The Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you.

"The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO." One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Weeks went by, nothing grew. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, and a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide behind. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!" All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!" When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said. Then the CEO replied, "One year ago this day, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who needs to be commended!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
* If you plant faith in God , you will reap a harvest.

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later. "Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back"

Unseen Hand

My brother was traveling with his family in a car from Delhi to Suraj Khand situated in the northern part of India. It was around 8 pm as they entered a forest path surrounded by a deep valley. There were no street lights and he was blinded by the headlights of the oncoming vehicles. He swerved at a certain bend to avoid collision and his car came to a screeching halt but precariously positioned overlooking the valley.

All of them inside the car were petrified and were wondering whether to get out or not, since any slight movement would tilt the balance. My brother decided to get out , aware of the risk, since something had to be done. He managed to come out and looked around for help to shift the car. From no where a huge burly man came and pushed the car to safety and disappeared. My brother wanted to thank him and called out … but of no avail. He was gone.

Another incident ….. It was a rainy day in Mumbai and the streets were completely flooded. My young daughter was wading through the water with her school bag on her head and to her dismay found that the water level had literally reached her neck. She was in tears and was imagining the worst. She suddenly noticed that an uncle came from behind, lifted her and left her in the foot path to safety. She turned back to thank the uncle. There was no uncle. She looked everywhere but there was no trace of the good Samaritan.

What else can these be attributed to, except the unseen hand of the DIVINE.

Hut is burning

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened and everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me?" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was wakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the
island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged sometimes when things appear to be going badly. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God. For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has positive answer for it. Pass this on, you never know whose life may be in need of this
today. Believe me, there are some weeks that we all feel our huts are burning.

In laws or Out laws

Recently, I had been to a clinic for my wife’s cataract surgery. Wife was a little tensed considering this was the first time in her life, she was being exposed to the surgeon’s knife. Oh! that’s rhyming – wife and knife, and both are sharp and cutting. I am taking the liberty since she can’t read at present what is being scribbled.

Now for the high drama at the clinic. An old lady was being escorted home after the surgery. We were in the reception and we saw the lady fall (plonk) down. Phew! She was accompanied by her husband, equally old, and her two daughter in laws (DIL’s). Efforts to pick her up were in vain since it was just not possible for the husband to do so alone. The DIL’s were mere spectators, and I was confident - it was intentional. The nurses and the doctors were summoned by the husband for the rescue act, and one of the DIL’s was busy chatting with a friend of hers. My mom in law (MIL) and I looked more concerned and lent a helping hand but were shooed away by the Durga Mata (Hindu Goddess who killed the demon) stares of the DIL’s.

The doctors rebuked the family for not following instructions .The old lady required rest, post anesthesia. Tring, tring …. the mobile rang and, once again, the DIL was at it explaining endlessly her helplessness to attend a kitty party that afternoon. More amusement followed. The mobile of the other DIL rang, and Gosh!, she was a super brat. Very much in her own world, she was talking about a recent hit song “Munni badnaam hui, darling tere liye”, and nearby in the sofa was the old lady with her head spinning. Looking at the happenings, I was too sure that one won’t require anesthesia with such DIL’s around.

My MIL was smiling, probably proud of her priced possession, her well behaved son in law. One good act deserves another. So I made a mental note that I should at least lift my MIL when she falls down.

Now I have to be careful about two people not reading this – my wife and my mother in law.

When insults had class - II

Some more for one's reading pleasure.

·'I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.' - Mark Twain
·'He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.' - Oscar Wilde
·'I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one.' - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill'. Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.' - Winston Churchill, in response.
·'I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.' - Stephen Bishop
·'He is a self-made man and worships his creator.' - John Bright
·'I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.' - Irvin S. Cobb
.'He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others.' - Samuel Johnson
·'He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.' - Paul Keating
.'There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure.' Jack E. Leonard
·'He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.' - Robert Redford
·'They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.' - Thomas Brackett Reed
·'In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.' - Charles, Count Talleyrand.
·'He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.' - Forrest Tucker
·'Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?' - Mark Twain
·'His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.' - Mae West ·'
.'Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.' - Oscar Wilde
·'He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts.. . for support rather than illumination. ' - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
·'He has Van Gogh's ear for music.' - Billy Wilder
·'I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.' - Groucho Marx
.'Difference between " an accident " and " a calamity" - 'If my friend William Gladstone falls into river Thames, it's "an accident"; If he is rescued and survives, that'll be "a Calamity" for England' ! by Benjamin Disraeli

WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS - I

When Insults had class. These glorious insults are from an era when cleverness with words was still valued....unlike now, where the art of the put-down and the come-back has been reduced to primarily questioning parentage and responding with descriptors of common bodily functions!
Have fun.

The exchange between Churchill &Lady Astor: She said, 'If you were my husband I'd give you poison,' and he said, 'If you were my wife, I'd gladly drink it.'
A member of Parliament to Disraeli: 'Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.' 'That depends, Sir,' said Disraeli, 'whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.'
'He had delusions of adequacy.' - Walter Kerr
'He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.' - Winston Churchill
'A modest little person, with much to be modest about.' - Winston Churchill
'I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.' Clarence Darrow
'He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.' - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).
'Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?' - Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
'Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.' - Moses Hadas
'He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.' - Abraham Lincoln

Acknowledgment

My blog shows that I have one hundred one followers. When I look back , I see no one.

My life has been such and whenever I have looked back, I have seen no one. But through all these, I am sure someone has been leading me from behind because left to myself I shudder I can't do anything alone. Unseen but the divine presence felt - leading me for so long. It's time for thanks giving.

A quote I read recently by Shakti Gawain:

The universe is unfolding perfectly

I don't have to hang on

I can relax and let go

I can go with the flow

I always have everything I need

I have all the love within my own heart

Divine love is guiding me and I am always taken care of

The universe always provides.

"Sugar" and 'Guilt" free

The conversations on watching weight and reducing calorie intake will last as long as this world lasts. It forms part of everyday conversations everywhere, and also the source of many new year resolutions.

I remember an obese woman asking her doctor about the easiest way to shed excess weight. The doctor replied ' Turn your face from left to right, and right to left ......... .' The woman interrupted the doctor saying she never knew it was so easy. The doctor added ' Turn your face from left to right, and right to left when some one offers you french fries, pizzas and sweets.'

Recently, I was amazed to see some exhibits put up in a sweets shop. Vendors have a way of understanding people and appealing to their senses. They entice us with the array of sweets nicely dressed up and placed in the show case, and also ensure that we relish it without any guilt. I liked these exhibits since they ensure that the mind is guilt free and provide enough justification for the sweet toothed to feast themselves.

Calorie free, sugar free and guilt free - what else could one ask for. Looking at these exhibits, my wife promptly ordered one kilo of sweets and gave a contented look.

In the ultimate analysis, life is all about building strong internal convictions to continue to do what we like.

Some perspective

I have been out of the blog space for more than a month due to jaundice. My enthusiasm is back and hope to be more frequent as before. Read this somewhere and thought I will get going> One day , the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip , the father asked his son , "How was the trip?"

"It was great , Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah , " said the son.

"So, tell me , what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us , but they serve others. We buy our food , but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us , they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added , "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have. These are your blessings.

Stone walls .....

During the course of a conversation with a colleague, the meaning assigned by us to ‘winning’, ‘achievement’, and ‘satisfaction’ was discussed. Various questions and answers were hotly debated.

A few significant points, though, surfaced. One of them was that the process was more satisfying than the end result. The other was the ‘being’ was more important than the ‘becoming.’ Shift in the ‘being’ was thought to bring in immense satisfaction, immaterial of the fact whether the individual won or lost.

What stayed in our minds, however, was there were times when we had ‘easy victories’ and sometimes ‘hard victories. The easy ones brought no satisfaction whereas those fought hard indeed did. It was also a fact that many a time we did lose after a hard fought battle, but the efforts still seemed to be worthwhile and there was immense satisfaction. So it was always not about ‘winning’, but about how much of our potential was tested. Thus if a situation presented challenges and drew out the best in us, we seemed to be on top of the world.

Finally, we thought it was not about winning or losing, but all about unleashing our best and competing against odds and also ourselves. As Randy Pausch said ‘Stone walls are there for a reason ….

Just like that

I was talking to a friend of mine last week and we met after a long time. As we exchanged nostalgic memories, we realized how beautiful our relationship had been, and somewhere in between we lost each other.

This led me to think how many such beautiful relationships we have had since childhood. Some bloomed, some did not take off. Often I have heard that relationships made in school or college are often the more lasting ones and it is difficult to build such strong relationships later in life. Somehow, I have always felt a little differently about such statements. I have had some wonderful relationships later on in life too. I treasure these and the intensity of such have equally been strong. I have always felt that these have been enduring because I have always invested a lot in them, and have given a lot to it. And I think this is true of all relationships in life at whatever stage in life they may happen.

I think the secret is to be selfless and put in all that you have. Those lovely moments of laughter, joy, sorrow, sharing, learning, pulling each others’ legs, and being with those friends fully at those moments is really what matters. Those never come back, sometimes those friends part away because of vocation, finding other interests or even finding better avenues and more interesting friends. But the moments spent together once upon a time can never ever be replicated because everything in life has a context, and contexts change.

Suddenly while writing, a thought passes me and that is ….. why do some relationships become etched and become a part of you while some just pass and thoughts come back only once in a while. I realize that in such relationships there are no expectations and it is two entities submerging into each other and becoming one - sans earthly explanation.

Time and tide never wait

I have been out of circulation for sometime. Some things small, some things big kept me away

I came across a very touching story. One for introspection, especially in the rat race that all of us have created for ourselves.

A little girl asks her father what he earned as salary per hour. The father thought it was not the right question to ask elders and he chided the child. The child naturally felt bad and ran away to her room. The father, probably on second thoughts, felt that there could be a reason for his child to ask the question. He went to the child's bedroom and found the child weeping. He asked the child for the reason and said ' I earn twenty pounds per hour.' He then found that the child had some money under the pillow and again questioned the child as to why she had hidden this money.

The child replied 'Dad, I have forty pounds with me which I have been saving. Can you give me two hours of your time? The father's eyes were full of tears and he hugged the child and profusely apologised.

Profound thought for introspection, indeed.

Peace or pieces (of mind)

I read this piece somewhere and thought I should pen this down.

Once when Buddha was walking from one town to another with a few of his followers, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha said to one of his disciples, "I am thirsty. Go and get me some water from that lake there."

The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water, and right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake.

As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!" So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in the lake is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink."

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake.
This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, "See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be, and the mud settled down on its own and then you got clear water. Your mind is also like that! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless."

I owe it to you, Guddu

I wonder many a time as to how I am happy, cheerful and full of mirth and joy. I am quintessentially someone who goes with the flow of life and never stuck too much with either pain or enjoy. I also have experienced that nothing seems to affect me too much and I have risen like a phoenix despite the downs, some sorrows, certain disappointments et al. Neither have I gotten anything too much to my head when I had small victories, appreciation, and pats on the back.

Looking back as years have gone by, I certainly feel the way I am, I owe it to those great human beings who brought me up - my parents. Several others have made their own contributions in lighting up my life. One important person who has walked with me hand in hand, loved me too deeply without any expectations, looked after me and my children every single day, and gone beyond what I can dream of is my 'loving wife - my partner through thick and thin.'

An extremely loving , caring and simple individual who has everyone before herself. I am unable to say more since words cannot describe my feelings. I have written this piece on our Silver Wedding Anniversary today to thank her for everything that she has been to me for the last twenty five years.

Thank you, Guddu!

Mummy Dear

I went to a party Mom,
I remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mom,
So I drank soda instead.

I really felt proud inside, Mom,
The way you said I would.
I didn't drink and drive, Mom,
Even though the others said I should.

I know I did the right thing, Mom,
I know you are always right.
Now the party is finally ending, Mom,
As everyone is driving out of sight.

As I got into my car, Mom,
I knew I'd get home in one piece.
Because of the way you raised me,
So responsible and sweet.

I started to drive away, Mom,
But as I pulled out into the road,
The other car didn't see me, Mom,
And hit me like a load.

As I lay there on the pavement, Mom,
I hear the policeman say,
"The other guy is drunk," Mom,
And now I'm the one who will pay.

I'm lying here dying, Mom....
I wish you'd get here soon.
How could this happen to me, Mom?
My life just burst like a balloon.

There is blood all around me, Mom,
And most of it is mine.
I hear the medic say, Mom,
I'll die in a short time.

I just wanted to tell you, Mom,
I swear I didn't drink.
It was the others, Mom.
The others didn't think.

He was probably at the same party as I.
The only difference is, he drank
And I will die.

Why do people drink so much, Mom?
It can ruin anyone's whole life.
I'm feeling sharp pains now.
Pains just like a knife.

The guy who hit me is walking, Mom,
And I don't think it's fair.
I'm lying here dying
And all he can do is stare.

Tell my brother not to cry, Mom.
Tell Daddy to be brave.
And when I go to heaven, Mom,
Put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.

Someone should have told him, Mom,
Not to drink and drive.
If only they had told him, Mom,
I would still be alive.

My breath is getting shorter, Mom.
I'm becoming very scared.
Please don't cry for me, Mom.
When I needed you, you were always there.

I have one last question, Mom.
Before I say good bye.
I didn't drink and drive,
So why am I the one to die?

Ask it the right way

It’s not just the choice of words but also the sequence of words that could make a huge difference towards your interests if used tactfully. Read on …

Jack and Max are walking for religious service. Jack wonders whether it would be all right to smoke while praying.
Max replies, "Why don't you ask the Priest?"
So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, "Father, may I smoke while I pray?"
The Priest replies, "No, my son, you may not! That's utter disrespect to our religion."
Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him.
Max says, "I'm not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try."
And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, "Father, may I pray while I smoke?"
To which the Priest eagerly replies, "By all means, my son, by all means. You can pray whenever you want to."

Moral of the story:
The reply you get depends on the questions you ask.

Who's minding the store?

A little boy went into a drug store, reached the telephone, climbed on to the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone number). The store-owner looked at the boy and listened to the conversation.

Boy: "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?"
Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
Boy: "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman: "I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.Boy: (with more perseverance). "
Boy: "Lady, I'll even sweep your house and your sidewalk, and so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida."
Woman: "No, thank you."
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.

The store-owner, who was listening to this, walked over to the boy and said "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
Boy: "No Sir, thanks, I am fine."
Store Owner: "But you were really pleading for one."
Boy: "No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!"

This is what we call "Self Appraisal"

Two of us within us

An old man is teaching his grandson about life:

' A fight is going on inside me, and a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil - anger, envy, regret, sorrow, revenge, falsehood, self doubt, ego, and lies.

"The other is good - joy, peace, happiness, love, affection, praise, truth, trust, compassion, confidence, good and faith."

And he continues saying - " And this fight is going inside you and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a moment and then asked the grandfather,

"Which one will win?"

The grandfather replied " The one you feed."

One more, once more

The last I wrote was on training sessions for men on the eve of 'International Women's Day.' Women had a good laugh - perceptible from the responses to my last post. This post is on 'Training sessions for Women.'

Topic 1. Silence, the Final Frontier:
Where No Woman Has Gone Before

Topic 2. The Undiscovered Side of Banking:
Making Deposits

Topic 3. Parties:
Going Without New Outfits

Topic 4. Bathroom Etiquette:
Men Need Space in the Bathroom Cabinet Too

Topic 5. Communication Skills I:
Tears - The Last Resort, not the First

Topic 6. Communication Skills II:
Getting What you Want Without Nagging

Topic 7. Driving a Car Safely:
A Skill You CAN Acquire

Topic 8. Telephone Skills:
How to Hang Up?

Topic 9. Classic Footwear:
Wearing Shoes You Already Have

Topic 10. Oil and Petrol:
Your Car Needs Both

Of course! all this in good spirit.

Questions Galore

I read this somewhere and thought it fit to publish on the eve of 'International Women's Day.' It's all about men and what training inputs they require and what training courses they should undergo.

Topic 1. How to fill ice-cube trays.
Step by step with slide presentation.

Topic 2. Toilet paper rolls: do they grow on the holders?
Round-table discussion.

Topic 3. Differences between the laundry basket and the floor.
Pictures and explanatory graphics.

Topic 4. Learning how to find things, starting with looking in the right
place instead of turning the house upside down while screaming.
Open forum.

Topic 5. Health watch: bringing her flowers is not harmful to your
health.
Graphics and audio tape.

Topic 6. Real men ask for directions when lost.
Real-life testimonials.

Topic 7. Is it genetically impossible to sit quietly as she parallel
parks?
Driving simulation.

Topic 8. Learning to live: basic differences between mother and wife.
Online class and role playing.

Topic 9. How to be the ideal shopping companion.
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques.

Topic 10. How to fight cerebral atrophy: remembering birthdays,
anniversaries, other important dates and calling when you're going to be late.
Cerebral shock therapy sessions

Happy Women's Day

Pot calling the kettle black

A man feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem. The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the Doctor a better idea about her hearing loss. Here's what you do," said the Doctor,"stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response."

That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he washing the den. He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens." Then in a normal tone he asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?" No response.

So the husband moves to closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, "Honey, what's for dinner?" Still no response.

Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, Honey, what's for dinner?"

Again he gets no response so, He walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. "Honey, what's for dinner?" Again there is no response.

So he walks right up behind her. "Honey, what's for dinner?"
"James, for the FIFTH time I've said, PIZZA!"

Moral of the Story:
The problem may not be with the other one as we always think, could be very much within us..!

Wow !!!

I read this somewhere.
Last spring I was walking in a park. A short distance ahead of me was a mom and her three-year-old daughter. The little girl was holding on to a string that was attached to a helium balloon.

All of a sudden, a sharp gust of wind took the balloon from the little girl. I braced myself for some screaming and crying.

But, no! As the little girl turned to watch her balloon go skyward, she gleefully shouted out, Wow! I didn't realize it at that moment, but that little girl taught me something.

Later that day, I received a phone call from a person with news of an unexpected problem. I felt like responding with ‘Oh no, what should we do?’ But remembering that little girl, I found myself saying, ‘Wow, that's interesting! How can I help you?’

One thing's for sure - life's always going to keep us off balance with its unexpected problems. That's a given. What's not preordained is our response. We can choose to be frustrated or fascinated.

No matter what the situation, a fascinated ‘Wow!’ will always beat a frustrated ‘Oh, no.’
So the next time you experience one of life's unexpected gusts, remember that little girl and make it a Wow! experience. The Wow! response always works.

Have a Great Day..........

Simply superb

Certain things that I read and saw in the media this week made me think, left me a little disturbed but for my own reasons made me happy too.

The first event was how film star Shahrukh Khan was threatened and accused for speaking his mind. He was likened to a ‘traitor’ for taking up the cause of Pakistani cricketers. I was even more disturbed when I read what Shahrukh’s son had to tell his dad. The son is supposed to have asked his dad after hearing the traitor episode – ‘Dad, are we supposed to leave India?’ What deep impressions and residue are left in the child’s mind? The reason - few irresponsible statements made by some few. But responsible statement made my Shahrukh.

The second was an advertisement on the television where a child tells his father that when he grows up would only ride a bicycle. His dad asks ‘why a bicycle?’ The child replies that elders are wasting fuel and not using it appropriately and that the world in a few years would be devoid of fuel. What wisdom!

The third, again an Airtel advertisement, which shows a tiger cub anxiously awaiting her mother’s arrival not knowing whether she would return. Then a gunshot is heard to communicate tigers are being killed. And then the punch line is shown ‘There are only 1417 tigers left in India.’ So much for animal conservation.

Finally, a news item stating that a bus conductor donates a part of his salary every month to ensure that leaking water pipes are repaired. What a way to impact society through water conservation.

Some good Samaritans always show us the simple way. (See link)

Five important lessons

I was wondering what post to write and nothing seem to strike me. There are times the musings of writing just don't seem to visit me. Just then, as if my prayers were answered, a message from Mr. Patwardhan lands on my mobile. Here it is and a very interesting thought at that - 'Five important lesons to learn from a pencil.'

One: It tells you that evertyhing you do will always leave a mark
Two: You can always correct the mistakes you make
Three: What is important is what's inside you and not outside of you
Four: In life you undergo painful sharpenings which will make you better in what you do
Five: To be the best you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

What perspective. Thanks Mr. Patwardhan for sharing.

That's a perspective

I met money one day.
I said, "You are just a piece of paper."
" Money smiled and said, "Of course I'm, but I am yet to see a dustbin in my life".
PERSPECTIVE : "With all the money, you may yet not see a lot of things in life"

Three nice stories

Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of the prayers all the villagers gathered but only one small boy brought an umbrella.

That’s FAITH

In our playful mood with a child, we throw our child up in the air and catch him. The baby enjoys the fun without any doubt that we will catch him.

That’s TRUST

Every night we go to bed with no assurance that we will wake up next morning. We still have a lot of plans for tomorrow.

That’s HOPE

Have a great week end

To Doctor with Love

He was our family doctor and a close relative. A friend, philosopher and guide to our family. He breathed his last today, very much to the regret of all those who knew him.
Yes, Dr. Anand , we will all miss you.

All of us met him just on the second of January this year – not even a week back. Gregarious by nature, smiling and the cynosure of all eyes, he endeared himself to one and all. A Doctorate of Medicine by profession , Dr. Anand died of aortic aneurysm – a swelling of the aorta. It all happened within a few hours and suddenly he is no more in our midst.

Any ailment in our family and Dr. Anand was promptly contacted. He cured many of his patients just by instilling confidence and through his love and affection. He was not one to initiate strong measures for ailments but rather would wait and watch before he prescribed any course of treatment. Probably in his own case, he was given no time to wait and watch. It is just unbelievable that our beloved Doctor is no more.

A family of doctors, seven of them that includes Dr. Anand, his late father, Dr. Anand’s wife and daughter, his two brothers and brother’s daughter. Heartfelt and sincere condolences to Dr. Anand’s family for this irreparable loss and may the Almighty give abundant strength to them to tide over this loss.

All of us in the family are at a loss of words and deeply shocked.
What else to say except - ' Death lays its icy hands on Kings.'