Facts & Trivia

Water Is Fluid

Rocks, Pebbles, Sand – As Life Goes

A philosopher professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rock, rocks about 2” in diameter.  He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up box of pebbles and poured the pebbles into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.   The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full?  They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured the sand in the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He then asked the students once more if the jar was full?  The students replied with a unanimous YES!

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the beer into the jar – effectively filling the empty space between the sand.  The students laughed. 

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.  The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, and your children – things that if every thing else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. 

The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car. 

The sand is everything else.  The small stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks.  The same thing goes for your life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have the room for the things that are important to you. 

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Play with your children.  Take the time to get medical checkup.  Take your partner out dancing.  There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.  Take care of the rock first - the things that really matter.” Set your priorities.  The rest is just sand.  One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer was for.  The professor smiled, “I’m glad you asked.  It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers.”  

This story was given to me from a student Shifu

Getting Old

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know. Old Age, I decided, is a gift.     I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.  Oh, not my body!  I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt.  And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.  As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.  I don't chide myse lf for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio.  I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.  I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.   Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful.  But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I  ev entually remember the important things.  Sure, over the years my heart has been broken.   How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car?  But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion.  A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.  So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.    As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think.  I don't  question myself anymore.  I've even earned the right to be wrong.   So, to answer your question, I  like being old. It has set me free.  I like the person I have become.  I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.  And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)  

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!      
FRIENDS FOREVER!

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.  When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,  To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.  They may seem like a godsend and they are.  They are there for the reason you need them to be.  Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,  this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.  Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.  What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.  

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.  Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.  They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.  They may teach you something you have never done.  They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.   Believe it, it is real. But only for a season..

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.  It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant... 

Man In The Glass

 When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say

For it isn’t your father or mother or wife
Who judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people may think you a straight shootin chum
And call you a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life And get pats on your back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

DEEPAK CHOPARAH

"Knowledge of any kind ... brings about a change in awareness from where it is possible to create new realities."

A GREAT TEACHER ...Living Like Water

Water is a great teacher that shows us how to move through the world with grace, ease, determination, and humility. The journey of water as it flows upon the earth can be a mirror of our own paths through life. Water begins its residence on earth as it falls from the sky or melts from ice and streams down a mountain into a tributary or stream. In the same way, we come into the world and begin our lives on earth.

Like a river that flows within the confines of its banks, we are born with certain defining characteristics that govern our identity. We are born in a specific time and place, within a specific family, and with certain gifts and challenges. Within these parameters, we move through life, encountering many twists, turns, and obstacles along the way just as a river flows.

Water is a great teacher that shows us how to move through the world with grace, ease, determination, and humility. When a river breaks at a waterfall, it gains energy and moves on, as we encounter our own waterfalls, we may fall hard but we always keep moving on. Water can inspire us to not become rigid with fear or cling to what’s familiar. Water is brave and does not waste time clinging to its past, but flows onward without looking back. At the same time, when there is a hole to be filled, water does not run away from it in fear of the dark; instead, water humbly and bravely fills the empty space.

In the same way, we can face the dark moments of our life rather than run away from them. Eventually, a river will empty into the sea. Water does not hold back from joining with a larger body, nor does it fear a loss of identity or control. It gracefully and humbly tumbles into the vastness by contributing its energy and merging without resistance. Each time we move beyond our individual egos to become part of something bigger, we can try our best to follow the lead of the river.