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.