TERMINAL…………

Being ill this week made me loose my mood, feel extremely exhausted and lonely. I complained within me and lamented to the flu that was tormenting my body and spirit. However, the news I got in the middle of the week made me stop and think twice. Here I was complaining to a sickness that could be cured and yet there were people who wished to hear the magical word “cure”…

How about those people who had been diagnosed with terminal illness, the people who had been advised by the doctors to get their stuff right? When the doctor shrugs his shoulders in defeat. I think of these people tonight. When you know that every day you live the alien in your system makes your body decay. Brings your immunity to its knees. If you have children you have to start saying goodbye and getting them ready for your absence.

When you know that the sunsets and sunrises draw you closer to the end of your journey. How hard it is to reconcile with this fact. It’s a tough call that demands a lot of courage and strength. And every step of the way is taken with a lot of effort. But they should not loose faith because however painful it may be they have the privilege to prepare their loved ones and reconcile to the lives they have lived.

I was watching an episode of” EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER” tonight and I was especially touched by the strength the woman whose home had been re-made had despite having cancer at 3^rd stage. She had no regrets for the life she had lived, no regrets for the man that stood beside her, held her hand, she was not worried of leaving her kids behind because to her every moment she had spent with them would last her a lifetime. She trusted that the love they shared would get them through the tough times yet to come and her smile was amazing.

This is just an example of how life turns out to be when we live every moment to the fullest and with thanksgiving in our hearts. How many times do we tell the people we love how we feel, do we hold them like it would be our last time? To our children do we set the best examples for them to emulate when we are gone? In the midst of pain, love is all the matters. It will make us soar in the wings of an eagle and run like wild horses…

Therefore for those who have curable illness ( I don’t mean to look down on any illness), you have no right to complain, bare it bravely and think of it as a time when your body needs to get to the other face of life. For those who dread the word terminal take heart for the creator of all may have a different course for you.

Remember seek the Lord and you will find him and he will save and heal you……

His humility touched me…….

Living in a busy town like dubai makes you overlook the small injustices that go on around you; not a long while ago I found myself in a group of people who were describing the Indian community in Dubai. I must say that despite them being my company, I realized I didn’t want to be there, I wanted to be in a place where I didn’t have to look at a person because of his race. Colors or tribe; I wanted to look at a person and listen to he/she had to say, without thinking of his/her appearance;

I am not innocent in criticism and judgment and I am not proud of this but after this experience today, I feel I need to change my view of life and people; I was at the supermarket about 150 meters from my house. Not a great distance if you ask me and I purchased a melon which weighed about 6kgs amongst other foodstuffs. The supermarket offered me someone to carry my shopping to my doorstep. This should be normal in most supermarkets in this area.

There was something about this guy that caught my eye; he was frail and skinny. He was sweating and his shoes were dusty. He took on my luggage with a cracked smile, he was weak and tired…as we walked on to my place, he was smiling, it was genuine and humble; it was in a way sweet; we had gone few steps when he came tumbling down with my shopping after him, he didn’t trip, he just fell, in a split of second he was up, my shopping with him.

“Sorry madam”, he managed to smile….

Why do I tell you this story? It’s because I gave him a bottle of water and asked him to sit by the pavement to rest a bit, and I am sure I saw a tear in his eyes when he sat down. I didn’t want to ask him more but I felt humbled to meet such humility in this unjust city, probably he had nothing to eat or was overworked but he still kept a smile and was humble as ever… I am not trying to be too emotional but I felt sorry for this guy and for the many Indian people I have talked ill of or made jokes of..

Life goes beyond four walls; life is in the eyes of the person who walks by you, the one who smiles to you, who holds your hand. Life is all around us not only about us..

Open your eyes and smile to your neighbor, he may be suffocating in his world, he may be exhausted, he has a right to be there just like you have a right to be….

His humility touched me deep inside, I only wished I had time to talk to him more….

It’s a lesson learnt, a lesson shared…..

HOTEL ROOM:

Sitting in my hotel room I begin to imagine how life is in fact similar to a hotel room in many ways. Life is constant motion and things change; we meet different people; experience rough times ; people come and leave our lives; many times they leave a mark and sometimes their presence go unnoticed; to some people we are the perfect friends but to some we still need to be polished out. If you keenly compare above to a hotel room; you realize that it faces the same. Good to bad inhabitants; people walk in and out of the rooms; some leave it in a good state as it was before, their presence un noticed whereas some cause significant damage hence leaving a mark; some think it was the best room whereas some wish for a better suite.

The most remarkable thing is that the room stays to serve all kind of guests; as others leave others walk in to the same refreshed room ( I admit, they are thoroughly cleaned); the rooms serve them just as the previous guests perhaps even better. You may wonder why I compare life to a hotel room but I realize that it shows how strong we can be and how better we can embrace life.

Many times we complain, searching for better conditions in our lives but what of if we could embrace change; why can’t we be ready to accept the different phases in our lives as part of the constant motion? Why must we always look for an explanation or excuse? All we need is a good clean up for our next encounter and warmly embrace the next phase of our life. It may be painful, may not be what we expect but change is a good as a rest;

At this point I remember a phrase that has stuck in my memory for a while now and it seems to taking center in my life “ NEVER SETTLE FOR THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE” embrace life as tough as it may be who knows what tomorrow brings?

Always remember that today’s sunset paves way to tomorrow’s sunrise; so is life, today’s pain paves way to tomorrow’s joy…

“Become a hotel room “ Embrace change……

RETREAT

RETREAT….

Some days in our lives we feel that we can’t fight the pressure anymore. We run short of supplies for courage, strength and tolerance. Exhaustion sets in and loneliness clouds our vision. Comes a time when we feel lonely and yet we are not alone. We have friends around us…what can one do when his/her heart is tired and the emotional baggage is too much around them.

How can you be strong for your friends and family when you are running out of strength yourself? Questions arises of “who cures the doctor?”. When you feel you can’t be strong any longer, it’s alright to break down; it’s alright to let the people around you know the trouble of your soul. No need to play brave, no need to play wise, no need to be a hero…

Take time to heal, find a retreating point and get inside you and search yourself. Listen to your inner you and communicate to him/her. Nourish your inner self and in this way you will be healed again…

It’s alright to feel exhausted; you can not always be strong……..

When all that was to be said has been spoken……………….

This evening I was wondering about love stories gone sour. What happens when lovers can’t bear to talk each other any longer? When the feeling cools down and passion is substituted by a simple glare. How do they get to make each other smile or laugh like before? Time has gone by fast and other priorities have been set. How do they get this far without realizing what is at stake? Is love all there is to life? Is love just an overrated phenomenon?

All these questions have no clear answers but the key is to communicate and communicate; the simple I love you’s , simple sweet words like “darling”, simple flattering compliments and sharing good laughter. This is where the memories are made. Despite the complexity of a man’s/woman’s heart the secret is found in the simplest of things. From a day well spent and gentle hand held. You may call me a dreamer but I believe that in the complexity of life everyone seeks what would make all look simpler or easier….

Get back to the basics and try not to complicate love because sometimes the mountains we try to climb in life are nothing but just a grain of sand…we have to learn to love , to accept and embrace. We like wise have to learn to let go when we can’t change the minds of the people we love…

Before we let go lets get back to the basics. Find what made you love this person. These qualities are there but they are clouded by the other priorities we set in our lives…

Even as I wait for the man who will hold my hand and share with me the simple joys in my heart.. I promise myself not to make it complicated and keep it to the basics…because I don’t want loose my inner child…

If you love is on the rocks dust yourself up and try to look in your lover’s eye again, search deep and find him/her. She/he is in the same eyes you once adored. Clear the mist that has clouded your love, hold his/her hand again…love is worth the fight……

Discover how electrical holding his/her hand is, love with all your heart………..