{"id":35126,"date":"2026-10-02T22:38:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T01:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/?p=35126"},"modified":"2026-10-02T23:16:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T02:16:50","slug":"where-is-your-wonderland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/2026\/10\/02\/where-is-your-wonderland\/","title":{"rendered":"Where is your wonderland?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thank you Mr. Charles Aznavour for having existed!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Yesterday was Mr. Charles Aznavour’s 8th death anniversary (https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/yzdwkffu<\/a>). May his memory be eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Aznavour’s most beautiful songs, which is often featured on this blog, is called “Emmenez-moi” [Take me Along]. The lyrics of this song mention “the end of the earth” as well as “wonderland” as a destination to be transported to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are reading this post from as far as the Middle East, or even further, you may perhaps think of Canada as being the end of the earth. Who knows? Maybe for you it is New Zealand, Australia, or Sri Lanka, depending on where you are located. Of course, this also works in opposite directions or in any other direction. One must also keep in mind that distant or remote places exist within a same large country. Examples of such huge countries may be Russia, Canada, the United States, and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of note, a place can be both remote and charming, or meaningful, for us. A real wonderland, as per the song. We may perhaps have unforgettable memories there. We may simply dream of one day visiting this place at least once in our life. Do you have such a dream destination in mind, dear readers? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as Bambi is concerned, every time she listens to Mr. Aznavour’s song she envisions her own dream destination, or wonderland, especially that the song is about a sunny place filled with magic to the point that misery seems to be lighter in the sunshine. For Bambi, this wonderland exists for real, not just in her imagination. Yes, it is the Lindos beach on the Rhodes [or \u03a1\u03cc\u03b4\u03bf\u03c2 (R\u00f3dos) in Greek] island in Greece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Lindos, you may perhaps wonder? It is a place that Bambi’s mind associates with her family while being stunning. She visited it twice. Once with her parents and sisters during her childhood spent in Beirut. The second was a trip she made, from out Toronto, to meet her mom and dad there for a week of vacation. Her parents, who flew out of Beirut, surprised her by bringing with them Michael, her nephew. He was about 8 years old back then. Her dad taped her arrival to the hotel lobby from the airport. He told her: “Look at this Greek boy, doesn’t he look like Mickey”? Michael was wearing a hat and really looked… like himself. Jet lagged, Bambi said “Greek and Lebanese people look alike dad … but God, this boy truly looks like “Mickey habibi” :). Her dad joked, still while taping, saying: “Look closely Bambi, isn’t he Michael?”. At that time, Michael started laughing. He and Bambi ran to hug each other! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week of vacation was a dream come true. In Lindos with her loved ones, at least some of them. What can Bambi ask for more from life? There is a reason why in her office, inside and outside, she has a couple of postcards of Lindos, hanging on pinboards. Same for the screens of all her devices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was about Bambi’s Lindos. May “your own Lindos”, wherever it is, be a place of safety, well-being, and lots of fun. This place of your choice, perhaps initially a geographic or physical one, would become internal, as it did for Bambi. Yes, we all carry “the Lindos of our dreams” within us. Thankfully, in this internal space, we can devote time to refresh or to honour our loved ones, cherishing the good memories of them\/with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps most significantly, in those precious inner places, we can keep re-connecting with ourselves, or parts of ourselves. We can refuel our energy, even if only for a few seconds or minutes per day (like a form of personal meditation or prayer). Following such mental vacation mini-breaks, we can joyfully reconnect with others to fully enjoy the local environment, present moment, and our relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude this post, many thanks to Mr. Charles Aznavour for his impressive legacy. Long live the sunshine in the meaningful lyrics of his song as well as all the wonderlands in the world, regardless of their season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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