I Forgot To Live

First, I was dying to finish my high school and start college.And then I was dying to finish college and start working.Then I was dying to marry and have children.And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could go back to work.But then I was dying to retire.
And now I’m dying. Suddenly I realized that I forgot to live.
Don’t let this happen to you.

Appreciate your present situation.

Enjoy each day.

* This is a good mail that I came across. I am not the author.

Impressions we form...

Recently I witnessed a very interesting conversation that got me thinking.
It was a family dinner and my brother-in-laws were talking and I was there listening to their conversation. Just as a background so that you can understand better, my elder brother-in-law is in the Armed forces while my younger bother-in-law is a MBA graduate and working as a Sales manager for a multinational bank.
They were both talking about the pressures in the civilian life and how people are so busy with working to make life better that life itself just goes by and they don’t realize it. (this is a favourite topic for many, I guess).
Anyway, they digressed touched upon new topics of discussion and then came upon clothes. So , here’s how it goes. From here on I’ll call the army guy as Big BIL and the MBA guy as the Young BIL:
Big BIL : “You guys spend way too much on clothes. All these brands have so much margins just because you are obsessed with brands.”
Young BIL : “That’s the way it is. Everybody wears branded clothes. They have better quality.”
Big BIL : “So, if I wear stitched clothes like my father, then mine are not of good quality?”
Young BIL: “Bhai, that’s not what I am trying to say. All I am saying is that if a person is wearing a 2000 rupee shirt he has a totally different attitude and confidence level.”
Big BIL : “So, it’s the clothes that are deciding your confidence.”
The young BIL answered, unconvincingly,” It’s not about me, its about how people would look at me. If I am wearing an expensive branded shirt , then people automatically assume that I am a big shot and take me seriously.”
By this time, everyone in the room had joined me and was listening to the conversation. The big BIL looked around to see if everybody agreed with that line of thought. Nearly everyone, including me avoided eye contact with him. We did want to take sides.
That got me thinking. I did not want to take sides because I know that my big BIL was saying the truth but then I agree with the young BIL also. Wearing good clothes gives me confidence as well. And when I am judging people the first thing I look is at the clothes. That helps.
But is this the way it should be? Think about it. If someone asked you about your best friend,”How is that guy?”.
Would you answer,”Oh he is great!! He has such good expensive clothes!”.
I hope the answer to that is No.
You would probably say,” Oh he is such a great guy! He is caring, well-read, has a great sense of humour and really takes care of everyone around him.”
In this description never once would you think about the clothes that your friend wears. That’s because you are friends with him as a person not because of what he wears. I wish things were as simple as that otherwise too.
Why judge people from the outside when there can be such beauty inside.
Surely a Gucci would not make anyone any more beautiful. Would it?

Are you with the right person?

During a seminar, a woman asked," How do I know if I am with the right person?" the author then noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so he said, "It depends. Is that your partner?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?" Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind replied the author. Here's the answer.Every relationship has a cycle...In the beginning; you fall in love with your partner. You anticipate their calls, want their touch, and like their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love.People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet." Picture the expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something happened TO YOU. Falling in love is a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few months or years of being together, the euphoria of love fades. It's a natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship; you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage. At this point, you and/or your partner might start asking, "Am I with the right person?" And as you reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when relationships breakdown.The key to succeeding in a relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love the person you found.People blame their partners for their unhappiness and look outside for fulfilment. Extramarital fulfilment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your relationship. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this): The key to succeeding in a relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love the person you found.SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. You have to work on it day in and day out. It takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it demands WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make it work. Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your partner). Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. If you know and apply these laws, the results are predictable. You can "make" love. Love is therefore a "decision". Not just a feeling.Remember this always: God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let GO..........

Please note this is just a good mail that I received..I am not the author

Always Learn from Children

Once a boy went to a shop with his mother.
The shop keeper looked at the small cute child and showed him a bottle with sweets and said, 'Dear Child, u can take the sweets.'
But the child didnt take. The shop keeper was surprised.. he is such a small child he and why is he not taking the sweets from the bottle.
Again he said to take the sweets....
Now the mother also heard that and said, 'Take the sweets dear.' Yet he didnt take...
The shopkeeper seeing the child not taking the sweets, he himself took the sweets and gave it to the child
The child was happy to get two hands full of sweets while returning home the Mother asked the child, 'Why didnt you take the sweets when the shop keeper told you to take?'
Can you guess the response:
The child replies, 'Mom, my hands are very small, and if I take the sweets, I can only take few. But, now you see - when uncle gave with his big hands.... how many more sweets I got ???'
Moral: When we take we may get little; but, when God - The Almighty gives, He gives us more beyond our expectations.... more than what we can hold..!!