Seeing the Beauty in our flaws

Lets find our Strength in our Weakness...

All of us want to be the best and have the best of everything. However we have hindrances in being so and for many of us, they come in the form of our own self... as small little flaws in the way we are... physically or mentally. Often with the wrong way of looking at it, we see the saw unique flaws greatly enlarged. As a result we feel down and upset and often feel ordinary or even worse, handicapped! But have we ever thought... May be there is a reason we are the way we are... Here is a story... Read along...

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on the end of a pole whichhe carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfectly made andnever leaked. The other pot had a crack in it and by the time the waterbearer reached his master's house it had leaked much of it's water and wasonly half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer deliveringonly one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course,the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor crackedpot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was ableto accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoketo the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, andI want to apologize to you." The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

 Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowersonly on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That'sbecause I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while wewalk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I havebeen able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table.Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beautyto grace his house."

 So, may be everything is the way it is for a positive reason. Each of us have our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. Agreed! But by acknowledging our faults, we too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength....  Like the cracked pot, we all have our own unique flaws. But it’s these cracks and flaws we each have that makes our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. With the right attitude, our flaws will turn to be our blessings. Happiness is never impossible with the right attitude. No matter the cracks and dents, we are still unique and special beings. Feel special and learn to see each other around with that same idea... Doing that will sure make us feel extra special, no matter the cracks!!!

Life in my own words... A new try!

Life is life after all... Twists and turns on all sides. It's ups are always enjoyable but we humans never like the downs, but well they just keep coming. Recently I have been thinking... Life is very much like reading an adventurous book.... And here's a tribute to that adventurous book waiting to be read further...in my own words... A small poem!

As I turn every page,
In my book of life...
I get to read....
Amazing chapters!

The ones I wished to skip...
Turned out to be the most exciting!
And the ones I dreaded ..
Happened to be the most magical!

The good pages give me joy...
While the not so good ones give me lessons.
Every chapter done, signs an experience,
Just incase of a future reference!

This book of life is so mind blowing!
No wonder the  best readers go on...
Refusing to quit reading...
Until the very last page is done!

Well... Hope you loved it. So gather up and keep reading the book of your life. There are many mind-blowing chapters to be read! And in your leisure, see you here...

Life and it's confrontations...

For many, and personally for me, Yes, Life has always been the most fascinating, with its myriad colors, lengths, the varieties it presents itself with, it's many faces, it's many ideals, it's dark and bright sides and the list goes on. But no matter how fascinated we are, it's still hard when our's confronts us with negative walls and fearful possibilities. I am sure many agree. We do realise that in life, no matter how hard we try, sometimes, things do happen the other way around and the best thing we could do then, is just to surrender to the moment and give it , all our best, for when we do that, Life itself steps in to help us... It's my precious experience and sure many of yours too. In any case, the one lesson I have always learnt again and again, is 'Life is ALWAYS worth living!'

Here is a story am sure, you will love to read... So go on...

In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth. She finds a remote grass field near a strong-flowing river. This seems like a safe place. Suddenly labor pains begin.At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above & lightning starts a forest fire. She looks to her left & sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her. To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her. What can the pregnant deer do? She is in labor!
What will happen?
EWill the deer survive? Will she give birth to a fawn? Will the fawn survive?
Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire? Will she perish to the hunters' arrow? Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry lion approaching her? She is constrained by the fire on one side & the flowing river on the other & boxed in by her natural predators on the remaining two sides. What does she do? (Well, it's not a trivia question ... It's story and here is what she does! )
She focuses on giving birth to a new life. The sequence of events that follows are:
- Lightning strikes & blinds the hunter.
- He releases the arrow which zips past the deer & strikes the hungry lion.
- It starts to rain heavily, & the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.
- The deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.
-----
So as we proceed on with out life, let's not forget, that with any situation, no matter how confronting and stumbling it seems, we always have a choice to make. Just like the deer,  lets get to focus, know our priorities and then make a worthy choice and give it the best. Life itself will take care of the rest! No harm giving it a try, when all you could otherwise do is brood and curse life... As the saying goes, if we win the situation, we merge victorious and if we loose we still have gained valuable gems of experience. In life, no situation is a loss, if we learn to  pick the gems out. And not to forget, the best of gems are manufactured in the worst of ditches! Well, smile and get through you day. Live and celebrate life.  

Life's lessons through a Pencil...

What I am about to share is something I read a very very long time ago. It took a while for me to recollect and put it in here. It is such a beautiful read. I am sure, every single one who stumble here and read it will love it and hopefully will be inspired.

A pencil maker told a newly made pencil, 5 important lessons, just before putting it in the box...

1. Everything you do will always leave a mark.
2.You can always correct the mistakes you make.
3.What is important is what is inside of you.
4. In life you will undergo painful sharpening, which will only make you better.
5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

Isn't our human life very similar! Whatever we do leaves a mark either in a small way or big: We can correct the mistakes we make; We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage us to know that we are all special , with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only we, can fulfill the purpose which we were born to accomplish.

Painful times are part and parcel of this journey of life. Therefore we should never allow our self to get discouraged and think that our life is insignificant and cannot be changed. Like the pencil, we need to always remember that the most important part of who we are, is what's inside of us and then just allow our self to be guided by the hand of God.

Right Attitude, Effort and Grace!

There were a few sculptors working on a statue. A passerby approached one of them and asked, "What are you doing?" Without even raising his head, he snapped, "Can't you see that I am chirping away at a rock?" He then approached another sculptor and asked him the same thing. Wearily putting down his chisel and hammer, he looked up at the passerby and said with a sigh, "I am trying to earn a livelihood." The passerby approached yet another sculptor. He was chiseling away in the most relaxed way, singing while doing so. When the passerby asked him what he was doing, he smiled cheerfully and replied,"I am creating a sculpture." Saying so, he started singing again and joyfully resumed his work.

The three men were doing the same work, but each had a different attitude. When the first was cursing his lot as he worked, the second did it solely for his survival. In contrast, the third man transformed the same action into a blissful experience.

In a similar way we can turn anything we do into a blissful experience.  As we enjoy what we do, we do it better and better and thereby it turns out to be one of the best.  When life hands us out tasks, we have no choice but to carry it out. We cannot run away from it unfortunately!. So why not face it with the right attitude and win it over. However when the going gets tough, its just, 'Do your best and let the rest to God!' Because the right attitude, helps us put in our best effort, which inturn draws the grace of Almighty God, who inturn helps us finsh the task... Here's another story you will just love...

There was a soldier, who in the midst of a fierce fight, gets separated from his unit. He tries in vain to fight the enemy by himself. But still, he does his best. At some point he realizes that he cannot stand against anymore and tried his best to stay safe until help arrived. He saw a series of small caves and hid inside one of them. However he soon realized that the enemy army is searching the caves and that he would soon be caught. Having done all he could do, he now sent in a silent prayer... " God, I did everything I could, now please protect me." After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy draw close.

He thought, "Well, I guess God isn 't going to help me out of this one. " Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. Suddently he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what God has sent me is a spider web!"

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realised that with the spiderweb over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while.

"Oh, god, forgive me, " prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that with your grace, a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

Well, the battle of Life does seems cruel at times, but there is always a path to victory in any given situation, if only we give it the best we have. Life asks no more from us. And when our part is done, the Almighty who put us in, reveals to us the road to victory... all for just a little effort from our side. And how sad that we refuse to put in even that much- that little much that we CAN DO, when it comes to the battlefield of our Life!

Not to forget... its the Right Attitude that sets us on our path to victory. And as we try to take every step towards the goal, that effort, automatically draws the magic power of grace, which just makes the rest of our going easier. No matter how many steps we are capable of taking, just five or fifty, does not matter, lets take as much as we can, b'cas once we do our part, the rest will be taken care of.... and that would be one sweet acomplishment to be proud of when we turn back in life someday!

Things are not what they seem to be...

Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

“Things aren’t always what they seem to be.” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.”

“Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem to be."

Well, many times in life, things definitely are not what they seem to be. So when the going gets tough, remember, it could have been a lot worse. When we feel that we are in a better situation our entire perspective changes and we are better of at facing whatever is in store for us.

Everything will pass by.... this includes your sorrow!

This is a beautiful story with a true gem in it.

There once was a king who tried to play some fun on his trusted minister.  He therefore asked his minister to go in search of a special ring , which he knew does not exist. When the minister enquired what was special, the king replied, "The ring possed magic powers, that if a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad and if a sad man looks at it he becomes happy.". The minister who got six months to find the ring set out in search of it. He searched far and wide but to no avail. On the last day before the end of the six months, as he was walking sadky, throught he poorest of the streets, he saw an old merchant to whom he asked, "Do you by any chance know of a ring that can make the happy sad and the sad happy?" The old merchant immediately took out an old ring from his collection and etched something on it and gave it to the minister. The minister's sad face beamed the moment he read the inscription. Happily he took it to his king. Waiting to see the fun unfold, the kind questioned him with a face filled with smile and eagerness.  The minister handed the ring to the king  and immediately noticed the smile fading away. As he read the inscriptions on the ring, 'This too shall pass!', the king had realized that all his wealth, power and influence would get to pass by and someday he himself would be nothing.

Enjoying this world and its material possessions is fine as long as we do not loose our selves when we loose our possessions. Enjoying everything with the right attitude that nothing in this world stays forever, would strengthen us and make our life and its challenges worth a marvellous experience!