A Voucher for Friends

I remember about this tidbit some years ago.  Have you got a good friend who is alone? Perhaps you can show you care by giving him or her some vouchers of friendship. Why not?

A friend in need may not always be able to ask for help in times of crisis, or may not have the time to call.

But by giving vouchers to our friends, this may encourage them to redeem their gift vouchers when they need help most.  A thoughtful and caring gesture. 

 

Well done!

It’s past midnight again. I’m done. So this is brief, a great reflection from Henry W. Longfellow:

“Each morning sees some task begun,

each evening sees it close;

Something attempted, something done,

has earned a night’s repose.”  

What a wonderful feeling to close the day fulfilled.

 

Optimist? Pessimist?

You’ve probably heard about the twin brothers. I thought about it pretty much this week. Ok, there was a trigger. Occasionally, we need to revisit obvious things, or things we think we already know. 

One was an optimist, and the other, a pessimist.

On their birthday, their parents loaded the pessimist’s room with every imaginable toy, then loaded the optimist’s room with a pile of horse manure.

The pessimist son was worried because the toys would constantly need batteries, he has to know how to handle them, and worse, they’ll be broken one day. 

The optimist danced for happiness in the pile of manure. Why? He believed there had to be a pony with it somewhere!

What a contrast!

 

  

 

Ways to Unwind

What comes to mind…  

• Meditate to your favourite piece/s of relaxing music.
• Visualize in mind a favourite place or places. Avoid thoughts of a place with sad memory that will create stress.
• Breathe deeply, that is, inhale slowly, hold your breath, and exhale slowly. 
• Enjoy the comfort of your reclining chair if you have any, or put your feet up and watch a favourite TV program. 
• To release tension, massage your forehead and back of the nape.
• Have  a hot bath scented with your favourite bath oil. 

How about joining a yoga class?

Well?  If I have to take a shower, I’ll most likely sing. It relaxes, to some of us.

**********

Here are some more great ways to unwind, contributed by a friend, artist Daisy Brambletoes, from my Mozart group:

• Among the soothing background music to listen to, (of course)
  certain Mozart compositions, also try Japanese music or ambiance
  CDs that play bird songs, beach waves, waterfalls, etc.
• If you have a garden, sit outside with a cup of tea or coffee in
  the morning and enjoy the beautiful weather. Even hot summer days
  usually have cool mornings, and the colors of nature are their most
  vivid. The birds will be out, looking for breakfast, and you should
  keep a couple of bird feeders full. Also, have something that can be
  shared with squirrels. You can’t keep them away, so you may as well
  enjoy them, too. I personally try to spend an hour every morning
  possible like this. My dogs use the time to play as well as do their
  potty business, and they love chasing the squirrels. Then I water the
  plants and go inside.
• If you have access to a sauna, use it.
• Take up a simple excercise program, like Tai Chi. CDs are available
  for sale or rent, and the workout is surprisingly low stress for those
  of us with aches and pains.

(Thanks a lot Dais. )
 

  

 

Time Wasters

Probably, you have your own list. The ones that immediately came to my mind are as follows:

• Being overwhelmed, and therefore not being able to do anything at all. Cool it! Go for one thing at a time. I take a coffee break to untangle the cobwebs in my mind.
• Spreading self too thin trying to do many things at once. Set priorities, and try utmost to stick to them.
• Addicted to emails.  I no longer open my inbox when I have a deadline articles to do.  
• Slave to the phone. How about screening calls or using an answering machine?
• Procrastinating or putting things off. I’m continuously addressing this, don’t we all! You probably have your own resolve. Here’s one: Get the unpleasant tasks done first, nicer and easier ones will follow. Others may want to do the other way around. Afterwards? Reward yourself for tasks, well, done.
• Not wanting to delegate, assuming you have other people with you you can turn to. You don’t need to do everything yourself - unless you are alone! 
• Difficulty in saying ‘no.’  This is not that easy to do if we aren’t even sure of what we really want to do. So, let’s identify what we must do, then what we want to do, and presto, refuse all other requests. 

Have a pleasant day!  

         

 

 

Lessons in Wisdom and Wealth

The other day I had an interesting read of Mark Fisher’s The Millionaire’s Secrets (Simon & Schuster, 1887).

Learning to walk the path to success is a constant struggle for ordinary people like some of you and me. This book tells the story of a dissatisfied young man’s meeting with an eccentric millionaire whose words and probing questions started our man on a journey to financial prosperity and a rich, fulfilling life.

Don’t we all want a good life?

The process…

in which the young man: 

   ~ feels estranged at work

   ~ gets his first real break

   ~ regains his wings

   ~ experiences failure

   ~ meets a remarkable beggar

in which the millionaire sage:

   ~ teaches the young man how to think like a millionaire.

in which the young man:

   ~ learns to concentrate

   ~ discovers the power of faith

   ~ learns the secret meaning of life

   ~ has to make the most difficult decision of his life

   ~ resolutely sets to work

   ~ experiences humiliation

   ~ discovers eternal life

   ~ discovers the power of having a goal

   ~ thinks about the life he lost

   ~ realizes the value uf perseverance  

   ~ risks everything

   ~ discovers the art of negotiating

   ~ outfoxes the fox

   ~ discovers the reason for his tribulations

   ~ discovers the nobility of love.   

 What the young man learned and is passing on to us:

• To discover and set his own greatest goals
• To listen to the secrets of his heart
• To realize his own potential
• To concentrate for sure success
• To realize the power of thinking big

~ the path to a life of fulfilment. 

 

A Rest, We Should Have

Few hours to go and its Monday again in my side of the world. I don’t know of anyone among my working colleagues or even handful of friends who look forward to Monday.  Staff meeting. In-tray files waiting to be actioned. Meeting with the boss. Phone calls to make. Endless To-Dos carried over from the previous week.

We need to stop and give ourselves time to rest. Sometimes, for what ever reasons, valid or not, we think we can’t spare any time. But without the much needed rest, all our forthcoming activities become a burden. We become sluggish and simply feel sick. 

We took a lot of naps when we were young. Sad that somehow, when we got older, we forgot to allow ourselves this privilege of rest. 

Our foul moods could be an indication that our body’s yelling for a rest.

When the new day comes and we are refreshed, we feel much better and want to do better than our best, right?  Well, there’s a great chance we will work better.

 

 

A Good Friend

What to you is a good friend?

Who is your good friend? Or, who are your good friends?

Are you a good friend?

A good friend isn’t at all surprised by your mistakes and fumbles. She or he expects them, somehow. Early on in the relationship, good friends will find out the truth about us, lots and lots of truths … and witness our weaknesses firsthand.  

I was blest to have had a good friend, a lifelong friendship until the killer ‘C’ took her away from me few months ago. The difficult times of grieving and moving on continue, but memories linger and keep haunting, not only the good times but even the challenging times! Overall, you try utmost to carry on, but the sighs and silences get more audible, especially when you try to reach out to others, but no one’s available, not even over a cup of coffee. Then you start missing your good friend over and over again…    

Take heart and remember, If your friends are really good friends, they will decide to stick by you anyway. If you have one or few good friends, don’t take them for granted. They are amongst God’s greatest gifts, along with other loved ones.     

 

   

 

Herbal Teas

A friend just sent this to me so I thought I’ll share it. It’s about healthy herbal teas.

Herbal teas offer a refreshing alternative to the ordinary tea and coffee. They are made from the flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds of edible plants.

Chamomile tea 

It’s great after eating rich foods, to ease the effects of gastritis and food poisoning. It even overcomes sleeplessness. 

Peppermint tea

It adis in digestion and soothes an acid stomach. It also helps to fight nausea and relieves mucus congestion in the nose. 

 

Special Role

We many not be aware of it, but some people need us in one way or another.  In fact, no one may not take our place. It’s not like being an employee when we are replaceable anytime.

In our special role in life, No one else can play our particular role. Only ourselves will know our lines.

So, let’s never wonder and be surprised if we are needed somewhere or for a special role. The fact that we are here proves it.