DWELL NOT UPON THY WEARINESS...

"Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire."-- Arab proverb

One dreary morning not so far back was one dreary morning I won't ever forget. Why? Because this was when I felt like so totally drained.. exhausted.. spent.. tired.. weary -- like I've never felt before. The reason? Something. Everything. It felt like saying 'I give up' 'This is it. Enough!'. So what was I angry at? or of? Plenty. Plenty that spelled life. And when I shared this with my best friend, she too ranted away with her own woes blues and weariness... and literally flung her hands up above her head in utter exasperation and what seemed to be... surrender and defeat.

You know, sometimes one just has to see oneself mirrored in another person to be jolted out of something unpleasant, to put it mildly. That was a big jolt indeed. I was grateful it came when it did.

"Okay, enough of that drama. Snap out of it cos there's work to be done." I said to her.
"What??!" she snapped back. Well, undoubtedly she was the drama queen in our group.
"Yeah! We need some working on ourselves. And we're starting now." I countered decisively.

That's right. When you feel so down and out, when things get so large and overwhelmingly makes you feel so helpless and small... that's the time to get up - shake the dust off - and get back into the ring again... and punch back hard and much harder. It's important to snap out of it pronto, resist the temptation to dwell on your misery because that only serves to double up whatever negative emotions lie within. If it manages to get a strong hold on you, it might be hard to shake it off later.

Don't lose sight of the goodness you have started with.... good faith, good hope, good intent, good determination, good strength... because it's the vehicle which you will ride on in getting to where you want to go or be. Continuously nurture that desire or courage to be there in the midst of life and living doing your part carving your own niche like thousands of others more are trying to do. And if you keep the spark alive -- fight to keep it there, you will see your strength rising to match it.

And you're ready for the world again.

HOW MUCH YOU CAN PUT INTO YOUR POT DEPENDS ON YOU

Do you know that you, me, and everybody else are nothing but pots? Yeah, pots! Or would you prefer to be called a vase or a vessel. Whatever it is that signifies a container meant to hold something, you are it. We all are. But I would like to use the word.. pot.. for this post.

Now what do we do with that? Let me tell you what I did with mine.


I am a pot...

When I was a baby I put in all that was about being a kid. Innocence, pleasure, delight, awe, fun, birthday cakes, ice cream, warm beds, doggies, and... mommy and daddy. It was great. Everything centered on me and I was everybody's priority. All I had to do was smile my cutest and throw in a tantrum or two to get them to my side pronto. That filled my baby pot.

Then I was ten. I couldn't be a baby anymore although I would have preferred to be as it seemed that mom and dad would always be coming at me to do this and do that. But school was great, had new friends, lots of fun things to do with them, was more aware of my newly found likes and dislikes. I was liking chocolate bars and cakes, coca-cola, nice teachers, field trips to museums, and always loved Sally and Susan -- my cute walking dolls. That filled my pot a notch higher.

Then they called me a teenager. Oh there was much in this new world that I never had before. I discovered that I loved the colors pink and blue, dresses, ladies bags and shoes, still loved cakes and ice cream, adored my first crush next door, enjoyed sketching and designing clothes, hoarded good books and magazines, delighted in poem-writing, and wrote for the high school paper. That filled my cup two notches higher. Plus up another with college that followed.

Then I found myself wearing size 7 high-heeled shoes walking it to a place called an office. I soon discovered that I was good at making tons of reports -- weekly, monthly, annually -- and did some travel, lectures and trainings for newly employees, reveled in office banter and camaraderie, events and more. That brought my pot fuller almost to the brim.

Then life turned more adult. What does that mean? Marriage, children, sickness, death, disappointment, sorrow, fear, anger, betrayal, change, trials, challenge, growing older, and all the stuff which makes an adult even wish in exasperation for the good years past. My pot now went on full and over.

So to be able to make sense out of all that... I thought I needed to do something. And fast. Or else so much would be lost. All of my history, all that made me, all for nothing if I let something like a full pot have its way. A further thought on the side, I can't and shouldn't get stuck with a full pot because there's still so much out there to learn, experience, enjoy, and live for. It's never over until it's over.

I emptied my pot.

... and by so doing have made room for insights, perceptions, retrospection, wisdom which I wouldn't have done being so involved in the living aspects of life. I needed to empty my pot so that new things could come in --- things which made sense of everything that I had gone through. It was there all along simply waiting in the wings for its turn to be inside my pot so that it could do its work.

This is where I believe that everything in our lives, no matter how tiny or insignificant it may be or maybe bigger than what we want it to be, is there for a reason. But reason which cannot reveal itself until or if we don't give it that needed room or space to do so.

Emptying our pot makes that possible. An empty pot invites it in. And this would give us all the treasure we may want or hope to acquire. This takes us higher to a better place of self and of understanding life, people, the world, and God. That's right. Whatever we want our day or our life to be, depends on how much we are willing to empty ourselves... and make room for more blessings.

One unknown writer puts it this way.... "We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want." --Anon.)

Yeah, how much you can put into your pot really depends on you.

God bless you.

WHEN GOALS CANNOT BE REACHED

It's not everytime that we get to achieve our fond goals in life. Sometimes no matter how we try we just don't or can't. That's a sure fire guarantee for misery. But should it? What's misery, it's just disappointment for not having what we want or aimed for. Misery is believing that everything is lost because we didn't make the grade. It's feeling like the whole world has crumbled down because somebody else was brighter or smarter than us. That's why we feel miserable.

And then we give up. Just as easy as that. After all the hard work, sleepless nights, skipped meals and ulcer... we give it all up!

Oh sure, it's easier talking about it you'll say, but wait till it happens to you. Oh but it's happened to me. It's not your monopoly you see. Hundreds albeit thousands more out there don't always get their goal. Many know what's it like to be miserable. Many things can happen as you go down that road. You meet ugly characters who get a thrill out of messing up your plate, or unlikely events derail you from your aspirations, or sadly you realize that you don't measure up to its challenges. Ouch that hurts!

But you know what, if something is worth doing at all - you will fight for it. If you believe in your dreams - in yourself, then you have all the reason you need to stay and keep on punching back. Roll in your punches with new ideas, revised plans, paradigm shifts, work the principle of addition-and-subtraction where it best can serve you, and go learn if you need to learn some more. You see,

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." -- Confucius

GROW WHEREVER YOU ARE WITH WHO YOU ARE

It is quite easy to be content with what you have become and with your own stack of experience or knowledge. And even easier to boldly think that you know everything there is to know and that nothing else will and can surprise you now. Maybe -- or maybe not. But I think it's not how far you or we have gone up the ladder of knowledge or fame or stature that makes the real score. Not really. Because I have seen men of high position, wealth, or education make big and bigger fools of themselves with something or someone lesser than themselves. Not so much of why but rather of how they did that to themselves.

----- How often do we hear of an unknown inconsequential person steal the thunder from a much more famed intellentual or personality by the sheer strength of his argument or presentation? And that isn't because he had more talent or was much more brilliant than the other. It was imply because this insignificant person did his homework, studied harder, and was determined to learn all there was to learn and more about the subject in question. He apparently didn't stop where others already have. He wasn't contented with what he had, no matter how sufficient it may appear to be, and doggedly strove or explored more ways to make it even better if not the best. His goal may not be perfection but definitely he aimed for excellence. By the way, somebody once told me that perfection is a dead-end, meaning no growth. No more.

----- In contrast to that, we see our man of stature stopping where he was made content by his achievements or personal gain.

----- To sum it up, our inconsequential hero continued to grow where our famed intellectual stood smugly on status quo. So it isn't very hard to see that growth, wherever and whoever you are in your life with whatever you have, will undoubtedly take you quicker to your goal and win you the coveted prize. You see, it's not really what you have accumulated in your head or how big and full your pockebook is, or of the absence of one or the other or both. Nope. Rather what defines you is whether you continue to grow regardless of your situation or circumstance. Then by this you become unstoppable. And that is how man made his first flight to the moon - discovered new horizons - broke sound barriers - created new wonder drugs - or rose from rags to riches where it was once thought to be impossible.

----- "It matters little where a man may be at this moment; the point is whether he is growing." - George MacDonald

THE DIFFERENCE LIES IN THE CHOICES WE MAKE

We all get the same stuff in life. I'm referring to those things which make us happy, cry, angry, love, lose, succeed, bitter, foolish, brilliant, or just downright stupid. Because you and I are the same. You may not fancy the green bitter gourd I eat but you have your own idiosyncrasies about food like a peanut butter and mustard sandwich. I like walking boots anywhere I go and you like dark leather jackets in rain or sunny weather. I like soft soothing music to calm my hassled nerves at night while you like the loud ear-screeching sounds of an electric guitar to wake you up mornings. I guess we can put up with all that because we know that we're so much different as we are so much the same with one another.

But in things which matter in the course of trying to live a life the best we can, it would be wise to pay attention to certain things. We all aim for happiness and success. But to get there in the best possible time and in top form we must learn what or where we should put our emphasis or attention. Why? It’s because so many things could and would encroach on our territory thereby taking us off the track or derailing us from our goal. But we can do something about that.

If our emphasis is on ...

..... hard work, responsibility, determination, excellence, persistence, consistency, accountability, knowledge, self-confidence, respect, hope, faith, the willingness to learn, the ability to bounce back from a disappointment or failure, and the passion and love for doing what is right

-- we will get there no matter the road we take or challenges we face. If we put in our best effort into our goals, the universe can do no other but grant our heart's desires.

On the other hand, if we engage in ....

--- lackadaisical effort, are content with mediocrity, are lazy, can't leave our comfort zones, can't make commitments, resent authority, procrastination, evade responsibility, and would opt for the shorter easier (yet not always the smarter) way to do things

-- we won't get there, that's certain. We'll simply end up as miserable as we started - Perhaps twice as miserable. To this the universe will simply say to us -- 'Buddy, you've got a problem.'

Both kinds of activity use up the same hours, days, weeks, years and energy put into it. What would make the huge difference is on deciding which road we would choose to travel -- the road to success or the road to misery. The choice is solely ours to make.

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." -- Carlos Castaneda

BELIEVE IT'S ALL FOR A REASON

I said this to someone recently who was suffering a setback:

"Nope, you don't always get what you want in life. Not always. But when you get the chance, try to you look hard at what's happening, you'll see that it's for a very good reason.

Oh maybe you won't understand why now, but at some point in the future when the dust has settled and you look back to today... you will see and understand. Because by some Divine Design, it always works out well for your good in the end."

You know, it always does. By some strange design, everything has its reason for being. Everything that goes on in your life was put there for a reason. Yeah, good and bad. But the lessons are there for us to learn. And learn them well, we should.

THE BLESSED FLAME OF GOOD

- A wrinkled old man bent down over a heap of dry leaves and other debris and lit it up in fire. That done he stepped back and watched the flames gobble up and destroy everything it laid its consuming fiery hands on. Fire is dangerous and yet fire has many good attributes to it too – cooks our food, warms our cold bodies, heats up our homes in winter, and other beneficial things in the name of development and progress.

I'm curious though, what about the fire in the souls of men and women? Is it a fire which consumes itself in its small narrow self-centered world? Or is it one which can scorch without thought or conscience anyone who draws near? Or does it pave destruction along its way with evil intent? What kind of fire do people nurture in their hearts?

One thing I do know…

'Tis better to raise the fire of good in your hearts. Fan the flames to better other people’s lives, warm them with your goodness where they are cold and neglected by the world. Let your fire burn fiercely in pursuit of better hopes and dreams not only for yourself but for others too. Take your fire to greater heights where your light can best shine through to others in service and compassion.

Let yourself be on fire for the right reason ---with peace and harmony, honesty and truth, hope and faith, brotherhood and fair play, mercy and gentle compassion for the underprivileged and deprived, determination and hard work. Shine brightly for others to see how blessed is the fire of good and how so much more blessed it is living a good life!

OUR CLUTTER CLUTTERS UP OUR LIFE AND THE WORLD

Hmm, I'm on a thinking and writing streak on this particular fine morning walk. Let's see what we've come up with this time. Rounding the bend I come upon.... - A young girl sweeping away fallen leaves … Quite in an efficient and meticulous way she sweeps the fallen leaves on the ground bringing them all to a mound on the shoulder of the road. What does she do with this? Well, maybe put them all in the trash can or light them up with a match to burn away in flames. I suppose she does this everyday. But it's only this morning that I see her outside her house. It always looks so quiet whenever I pass this area of the neighborhood.

Funny to think of it, but can we do the same with the clutter in our lives or those in our minds – hearts – souls? Sweep away the clutter of our lives and clean up our act. We have gathered so much clutter though life that we can’t see nor think nor feel straight anymore. Everything seems shrouded or clouded with dirt, suspicion, perversion, doubt and mistrust, twisted and slanted, distortion, untruth and lies, envy and jealousy, ego and pride, and sometimes downright evil.

Oh don’t tell me that it isn’t true cause all you have to do is look around you and see what’s happening near and far. The world is a big mess and we have made it so. And the funnier thing is, we blame a lot of things outside of ourselves, pointing our finger to failed institutions, policies, laws, systems etc and etc – like we have nothing to do with the state of our world or life. Na-a! ..that hand with one finger you're pointing at someone or something also has three fingers pointing back at you.

Think again. Who runs the affairs of the world? Who runs these institutions we so speak of? Who runs life in this self-destructive human form? People! And people is you and me and others – us! So if nobody (meaning us people) would at least try to clear up that clutter within and without, we are all going to explode one day –--- in one big bang!

Maybe this is what is meant by the ‘end of the world’??? Quite a pessimistic point of view -- am not liking it either, but doesn’t that make some sense too? Think about it.

NURTURE LIFE - NOT HURT OR DESTROY IT

An early morning walk does wonders to one's soul --- if you let it. This one morning cool and crisp brought me to usual paths and neighborhood. A familiar figure caught my attention as I walked passed by. ----

- A middle-aged housewife watering her small modest garden … Such a lovely garden kept lush and green, flowers in bloom in every nook and cranny of the small lot all cared for by her nurturing hand. She looked happy, content, serene, at peace in and with her little corner of the world. I am sure that the plant kingdom feel that way too. But who wouldn't be when touched by gentle caring nurturing hands?

Come to think of it, isn’t that quite so much what a human being needs– this kind of nurturing of body, mind, and soul?

A human being can’t always cope fully alone by himself in this world of continuing change and challenge. Can you imagine just how and what a well-meaning word of encouragement, hope, faith, care, inspiration, stimulation, motivation can do to another person weak in his own resources, power, and strength? It can take so little to create miracles. Believe this. The power is in you to do just that.

People need nurturing too and other things besides– homes, family, children, old folks, friends, relationships, ambition and dreams, business, projects, organizations, companies, towns, countries, pets, environment, etc and etc. Life and all that it affects undoubtedly need nurturing and constant care no matter what.

How can there be continuity in our lives if everything is allowed to wither away and die alone all by itself? Continuity or life is sealed with a huge hunk of nurturing. And I'll say it again --- the power is in you, me, us --- to do just that.

LIFE WON'T ALWAYS GIVE US WHAT WE WANT - BUT BE READY FOR SURPRISES

“So why am I here – in this place in this time? Never planned it nor dreamed about it but I’m here. What am I supposed to be doing here; there is nothing I can see that would tap into my reserves or stack of knowledge talent or skills. I’ve trained for something else – this isn’t what I had hoped for but this is what I get.” --lines from a friend's diary... or somebody's too at some point or another.

Is that frustrating, disappointing, exasperating, maddening, annoying? It sure is. I know; those were my lines before too. But I’ve learned, oh yes I’ve learned. To quote Morgan Freeman ‘…..once you get wherever it is you are going, that is where you were going to be….’ Life is unpredictable, it’s full of surprises – ‘you never know what’s going to happen’ (Freeman said that too). Sometimes you don’t get what you want or hope for. But life moves you to a course where it wants you to journey, I think by Someone’s supreme design. Odd thing is, it pushes you to do the next best thing – give it your best shot whether for the challenge it poses or simply to survive. And what do you get for it? – a smarter and wiser you! Perhaps it was best that it happened this way, if you think about it -- Because would you have ended up this smarter or wiser or successful if you had things going your way? We don’t know that, do we? Ah life!

WHEN GOD TAKES YOU THROUGH THE FIRE, IT'S FOR A REASON

It is quite strange that when stuck in a serious difficulty and you feel that everything around you has crumbled down and you think that you don't have it anymore to make it through...... that God stubbornly nudges you forward whispering in your ear ' you can do it! ' Somebody tell me just how can anyone come out of the same situation I found myself in a week ago? Mentioned the situation in the previous blog. Have you ever created something out of nothing?? No? I have... proudly I can say that I have. It's nothing new cos many have done it before me with the same amount of success or maybe perhaps even more. It's neither weird stuff cos we read it in the papers or hear it in first hand experiences narrated in group chats among friends. But this I'll tell you, there is only one hope and one truth that you should ever know.. the rest are simply embellishments to it.

This is that if you believe in a god --- rejoice that you do! Because this one God you believe in is your sole savior - protector - shield - defense - healer - provider in every or all of the challenges of your life, big or small. When everything else fails, God is there. When your own strength in which you have always took pride and confidence in also is no comfort or refuge --- God moves things and people to come to your rescue and relief.

Do you know that everything belongs to God and that he can use all of it for your concern or welfare? Do you know that everything are simply instruments in God's holy hands and can be sent out to do what he wills at any time of day or night? Do you know that not all your brilliance or titles or knowledge or intelligence or power or wealth can work out the miracles you would one day desire for yourself or your loved ones? Believe me, that day will come to everyone as it did to me (fact is, my family and I are 'veterans' lol). :-)

If you don't know that yet.... you'll be in for some tough lessons. Lessons which will lead you to your own spiritual growth and maturity. Oh but don't let that intimidate or overwhelm you. But I'll tell you honestly it can be scary and lonely. Although the process could leave you bruised in your heart and soul... it's all for a good cause -- God's good cause for you!

You see, God wants his children to grow and to enjoy a deep relationship with him, not just the morning and evening prayer kind of relationship. He wants to take you to a point when you can comfortably share your joys and sorrows with him unembarrassed and fearlessly. He doesn't want to be on a pedestal with you simply looking up and honoring him... he wants to be right there beside you journeying with you through this short speckled life on earth. He wants you to receive him as a Father Brother and Friend.... and all other roles you may want him to be in the varying challenging moments of life and living. And the only way to make you come to that privileged point --- is to make you experience the process leading to it.

Like gold is passed through the fire to polish it, you and I will go through difficulties to hone our faith and trust in him. Be assured that we will come out at the end of the tunnel shining in our true light and glory as pure gold does after the furnace.

God bless you!