THOUGHT FOR THE DAY (Always be Happy)

Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself:

I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.

I can choose which it shall be.

Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet.

I have just one day, today,

and I'm going to be happy in it.

- Groucho Marx

COME,LET US ALL BE PROUD OF OUR CULTURE

During my stay in Brazil I once went for shopping to the down-town of the city where I met this Brazilian girl Maria...who also calls herself Meera. She had a tattoo of OM on her hands.
She said that she has read a lot about Indian culture and she was impressed with so many things....our culture, yoga, food, our faith in God...the way Indian women pray and fast for their husbands etc. She asked me to translate something in Hindi so that she could get that tattooed on her hands as well. It said, "GOD SAVE ME FROM THE EVIL EYE." I explained so many things to her and convinced her that OM was the mantra for everything and that it alone was enough.
I used to wonder before as to how these people know so much about other cultures till I met a Brazilian who is married to an Indian. She has translated all the Epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Jataka tales for children in Portuguese.
She also has written all about Rudraksha beads...in so much detail that even we would not know that much about it.
Her next project is Indian Astrology. We have so many ways of fortelling the future, like palmistry, parrot picking up ur fortune card, Bhrigushastra, then down South we have people fortelling your future by just feeling ur pulse... etc.
It is really amazing to see foreigners taking so much interest in Indian Culture.

Shobha

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

Today I saw an e-mail which really touched my heart. I would like to share the gist of it with you.
This reflects on the behaviour of some of the youngsters these days.
There was this young couple who had their father living with them. They just got fed up of his age-induced clumsiness. He would drop his spoons and forks...spoil the carpet....break the crockery because old age had made him weak and fragile. One day, they just gave him a table in the corner of the room and a wooden bowl to eat from. This behaviour of his children towards him brought tears in his eyes... but he was helpless.
One day the parents see their child collecting wooden pieces in the garden and ask him what he was doing. The child innocently replies,"I am collecting wood to make wooden bowls for you...so that when you are old like grandpa...you may need them."
Imagine what a lesson this child has taught to his parents. After that day, the couple took their father back to the table, and thereafter, never minded about the broken crockery or stained carpets. They had learnt about the circle of life.
Imagine even little kids can teach us a lot, some times.
I believe that life is a process of learning...from anyone...at any age.

EIGHT CLUES TO HAPPINESS

Photo source: THE HINDU
By- KHUSHWANT SINGH

Having lived a reasonably contented life, I was musing over what a person should strive for to achieve happiness. I drew up a list of a few essentials which I put forward for the readers' appraisal.

1. First and foremost is GOOD HEALTH. If you do not enjoy good health you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct from your happiness.

2. Second, A HEALTHY BANK BALANCE. It need not run into crores/millions but should be enough to provide for creature comforts and something to spare for recreation, like eating out, going to the pictures, travelling or going on holidays on the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be only demoralizing. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in
one's own eyes.

3. Third, A HOME OF YOUR OWN. Rented premises can never give you the snug feeling of a nest which is yours for keeps that a home provides: if it has a garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, cultivate a sense of kinship with them.

4. Fourth, AN UNDERSTANDING COMPANION, be it your spouse or a friend. If there are too many misunderstandings, they will rob you of your peace of mind. It is better to be divorced than to bicker all the time.

5. Fifth, LACK OF ENVY towards those who have done better than you in life; risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can be very corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.

6. Sixth, DO NOT ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE to descend on you for gup-shup (gossip). By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-mongering.

7. Seventh, CULTIVATE SOME HOBBIES which can bring you a sense of fulfilment, such as gardening, reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music. Going to clubs or parties to get free drinks or to meet celebrities is criminal waste of time.

8. Eighth, every morning and evening, devote 15 minutes to INTROSPECTION. In the morning, 10 minutes should be spent on stilling the mind and then five in listing things you have to do that day. In the evening, five minutes to still the mind again, and ten to go over what you had undertaken to do.

RICHNESS is not Earning More, Spending More Or Saving More, but ...
"RICHNESS IS WHEN YOU NEED NO MORE"

IMPORTANT WORDS

The six most important words in the English language are:

"I admit I made a mistake."

The five most important words in the English language are:

"You did a good job."

The four most important words in the English language are:

"What is your opinion?"

The three most important words in the English Language are:

"If you please."

The two most important words in the English language are:

"Thank you."

The one most important word in the English language is :

"We."

The least important word in the English language is

"I."

The two least Important words in the English language are:

"I can't."

Source: The Speaking Tree

A Times of India Publication.

I really liked these lines. None of us is perfect. Are we? We all have our shortcomings and should learn to admit our mistakes gracefully at the same time be appreciative towards others success and good deeds. The least we could do is to be polite to people. Try to have a positive attitude rather than saying that "I CAN'T".

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is just meaningless to expect anyone to be of your kind,

because you can't hold anyone's right hand in your right hand.