magic, remains stunningly gorgeous until the very end. The kind of sophisticated woman who exudes elegance and taste and whose intellect, wisdom and breadth of spirit, perspicacity and depth, grasp and mastery of the quintessence of people and the very stuff of life are boundless and penetrate the being of everyone blessed enough to ever be in her presence. The type of woman who is the entire Universe.

She is infinite.

За Баба

За вечната твоя грижа и закрила и за туй че над мене ден и нощ си бдяла,
За безмерната любов която си ми дала,
За името ти, за това че беше моята скала,
За светлината и напътствието в тъмнината на нощта,

Обичам те, почитам те, благодаря ти!
И пред тебе, паметта ти и душата ти се прекланям.
Че съм те имала тук на земята, Господ прославям.

Поне малко от твоята мъдрост да съм поела,
Стрък от добротата и разума ти да съм взела;
От грацията, лекотата, красотата, от съзнанието ти да съм попила,
Това е златната моя благословия. 

Ти беше не само невероятната ми баба,
Беше майка ми, силата ми когато съм била слаба.
Беше моят човек и най-близък приятел.
За туй съм толкова благодарна на нашия Всевишен създател.

Беше така сговорчива, добра и широко скроена.
Оправна. Беше жива икона, от най-светлата и велика магия сътворена.
Вечна си беше и винаги ще останеш такава.
Хора като тебе никога не се забравят.

Чудно ми е как съм те гледала като че през някак си останали съвсем детски очи,
Сякаш не виждайки че времето и по двете нас оставя следи,
Без да приемам че може дори за момент накрая да те боли,
Че да се видим пак с тебе на живо съдбата може би не ще позволи.

За всеки ти беше жива вода и упора, камо ли за мене;
Но ето че те достигна неизбежната последна умора и свърши даденото ни време.

Прости ми мъката и тъгата…
Едва сега се превръщам в жената,
Която ти ми помагаше да стана а аз не си позволявах да бъда,
Която върви напред смело по пътя.

А малкото твое детенце е винаги в мен;
И по детски денят без тебе понякога му се струва студен.

Дали животът теб от мене взе…
Или съдбата мен изтръгна от твоите топли ръце…
Незнам и е глупаво да се връщам назад и да търся някъде, у някого или в себе си грешки.
С помощта ти станах безгранична и поех всичката любов и светлина побиращи се в живота човешки.

“Ние правим планове, а Господ разполага.”
Разбрах го в края на крайщата.

Чух най-после какво искаше да ми кажеш,
Видях и усетих какво искаше да ми покажеш,
“Успокой топката и живей!
Обичай без извинение, усещай всеки миг и от сърце се смей!”

—твоя внучка, Детелина

There will be no English translation provided of the above poem as there can be none.

Transcending the Human Paradox
- Inspirational
“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.” – Albert Einstein
It’s my perception that the Self is cosmic and exists in multiple overlapping realities. Along with our physical human reality, we also have access to the spiritual realities of the Higher Self and the Ego—or Shadow Self—that exist in parallel.
Transcending the Human Paradox comes first with the understanding of these realities and the way they interact, affect, and influence one another. Secondly, it comes from understanding the Self and its dual nature, accepting the contrast within that nature, and learning how to walk in its balance in order to have an optimal experience of the life your soul has chosen for you.
The beauty and mystery of the paradox lies first within free will, the greatest gift the Universe—or God as I personally refer to it—has bestowed upon us.
First thing’s first. What is a paradox? Merriam-Webster defines it as “one (such as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases”.
This definition directly applies to the human being in and of its essence and nature.
Our physical bodies are tangible masses of matter, but the driving force operating them is intangible and abstract. That force manifests within each of us as a living, breathing mixture and paradox of senses, traits, perceptions, and emotions.
There are two basic concepts to transcending the paradox that you are: Acceptance and Understanding. The master key to optimizing your life and experience as a human being is internalizing both of these concepts. You can do that by using the intrinsic keys you possess to each. Acceptance is achieved through Understanding. Balance is unlocked through Cognizance, and Discernment.
Concepts:
Acceptance: Accept the world as it is, nature as it is, humanity as it is, yourself as you are. Accept the paradox and duality of everything. Accept the nuances of your personality and character and accept the contrast in those nuances as well as the culminations in their merges. Accept the individual within the individual. Finally, accept that the manifestations of the Higher Self and of the Ego reflect and become tangible in your physical reality.
In order to transcend duality, you must first accept it.
Life is a mirror. You’ve heard of the Hermetic principle As Within so Without. Your world is a prism and projection of light. The source of that light is within, where the Shadow Self and the Higher Self also reside.
The Shadow Self is rooted in lack, fear, emotional immaturity, cowardice, resentment, jealousy, despair, chaos, and doubt. The Higher Self is rooted in abundance, love, kindness, emotional maturity, gratitude, fortitude, peace, hope, and faith.
The simplest and most basic form of explanation of this internal contrast is the broader phenomenon, manifestation, and expression of the dichotomy of Good and Evil. I always found the story about the two wolves within each of us that the Cherokee grandfather told his grandson very insightful. The reality of the form of Self that you are allowing to dominate within you is the reality that is mirrored to you in the physical plane.
Balance: Balance inner personality traits. Balance life priorities. Balance emotions. Balance yourself. Balance individuality with connections. Stay grounded. Shift with grace.
There are sixteen personality types identified by the Myers-Briggs Indicator (MBTI), but even the creators of the model admit there is no one personality type that an individual fits perfectly into. Each of us is a unique combination of personality characteristics and traits with certain innate preferences.
A good example of overlapping personality types and the human attempt to organize them into categories and define them can be found in the concepts of Blue Collar and White Collar work and their theoretical and practical application.
I recently came across a blog article that focuses on the behavioral differences between the two and points out the general directness and hands-on style of blue-collar workers and the formality and diplomacy typical for white-collar workers. In conclusion, the author notes that individual depth and uniqueness go beyond categorization, grouping, titles, and labels.
Our characters and personalities don’t simply reflect in our education, vocations, careers, interests, and what we do for a living.
Who we are is mirrored in how we carry ourselves—our relationship with our own selves— and in how we treat others. It’s reflected in our approach to life, to our connections, and to our work as well as in the way that approach impacts our environment, others, and our own lives.
My personal journey, which I talk about in “The Path to Self-Realization”, has led me in various directions through life and is a testimony to the depth of my own character, personality, and individual traits, tendencies, and preferences.
If you want to go deeper, check out Richard Ford’s Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar: Stories of Work. It’s a literary work of greater scale that dives deep into both concepts and provides a widely comprehensive look into each of them while also emphasizing the overall fallacy in the notion that the entirety of one’s individuality can be contained into a single category.
Keys:
Understanding: Understand the power you hold inside at the center of your being. Understand the reactions you have to yourself and to the outside world.
It’s important to know your basic science and math. Remember that energy is always in motion and factor in the results of multiplication and division of positive and negative numbers. Be accountable and responsible for yourself. Heed the philosophical maxim Know Thyself, and recognize that others can only see you through their own lense and from their own point of view and understanding.
Cognizance: Take notice and be mindful of your surroundings and of others. Recognize what is occurring and what it is mirroring. Recognize the softness, gentleness, and humility in the voice of faith, truth, and love and the raucous, crassness, and arrogance of doubt, deception, and resentment.
Discernment: Listen with your heart and with your soul. Pay attention to the source of the voice and to what is being communicated. Always keep in mind the colorful world inside and outside of you, the changeability and fluidity of words, and the permanence and solidity of actions.
Using these keys correctly depends on your knowledge and application of basic grammar concepts in everyday life. While the importance of grammar applies in a very literal way to the literary world itself, it metaphorically shapes and portrays life and existence in their entirety.
Be aware, for example, of comas, spelling typos, and the places of apostrophes. Remember that homophones like born, borne, and bourn/e are a great example of the confusion and misunderstanding that result from words without correctness in grammar and clarity in context and intent.
Final Thoughts:
My wish for you is that you approach life from your very center.
As you do, hold the steering wheel with true intent. Focus and be steadfast in your reactions. Keep in mind deep understanding, growth, and wisdom come from experience. If necessary, your soul will allow you to get dirty to achieve positive results and to help you transcend from any imagined collars to boundlessness.
The path and journey are magnificent. They veer, transform, and shift as you do.
Be fierce in your approach and graceful in your shifts.
To Your Success!

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The Difference Is in the Details
- Inspirational
While I have my own unique character traits, like many others, I have an inquiring mind. Today I have a few questions.
***
Do you ever wonder what your role is in the grand scheme of things?
Do you ever wonder where the world you live in is headed or lose your own direction?
Do you ever misplace your muse and inspiration to keep going?
Do you ever stop to look and listen to the Universe when she talks to you?
Are you at peace with yourself, with the cards you’ve been dealt, and with the time you’re living in?
***
If you’re finding yourself in need of some inspiration right now, keep reading. Feel free to come back to this post whenever you notice doubts trying to weasel themselves in where they don’t belong.
The following poem was written by myself, and the first two quotes below it are also mine. Further down, you’ll find a compilation of quotes by others that I have always found uplifting.
***

Let’s Talk

You are my fellow human and muse;
I—the part of you that’s most often misused.

I can only be a reflection
Of your perspective and your perception;

You see, my expressions, my motives, and my intentions
Require your undivided attention;

So that we can avoid misimpressions and misinterpretations
Since our circumstances and words have a few different dimensions.

We want to respond but often react;
Leaving the soul shaken and the ego intact.

Please,
Don’t act like you know me
Or worse, like you own me;
A glimpse is never enough to unfold me.

Detelina Stamatova. All Rights Reserved.
***
“Your weakness is your strength.” Detelina Stamatova
“God is love. He forgives the forgiving.” Detelina Stamatova

***
“One is either free or one is not. The concept of freedom is an absolute. After all one cannot be moderately dead or moderately loved or moderately free. It must always remain a matter of either or.” Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley). The Duchess. 2008
“The world moves for love; it kneels before it in awe.” Edward Walker (William Hurt). The Village. 2004
“Poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition.” Eli Khamarov. The Shadow Zone
“A poet looks at the world the way a man looks at a woman.” Wallace Stevens. Opus Posthumous. 1957
“A man is a little thing when he works by and for himself; but when he gives voice to the rules of love and justice, he is godlike.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A poem begins with a lump in the throat.” Robert Frost
“Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” Robert Frost
“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” Carl Sandburg
“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought, and the thought has found words.” Robert Frost
“Poetry is a man’s rebellion against being what he is.” James Branch Cabell
“Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.” Leonard Cohen
“Poetry is thoughts that breathe and words that burn.” Thomas Gray
“I don’t create poetry, I create myself, for me my poems are a way to me. My self-confidence comes from the fact that I have discovered my own dimensions. It does not behoove me to make myself smaller than I am.” Edith Södegran
“You will find poetry nowhere unless you bring some of it with you.” Joseph Joubert
“Science is for those who learn; poetry for those who know.” Joseph Roux, Meditations of a Parish Priest
“I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like timber, it stepped itself in the forests.” Pablo Neruda
“She said, ‘I’m afraid of falling…’ and he whispered, ‘I have wings.’” Harlem Shake
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also some reason in madness.” Nietzsche
“Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, and attempts what is above its strength.” Thomas A. Kempis
“Love is a portion of the soul itself, and it is of the same nature as the celestial breathing of the atmosphere of paradise.” Victor Hugo
“The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” Rumi
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Lao Tzu
“I love you and because I love you I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.” Pietro Aretino
“Love takes off the masks we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” James Arthur Baldwin
“You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.” Anonymous
“Today I caught myself smiling for no reason… then I realized I was thinking about you.” Anonymous
“The risk it takes to remain tight inside the bud is more painful than the risk it takes to blossom.” Anais Nin
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anais Nin
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” Anonymous
“In the end, it’s not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away.” Shing Xiong
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” Oscar Wilde
“The truth is always pure and never simple.” Oscar Wilde
“You can bend it and twist it. You can misuse it and abuse it. But even God cannot change the truth.” Michael Levi
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” Galileo Galilei

Finally, please remember that you are the only one responsible for your own choices and their consequences.
To You and Your Success!

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The Path to Self-Realization
- Inspirational
Created: August 27, 2020 | Last update: July 22, 2025
Hello, fellow seekers of knowledge, dreamers, artists, lovers, readers, writers, warriors of peace, enthusiasts of the extraordinary, and humans in general!
Self-discovery! Popular term, right?
You always hear about public figures and celebrities discovering or rediscovering themselves. But what about you?
The truth is, we are generally expected to know who we are and pick a direction to follow very early in life, but since self-discovery is an ongoing process that goes hand in hand with experience, this can be a very challenging and confusing task.
An absolute mystery!
Personally, I’ve always considered myself a turtle and a late bloomer.
This is my first blog entry, and in this article, I want to introduce myself and give you a little background with the hopes it inspires you—no matter who you are and what you’re interested in—and lets you know it’s never too late to begin doing what you love. Whether you are twenty-five, forty-five, or sixty-five, you can always start over.
I am a literature lover, a word and grammar nerd, a writer, a self-published poet, an artist, and a freethinking individual who is passionate about helping others and making a positive impact.
My professional life has definitely been a diverse one. I’ve tried many different things and worked in various fields in both blue-collar and white-collar sectors. Coming from an immigrant family and having relocated frequently in search of my place in the world surely has a lot to do with it.
Starting out in college, I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted out of life. I could have pursued, for example, linguistics, philology, literature, jewelry design and repair, engineering, or something along those lines.
But I didn’t.
Honestly, none of those subjects even crossed my mind.
At eighteen, who really knows anything about living, what it’s all about, or what they want out of it? At that age, not very many of us do.
I didn’t.
Yet, we are all expected to go to college right away, pick a major, decide what we want to do with the rest of our lives, and stick to it.
Crazy!
There are exceptions, of course, but the majority of us have no idea what is going on when we are eighteen or even when we are well into our twenties.
I think most of you can agree.
The road to self-discovery gets even more complicated and mysterious when you are a diverse individual with numerous interests, like I am. I think that when we are in our twenties, most of us are just overwhelmed with the many shades of life and with discovering the real world.
Very few of us are financially stable or headed in the direction of becoming financially stable.
Most of us don’t even really know where we are headed during those years.
Funny enough, when we begin to mature and gather experience—when we start becoming solid adults—we understand we’ve known who we are the whole time, and things start making sense little by little.
That’s when we begin solving the mystery of self-discovery.
Growing up, I loved reading, writing, and art. I was always in art competitions and, with the risk of tooting my own horn here, even won some of them. I also read and wrote a lot.
Later on, when I started attending college, my English professor constantly encouraged me to pursue writing and recommended I consider taking advanced English courses.
During that time, however, I was too caught up in being a young adult and in exploring my numerous interests.
Yes, I was always making bead necklaces and bracelets, writing, or reading, but trying to turn these things into a profession never even came to mind at the time. I saw them as hobbies.
To top to off, I worked at a jewelry store with on-site bench jewelers. I loved my job, but pursuing my inclination for jewelry design and repair further never crossed my mind.
I really had no idea what I wanted to pursue a career in.
After leaving my major as undecided for the first two years of college, I began changing it and taking classes in different fields of interest.
I started with psychology and then moved to art, 3-D art, art history, interior design, and early childhood education.
It took me a total of six years to graduate, and I finished with a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Family Development. It felt right.
There were also some sociology, and anthropology classes involved in the process.
After I graduated and completed my internship at the Georgia Southern University Child Development Center in Statesboro, GA, I taught preschool in Atlanta, more specifically Duluth, for a couple of years.
Then I moved on to other things (and other cities and later on, another state) and started taking different jobs in areas like communications, project building, labor and workload organization, time management, and customer service and relations, which actually built up my skills and gave me the knowledge and tools to be able to start a business of my own.
Meanwhile, I self-published two books of poetic expression—Lyrics of the Soul: A Warrior’s Journey and Lyrics of the Soul: Heartbeat.
Eventually, I stumbled on a proofreading course, and because I’m a writer before anything else, it led me to think about writing for others as well.
I started out by offering writing and editing services (check out my tips and resources if you’re interested in the process or are a wordsmith yourself) and later on opened an Etsy shop for my handmade jewelry.
I kept my business open for three years (2020–2023), and while I’m not in it any longer—I honestly found writing for others and reading literature I wasn’t necessarily into easily got boring and even annoying for me—it greatly expanded my professional skills and abilities. I even built this website all on my own back in 2020 (something I never thought I could do), which is an accomplishment I’m very proud of.
My mid thirties is when I found myself back in Georgia doing administrative work for a great company that treated me very well. I was comfortable and enjoyed a certain level of professional satisfaction, but I can’t wholeheartedly say I felt truly fulfilled in every aspect of life.
Toward the end of my first year at the company, I reached a major turning point in my life.
My masculine counterpart (now husband) came into my life in December of 2022. We married in March of 2023 and settled down in gorgeous Tennessee, where I had to dive into the daunting task of finding a new professional direction once again.
After a while of trial and error and quite a bit of general uncertainty and frustration, my amazing husband’s impeccable perceptive and intuitive skills hinted at a direction I found very curious—Real Estate. This was something that had been repeatedly brought up in my past experiences and something I had immediately dismissed more than once.
It’s safe to say in addition to the lack of time and funds, my disinclination to consider the venture had also stemmed from lack of true understanding or deeper knowledge on the subject matter.
So, I figured the least I could do was educate myself on the topic. My husband was extremely encouraging, gracious, and supportive, which made all the difference along the way.
Eventually, in October of 2024, I reached another major turning point and milestone in my life when I got my Real Estate License.
In the world of Real Estate, things are always up in the air and nothing is ever sure or guaranteed. It’s not a field someone like me—someone needing solid ground beneath their feet—would choose to build a primary career in, and I don’t actively participate in it.
However, as an Affiliate Broker , when others need my services or expertise, I get to be make a positive difference in their experiences by finding and referring them to an active agent in the area they live in or in their location of interest and choosing.
I also get to have fun and to have my husband along for the adventure, which makes it that much more awesome and exciting.
Today, while relishing in my interests, I enjoy an exciting unfolding career in manufacturing, which brings me professional security and satisfaction as well as a great sense of productivity and accomplishment at the end of every day.
My journey and everything I have ever done make complete sense, and my attitude and general mood are quite positive.
My life feels natural, genuine, blissful, and meaningful. I’ve truly come to appreciate who I am and my experiences, and I have a bright point of view.
There’s a deep sense of satisfaction present in my days, and my gratitude for life is overflowing.
VOILÀ
Mystery: UNCOVERED
Findings: EXPERIENCE AND SELF-REALIZATION INTERTWINE AND ARE ONGOING
My current world is a place where I feel I belong, but I am older, wiser, and have a much better understanding of life, which is what makes all the difference.
My message, in short, is as follows:
There is a reason for everything. You don’t have to have all the answers right away. It’s great if you do, but it’s ok if you don’t. Whatever it is that you love doing is waiting for you. Knowing what it is and how to go about doing it will be revealed to you if you keep your eyes, ears, and heart open.
Never settle. Never stop looking for what’s right for you.
It may take a while, but everything will fall into place at some point, and you’ll find what you seek. You’ll feel it in your gut, and it’ll feel right.
When you do, don’t think twice!
To Your Success!

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Browsing Category

Browsing Category

For My Grandmother

Transcending the Human Paradox

The Difference Is in the Details

The Path to Self-Realization