IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

                                          -Rudyard Kipling

THE AWAKENING

sometimes in the midst of all your fears and confusions of life, you stop-shocked and somewhere, the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting , crying, or struggling to hold on... And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, you  learn to move on and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

 This is your awakening.You start feeling  that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change itself.You come to terms with the fact that its real world, there aren't always fairy tale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are ... and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process, a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process, a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in the process, a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness.

You realize that much of the way you view yourself and the world around you, is a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive and that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a by gone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything; it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with . You learn that alone does not mean lonely. You look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be  a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you "stack up."

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK and that it is your right, to want things and to ask for the things that you want and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less.You learn that for the most part in life, you get what you believe you deserve and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen, is different from working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help. You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears, because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear, is to give away the right to live life on your terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions, you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers; it's just life happening.

You learn to deal with evil in its most primal state; the ego. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself, by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your heart's desire. You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind, and you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

Finally,you are the strong,courageous person..who has accepted the truths and knows how to move on happily...instead of complaining to God or waiting for things to change through magic!
                                                                                                                

 

   

Never Let Go Your Dreams

                                                    
Never let go your dreams,
they are the shelter of lonely nights,
Lightly they become the pillow,
that brings destination in your sights.

keep alive the memories,
the heart ache that burns,
for the one who wins,
is the one who retrieves and learns.

Foster the moments,
treat with most care,
as destiny states,
for each heart there`s a pair.

Throw off the anger,
and its deep rooted seed,
Don`t forget it was anger ,
that caused your heart to bleed,

Cuddle each loved one,
like a blanket held tight,
providing you sun,
guidance and delight.

Leave despair, cherish the grins,
so impossible it seems,
but the only way out,
is to never let go your dreams!

              
  

"Golden Pearls"

*** ~~~~~***~~~~~***~~~~~***~~~~***~~~~***~~~***
1.“I think that perhaps we always fall in 
love the very first time we see the man of 
our dreams, even though, at the time, reason 
may be telling otherwise, and we may fight 
against that instinct, hoping against hope 
that we won't win, until there comes a point 
when we allow ourselves to be vanquished by 
our feelings...”
-Paulo Coelho 


2.Mistakes are the portals of discovery.
-James Joyce 


3.Never allow someone to be your priority 
while allowing yourself to be their option.
-Mark Twain


4.Common looking people are the best in the 
world: that is the reason the Lord makes so 
many of them.
-Abraham Lincoln


5.Peace begins with a smile. 
-Mother Teresa 


6.This above all; to thine own self be true.
-William Shakespeare


 7.I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am 
 a free human being with an independent will. 
-Charlotte Bronte 


8.Always aim at complete harmony of thought   
andword and deed. Always aim at purifying 
your thoughts and everything will be well.
-Mohandas Gandhi


9.Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools.
-Albert Einstein


10.Be careless in your dress if you will, but 
 keep a tidy soul.
-Mark Twain


11.We can never judge the lives of others, 
because each person knows only their own pain 
and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that 
you are on the right path, but it's another 
to think that yours is the only path.
- Paulo Coelho


12.Intense love does not measure, it just 
gives.
-Mother Teresa


13.Expectation is the root of all heartache.
-William Shakespeare


14.Love (understood as the desire of good for 
another) is in fact so unnatural a phenomenon 
that it can scarcely repeat itself, the soul 
being unable to become virgin again and not 
having energy enough to cast itself out again 
into the ocean of another's soul.
- James Joyce 


15.A friend is one who has the same enemies 
as you have.
-Abraham Lincoln




16.Better to remain silent and be thought a 
fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
 -Mark Twain 


17.Anyone who has never made a mistake has 
never tried anything new.
-Albert Einstein


18.Confession of errors is like a broom which 
sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface 
brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for 
confession.
-Mohandas Gandhi


19.I'm just going to write because I cannot 
help it. 
-Charlotte Bronte 


20.Old friends pass away, new friends appear. 
It is just like the days. An old day passes, 
a new day arrives. The important thing is to 
make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or 
a meaningful day.
Dalai Lama


21.I destroy my enemies when I make them my 
    friends.
-Abraham Lincoln


22.Give a girl an education and introduce her 
properly into the world, and ten to one but 
she has the means of settling well, without 
further expense to anybody. 
-Jane Austen 


23.Men are nearly always willing to believe 
what they wish.
-Julius Caesar


24.It is better to conquer yourself than to 
win a thousand battles. Then the victory is 
yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by 
angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
-Buddha


25.Forgive your enemies, but never forget 
their names.
-John F. Kennedy


26.Don't be afraid to see what you see.
 -Ronald Reagan


27.Love isn't finding a perfect person. It's 
  seeing an imperfect person perfectly. 
- Sam Keen


 *** ~~~~~***~~~~~***~~~~~***~~~~***~~~~***~~~***

All the World's a Stage

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. 

 - by Shakespeare-

Friendship

From the days when friendships  did begin
I had unquestioningly believed in it,
In its ancient bookish definition
Of unconditional warmth and care
In its being the undeclared promise
Of always being there.

still I  hardly found  reasons of being thankful
to some friends  who had heard me out
could not be indebted or grateful
That my friend was holding me strong
I always felt that friendship meant
being together, moving along

Now when I am here to share
my grins with those, I called friends
Why can`t I find anybody ?
 They have  just found a way
To unlock the clasp I held
though slowly but silently move away

Where are they gone who had one day
made me  their friend and I, them mine
Who had once inexplicitly said they will stay?
 Am I wrong at this moment
Or did I misinterpreted them then
and was sure my friendship they won`t forget?

At present when I look around to see
and search a friend to share my life
Now I know how wrong I used to be
Its  only a  word - the word 'friend'
Like everything does, one day
Even friendships may come to an end.

Looking at only a few
Who are still with me in smiles and  difficulties
My precious friend, today when I see you
My heart is yearning just to say
"Thank you , I am contented that
at least our friendship did not fray...!"

Cradle Song

 FROM groves of spice,
O'er fields of rice,
Athwart the lotus-stream,
I bring for you,
Aglint with dew
A little lovely dream.

Sweet, shut your eyes,
The wild fire-fiies
Dance through the fairy neem;
From the poppy-bole
For you I stole
A little lovely dream.

Dear eyes, good-night,
In golden light
The stars around you gleam;
On you I press
With soft caress
A little lovely dream
    
         - Sarojini Naidu

STORY OF CREATION OF 'TEACHER'

The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of 'overtime' and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one out."

"Yes," said the Lord, " but have you read the specs on this order?"

TEACHER:

…must stand above all students, yet be on their level
... must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught
... must run on coffee and leftovers,
... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time
... must have more time for others than for herself/himself
... must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents
... must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive
... must have 6 pair of hands.

"Six pair of hands, " said the angel, "that's impossible"
"Well, " said the Lord, " it is not the hands that are the problem.  It is the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!"

The angel looked incredulous, " Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"

The Lord nodded His head, " One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts out' in order to reflect, " I understand and I still believe in you", without so much as saying a word to the child."

"Lord, " said the angel, " this is a very large project and I think you should work on it tomorrow".

"I can't," said the Lord, " for I have come very close to creating something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is sick.....teaches a class of children that do not want to learn....has a special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her own.....understands the struggles of those who have difficulty....never takes the students for granted..."

The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating.
"It is too soft-hearted, " said the angel.

"Yes," said the Lord, " but also tough, You can not imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary".

"Can this teacher think?" asked the angel.

"Not only think," said the Lord,. "but reason and compromise."

The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger  over the teacher's cheek.

"Well, Lord, " said the angel, your job looks fine but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model.  You can not imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."

The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek.  It shone and glistened in the light.

"It is not a leak," He said, "It is a tear."

"A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, "What is a tear for?"

The Lord replied with great thought, " It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class."

"My, " said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"
The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there."
  -edited by Deep

The Enigma

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental

To reach out for another is to risk

involvement

To expose feelings is to risk rejection

To place your dreams before the crowd is to

risk ridicule

To love is to risk not being loved in

return

To go forward in the face of overwhelming

odds is to risk failure

But risks must be taken because the

greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, has nothing,

is nothing.

One may avoid suffering and sorrow, but one

cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love.

Chained by certitudes, one is a slave of

circumstances. Only a person who takes a

risk is free...!

-Deep

Funny pics

SMILE-has many meanings :)

sometimes it shows happiness
sometimes a veil for  my loneliness

 
sometimes its  mere nostalgia
sometimes it reflects an enigma



sometimes its  an attraction
sometimes its  for protection

sometimes its affection for friends
sometimes its deception for shams

sometimes it hides secrets
sometimes an answer for my silence!


                                      

"HUM PANCHI UNMUKT GAGAN KE"

Hope

If you can look at the sunset and smile, then you still have hope.

If you can find beauty in the colors of a small flower, then you still have hope.

If you can find pleasure in the movement of a butterfly, then you still have hope.

If the smile of a child can still warm your heart, then you still have hope.

If you can see the good in other people, then you still have hope.

If the rain breaking on a roof top can still lull you to sleep, then you still have hope.

If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and stare in wonder, then you still have hope.

If the soft fur of a favored pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips, then you still have hope.

If you meet new people with a trace of excitement and optimism, then you still have hope.

If you give people the benefit of a doubt, then you still have hope.

If you still offer your hand in friendship to others that have touched your life, then you still have hope.

If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings a pleasant surprise, then you still have hope.

If the suffering of others still fills you with pain and frustration, then you still have hope.

If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept that it must end, then you still have hope.

If you look forward to a time or place of quiet and reflection, then you still have hope.

If you still buy the ornaments, put up the Christmas tree or cook the turkey, then you still have hope.

If you still watch love stories or want the endings to be happy, then you still have hope.

If you can look to the past and smile, then you still have hope.

If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile, you can still look up and end the conversation with the phrase... "yeah....BUT.." then you still have hope.

Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can. It gives us reason to continue and courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we'd rather give in.

Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.

Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.

Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.

Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return. And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places.

Never lose hope.