CHANGE AND UNEXPECTED TEACHERS

 

 

 

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I was going through my old files, sorting through it with the intent of ridding it of non-essentials. This made me think. Non-essentials --– if you think about it you will understand that there are indeed plenty in your store of life and living… the accumulated bits and pieces that you might be better off without. But of course you wouldn’t want to deal with that when you are young for the simple fact that you are so attached to it. Even if conscience tells you to be done with it.

The thing is when you get older or have grown older you get this feeling that something inside of you has changed. What was isn't anymore. What may have been important to you back then may not be anymore many years after. It’s sad but its importance or relevance has waned or diminished, its attraction fizzled out or maybe gone in some. It seemed to have lost its life. Holding on to it, you get to realize, has now become dead weight.

So I am now on a fresh and determined journey of ridding my store of dead weight. Some people may have a name for it but I am calling it change.

Change is something you cannot fight. Maybe you can delay it, dilute it, mask it, or give it another name perhaps but change it still is. And I’m starting with my files.

This morning’s activity though came to a brief halt when…….

I stumbled on this piece of writing paper and on it were printed these words. Now it made no mention of its source or of who wrote it so I guessed that it was quoted from something. Here it is by an anonymous writer. A wonderful piece that made sense back then, still does in the present and I guess will continue to do its job of imparting its precious wisdom to anyone who stops awhile, pay attention, and learn.

Quoting…….

UNEXPECTED TEACHERS
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Some of us have our prejudices, some of us have our biases. Some of us, no matter how old we become, remain childish. We continue to select only those things we want to listen to.

But in doing this, we also lose.

Everybody is in the same boat. All of us do not know everything but, we can listen.

Because we have a lot to learn from people for whom we think we have no respect.

Who are the people for whom we have no respect? For whom we have incorrigible biases? People for who we think we have nothing to learn from?

Think well and hard.

We will have a lot to learn from these unexpected teachers.

(Author Unknown)

Unquote.

Have a great and blessed day, folks. Siksik, liglig, at umaapaw pa!

IF YOU ARE THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM --- YOU ARE IN THE WRONG ROOM

 

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Tacloban City --- I lived there for some few years with my parents and kid brother in my granny's home. I'd rather call it a house. Granny wasn't the granny people picture grannies to be. She was a mystery to me.... distant, circumspect, and I perceived her to be cold. So I never had that grandmother-granddaughter relationship which I saw in my friends' families. She never made a dent on my young mind back then except that she was cold. So much for granny. I hope she's having a great time up there. Maybe she would finally learn to party with the angels and saints.
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My kid brother was a nerd. Intelligent, even-tempered, good with people, great with books, and with his guitar. He could sing, too. Looking back at it now I think he sounded more like Don Maclean. My fondest memories of him were those times when we would butt heads exchanging facts.. insights.. observations.. opinions.. while doing our homework. Now our house was small that wherever you stood you would have the great advantage of seeing the living room, the kitchen, and the bedroom in one momentous mind-boggling instant. (we lived on the ground-floor) Before they invented the word 'open concept' in interior design, we were living in it with the bare necessities of life.
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But in that precious house and home I had the best moments of my life. And the biggest lesson learned from a mother who had the mind as expansive as the universe and a heart as limitless as deity.
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One evening, my brother and I were at our usual mental butting as we defended our respective turf on subjects which turned incessantly on the I-know-better-than-you wheel. We created quite a rumpus with our voices. Dad, with a knowing look in his eye and a secret smile on his face, simply took his cigarette out to the yard. But Mom, who was cooking my favorite chicken adobo in the kitchen, stopped what she was doing and turned to us with this........
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'I hate noise.. and you two get on my nerves like hell. But.... if that is the price to pay to see you learning. Carry on. Just lower your voices a notch, okay?'   (Spoken in waray, the dialect of Taclobanons)
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And I have never stopped learning hence.
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Love life.. love your home.. love your family.. love learning.
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God bless you, your family, and your home.

AT SEVENTY -- MADE ME THINK

 

70. Seventy. What does that mean to me? Plenty. Have celebrated my seventieth birthday two days ago with my daughters springing a surprise party. Indeed a huge surprise because I wasn't expecting one But there it was... and another gold nugget added to my treasure chest of golden memories.

Made me think.....

The past is no longer useful to me. It's done its work in my life. Mistakes made. Lessons learned. With that there no longer lies a reason to hold on to what was or what had been. Even those wonderful times that filled my cup full and even took it running over the brim. It had made its mark on me, left its imprints on my mind, heart, and body. I am its creation.

The future holds no more promises. Well, not the kind when I was 20 or 24. It's more settled and defined now. The landscape, blurry and fussy before, is much clearer as I view it with eyes wide open. I can see both the forest and the trees. I can see the journey and the road.

But.. the present. This is where life is!

The present moment allows you to be who you are... pulsatingly alive in mind and heart. Perhaps the body will, too, but understandingly will be forgiven if unable to catch up.

One may chase rainbows and moonbeams in his mind and 'catch a falling star and put it in your pocket'.. (as an old song goes).. 'and never let it fade away'. One may gallop down the full spectrum of emotions... happy, ecstatic, sad, lonely, angry, morose, or just down right silly. Who cares?!! It's life! One is given just that moment to live it. So live it!

This is where I am me now. No more 'I-should-do-this-because' ...or... 'what-would-they-think-if-I-did'. This is where I connect deeply with the wind in my hair, the sun in my face, the wild chirping of birds in my ear, the enjoyment of gazing at starry nights, watching flowers a-bloom down the meadows bathed in color and beauty. Savoring. Relishing. Enjoying. Liking. Faltering and stumbling but Loving it all just the same!!

What a lovely place, time, and moment to be! Thank God for 70!
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I AM EVEN MORE

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While sorting through my old stuff meaning to throw away those no longer needed, I stumbled on a piece of paper which was apparently creased badly like somebody meant to throw it away but changed his mind. It was typewritten. Well, I brought it out to the table and began to read it.....
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I am even more.
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Life has been tough. A roller coaster ride through hills, mountains,
and valleys. I had been bombarded with cares and woes that I've lost
count on my fingers, toes included.
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I've lost chances. Plenty of them which could have made my life
different. I've lost people too which could have lent my existence
some joy and fun.
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I have faltered, stumbled, and fallen a dozen times. All different
from the other, not the same, but I soon discovered that everything
served the same goal of my learning.
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I fumed, cried buckets, felt sorry over lost chances, and regretted
mistakes. Many things angered me, and many more succeeded to break my heart.
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BUT..... I have realized that I can't fix everything even if I wanted to or no matter how I try. Strange but some things sorted themselves out. Divine intervention some would say. That then saved me a lot of 'huffin-and-puffin' just to bring the bad ones down. A good number I figured out myself, fortunately. Yet some do not disappear and simply stick out like a sore thorn on the side. You just have to learn to live with it. I learned that, too.
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Bruised and scarred by my own battles, (life is indeed tough, amigo) and yet here I am. Still standing. Because I have learned that I am even more. So much more.
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Somebody up there must be smiling. I guess HE meant it that way. And you know what... I'm glad that HE did. Thank you!
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Heyy.. that's my story! :-) I think it's everybody's story, too. You are even more. If you do not know it yet..... let me say this again --- You are so much more!
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God bless you.

----- YET YOU'RE NOT DONE GROWING

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There's an advantage in having or rather living close to the street. In fact, my patio is just about a few feet away from the road. That's how the residences are constructed in my subdivision area. Not complaining because it works to my advantage as it provides me with a vast source or inspiration for the writing. People, particularly, with their human quirks and uniqueness, make for a rich deep well of interesting thoughts, ideas, observations, and learning.

So one day while watering my thirsty plants on the patio two middle-aged ladies sauntered down my side of the street engaged in earnest chatter. In their unhurried pace easily I could hear snippets of their conversation trailing down to my ears. Also because Pinoys have this not-always-pleasing-sometimes-irritating habit of talking in very loud voices I wasn't missing anything at all.

Lady 1: ..Uyy alam mo bang si Selya ay kumuha ng cooking lessons? Ayun, twice a week ata ang class niya. Komyut pa siya puntang Makati para lang diyan. ----- (Hey did you know that Selya's taking up cooking lessons? Commutes to Makati for her classes twice a week.)

Lady 2: Ano ba! Pinag-aaralan pa ba yang pagluluto?! Aba eh sarap na nga yang puchero niya eh. Walang tatalo din sa kanyang lech flan. ----- (What for?!.. she needn't take cooking lessons! Her puchero's superb and her leche flan's unbeatable.)

Lady 1: 'Sabi niya marami pa daw siyang dapat matutunan sa pagluluto. May balak yatang magtayo ng carinderia. Tapos restaurant din balang araw. ----- (She said that there's so much yet to learn. Plans to put up a carinderia and perhaps a restaurant one day.) - A carinderia is a small local eatery in the neighborhood selling and serving food.

Lady 2: Ay ewan, aksaya lang yan ng pera at panahon! Yang si Selya oo, di na makuntento. Tsaka, tanda na niya para mag-aral pa noh! ----- (Gosh, that's simply a waste of money and time! That Selya has never learned to be content. Besides she's too old for that.)
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And the rest of the conversation trailed away as they walked farther and farther from my house.

That got me thinking.................

Tell me, is it really a waste of time to seek further growth.. improvement.. development.. more education?   Should one be content with what he has achieved this far?    Does learning have to stop at some point in our lives?   Cannot one build new goals, ambition, or dreams?   Or perhaps pursue old ones that yet haven't found its day?   Does age have to stop you from learning?

Well, while going through my old files I found this one (though how I wished that I knew who wrote it) and probably is the answer to those questions.........

"NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU THINK YOU ARE -----
YET YOU'RE NOT DONE GROWING." 

Have a great Sunday, friends. Don't let anyone stop you from reaching for the stars. God bless you.

(Big thanks to the internet for these wonderful images.)

LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY

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We have our prejudices. We have our biases. Some of us, no matter how old we have become remain childish. We chose only those things we want to listen to, like a stubborn child who won't listen to his mother.
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WE DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING. Nobody does. Nobody has the monopoly of knowledge or wisdom or information which this world or life contains. Always there will be things to learn ---- new ideas, new roads to discovery, new insights or perceptions, new technology, new inventions, new ways of doing things or understanding things. Even new ways of learning. Life, as I have learned, is all about learning.... new learning, unlearning if must, relearning if necessary -- it's the whole process of developing- of growing - of becoming better - of achieving perfection if you so wish.
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I thought I knew all there was to know about cooking pancakes... until somebody did it with sour cream in the batter! I didn't know you could do that?! And I didn't know that it's okay to have lumps in the batter -- because I would beat the batter till it was smooth and silky. See? I was learning a different way of doing something.
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But we can LISTEN. What we lack in our own may or can be filled by somebody else's wisdom, knowledge, insights, experience, observations, or perceptions. They may have solutions to our problems.... they may have discovered a better way of doing it... they probably could refer us to people who are better on that subject. Maybe we can learn more if we decide to LISTEN and pay ATTENTION.
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Do you know what usually gets in the way of learning? EGO and PRIDE. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. Nothing more can be said about that. It speaks for itself.
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Do you want to bring in awesome into your life.. everyday?? LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY! It does not have to be those things of grand or grander measure or scale. It could be the teeny tiny thing unimaginable... but then teaches you something of such great value that it hits you like a eureka ball!. And you realize how much you have been missing.
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And......
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sometimes somewhere there we get to learn from UNEXPECTED TEACHERS. Life is full of them. I get my share and I am grateful to them... two-legged and four-legged teachers!! And Mother Nature! They fill up my day and life with awesome learning.
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Have a nice awesome weekend, friends! God bless you!

 

 

 

YOUR PRESENT SITUATION IS NOT YOUR FINAL DESTINATION

Oh I know there are times in our lives when 'tough' isn't always a lovely go-to word. Sometimes that cliche is not a bit comforting to the weary mind and heart. Sometimes we need more than just that.
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The thing is we won't get any other kind of comfort elsewhere. The real kind of comfort can be found from within ourselves. It is right here where we are-as we are. It is in trying, and I mean really trying, to understand that life is not the villain but just a vehicle on which rides the lessons we should be learning. And learning is what we are supposed to do on this planet.
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Life will happen as it happens to us... mean, hard, nasty, bad, unfair, scary, desolate, dismal, biased, unkind, sometimes hopeless. Yet no matter how easy we may possibly fall into its trap or fierce grip, it cannot really snuff out the spark within that struggles to shine bright and even brighter regardless. May I nudge you to the thought that God knew we needed something to help us along with life and living, so He put that tiny spark there to help us through.
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You see, I have learned that if the story of our life be bad, terrible perhaps, and that the common perception is because it is bad it will therefore mean it will also end bad...... Well, that isn't always the case. It does not have to end bad.
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It is not what happens to you, them, us..... but how you respond to it that truly defines you. What we do with life is who we are. Allow that spark within to shine bright and even brighter out to the world.
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As the cover photo says..... "Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come." And that, dear friend, is by God's design.

GROWTH LIES OUTSIDE OUR COMFORT ZONES

No matter our efforts or intent to change and even if that prospect of change would largely improve our selves or our lives, still we hold on fiercely to things which comprise our 'comfort zones'. The CZ (comfort zone) varies from person to person. It could be every reason, smart or silly, brought forward by each of us to protect what we each perceive as essential to our existence. Even ready to every extent at defending it. In some it isn't even considered as a CZ because it has become so much part of character and personality comprising the whole package of being individual and human. It no longer is recognizable.
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A teacher from long ago once said.... 'No amount of teaching or learning will progress if a person doesn't first learn to let go of comfort zones'.
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That made me think.................
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She may be right. A CZ can be, by all appearances, sometimes cute... hip... attractive... comfortable... but is undeniably an ego booster... a people pleaser... a band-aid to insecurities... and a superficial guarantee of stability and worth. A comfort zone is just that ----- a place or state of being where you are most comfortable with who or what you are that you don't or won't want to change it.
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Yet, my teacher further added..... 'Being comfortable with who or what you are does not necessarily mean it is good.'
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The sole purpose of our lives, she says, is to grow... improve... to work at making ourselves better if not the best. This process would require shedding off layers in our character which hinder -- stunt -- delay -- or get in the way of growth. Human nature tends to incline towards what is easy... safe... comfortable. It veers away from strife.... struggle... harsh realities... fierce challenges... and change. Anything that suggests any one of those is a bane (nuisance) to a stubborn mind.
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That, by the way, is where our biggest battles are fought. Man, indeed, is a child of comfort zones.

 

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of 

letting go and holding on."   - Henry Ellis

I hope you all are having a pleasant week, rainy weather or hot notwithstanding. Take care and God bless!

 

(Thanking Mr. Quote Man for the wonderful quote mentioned above.)

 

 

OF BLOGGING... STORIES.... AND STORYTELLERS

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There is a diversity of reasons why people do what they do. In every area of our lives -- the whatever-however-wherever it may be -- is what makes up your story. Every bit and piece in it is everything that tells the world who you are. Because everybody is a story.
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But -- that is just one part of the whole..... Completing that is the listener. One is nothing without the other. Somebody tells -- somebody listens. Somebody writes -- somebody reads.
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Try cruising down a blog site, stop awhile and visit a blog or blogs and you will know what I mean. You will begin to appreciate such display of diversity, of interests, and the wide range of expression in telling it. The thing to remember is that it's not just all about words or pictures but it's all about people and their stories. and how it's told.
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Some people, as I have heard them say, remark that it's a frivolous or flippant world and is such a waste of time. I will disagree to that. If some blogs do appear as such it does not necessarily reflect the site or the activity itself but rather it simply points you to the person writing it. The work is reflective of its creator.
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Each day adds another page to our life story. Make it count, make it matter. Learn whatever there is to learn every time the learning comes to your doorstep. Recognize and appreciate the carrier of the lesson -- acknowledge its presence... the person who is simply sharing his or her own story. As you have yours and share it too in your own special way in your own corner of the world and universe.
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Blessings to you and your dear ones. Great day ahead; enjoy! God bless you.

 #learning   #writing   #blogging   #storytellers   #blogworkshop 

 

The What:  Blissful Blogging Workshop

  

The Where:   Tweedle Book Cafe

 

The food --- but of course!

  

The organizers.. and speaker.

 

The storytellers.

 

 

 

New friends.. seatmates.. teammates.

  

#TheLearningJunkies

 

LOVING YOUR JOB IS THE PREREQUISITE FOR A JOB WELL DONE

Many years ago when I was in my first job, I would often sit by myself wracking my brains dry trying to figure out the what-and-how of doing a great job. One day Mom, having noticed my bewilderment and anxiety, came to me, sat down, and said............. 'The only way to do a great job is to love it and give it your best shot. Even the geniuses of men with all their brilliance won't make it if what they do is simply out of the exercise of competition and rivalry. That would simply be a display of lame motivation. Because the truly motivated person knows that only by genuinely loving your work..... being passionate about it..... by learning something everyday..... and sincerely caring enough to put out the very best can performance be said to be truly outstanding. So whether you are a simple janitor, street-cleaner, salesperson, the office clerk or the president of your company, loving your job is the prerequisite for a job well done. The rest will follow.'
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I still miss her today as I did that year she left me and my brother. Life would have been so much lighter and grand with her by my side and with her bottomless stack of wisdom and care. She always had the right words, encouragement, strength, hope, faith, and positivity when my own failed. I remember best what she would always say to me............ 'Press on, Honey, got you covered with prayers.'   That made a great deal of difference in my life back then. But I have with me all those wonderful memories she left behind. I can say that with those golden memories inside my backpack, my life journey would be a breeze.
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"Older and wiser voices can always help you find the right path, if you are only willing to listen." -- Jimmy Buffett

WE EACH ARE BOTH TEACHER-AND-STUDENT TO ONE ANOTHER

 

Learning does not stop when we finally receive our diplomas and bid school adieu. Learning continues. In fact, somebody once said that it is a life-long endeavor or pursuit because there is so much to learn in this world, in this life, and from people we chance to meet at every stage of our mundane existence. Things not taught within the four walls of a classroom or in interactions with other students or on the campus grounds. Essential things which amazingly bring added color, diversity, interest, wisdom, adventure, and greater possibilities for you. Thinking about that now, I feel that it just might take us a thousand life times to learn it all or maybe even more...and still that wouldn't be enough.

But learn we should. It is a waste of this precious god-given gift to allow our brain cells to atrophy or our hearts to harden with old jaded blood. There is still more that we can do to and with our lives. All that we need to do is .... learn and learn some more! When you do that you will be in for plenty of surprises unimagined nor ever dreamed of before.

Now this 'teaching'.... As we are eternal students of life, so too are we as 'teachers'. Not as our teachers of those good old days of school but as teachers of life and living. We teach by the way we live our lives. It is true that we all stand connected. Whatever you do with your life will impact, affect, or influence another person in his own, for good or for bad....directly or indirectly. As says this beautiful quote...........

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a cloud be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.” ― John Donne, No Man Is An Island 

In short, we each are both teacher-and-student to one another.