INSPIRATIONAL

11:08:10 PM EDT
Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.  Oh, not my body!  I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt.  And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, and my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.  As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio.  I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.  


I   have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?


I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful.  But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car?  But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion.  A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.  So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.  

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think.  I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.  

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free.  I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.  And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

MAY OUR   FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART! MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!


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10:54:16 PM EDT

It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.


Every afternoon,  when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.


The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fi ne view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.


As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.


Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.


Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved ne xt to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.


Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window bes! ides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.


The nurse responded that the man was blind and couldnot even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'



Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.


If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.


'Today is a gift, that is why it is called '    The Present.'

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4:26:13 PM EDT
The Old Dog

A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa,
taking her faithful, elderly poodle named Cuddles, along for the company.

One day the old poodle starts chasing butterflies and before
long, Cuddles discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard
heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!"
Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew
on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about
to leap the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I
wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in
mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees.
"Whew!", says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene
from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it
for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him
heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be
up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the
beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and
says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that
conniving canine!

Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey
on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running,
the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't s een
them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says...

"Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to
bring me another leopard!

Moral of this story....

Don't mess with the old dogs...age and skill will always
overcome youth and treachery! Bullshit and brilliance only come with age and
experience.

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1:02:39 AM EDT
__._,_.___

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10:23:10 PM EDT




A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.


Four worms were placed into four separate jars.



The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke. T he third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.  The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.



At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:


The first worm in alcohol - Dead.




The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead






Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead








Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.




So the Minister asked the congregation -





What can you learn from this demonstration?




Pat,who was sitting in the back, quickly raised his hand and said,




"As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have any worms and yes never eat raw earth!"

That pretty much ended the service -- 
   

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1:22:50 PM EDT

Inner Strength If you can start the day without caffeine, I f you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If you can eat the same food every day a nd be grateful for it, If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time, If you can take criticism and blame without resentment If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct her/him, If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend, If you can conquer tension without medical help, If you can relax without liquor, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, ...Then You Are Probably The Family Dog!

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3:17:03 PM EDT



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12:35:55 AM EDT
Words to live by

Just thought I would start your day off with a laugh/smile


The wisdom of Larry the cable guy......


1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the
cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the
heck happened?'

22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak.

24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates . it's more like a jar of
jalapenos What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

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10:57:44 PM EDT
PARENTS ARE PRECIOUS!!

This was narrated by an IAF pilot at a Seminar recently on Human Relations :

Venkatesh Balasubramaniam (who works for IIT) describes how his gesture of booking an air ticket for his father, his maiden flight, brought forth a rush of emotions and made him (Venkatesh) realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents.

My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Jet Airways. The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for a window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.

As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him. When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me. But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life. As a child, how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for cricket bats, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have catered to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes? Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us? Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young. It is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.

Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments. Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care needs to be given to our parents and elders. Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes.

Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too.

Take care of your parents. THEY ARE PRECIOUS.

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3:33:01 PM EDT

In Phoenix ,
Arizona , a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6-year-old son, who was
dying of terminal leukemia. 
 
Although her heart was filled
with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any
parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that
was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted
her son's dream to come  true. 
She took her son's hand and
asked, 'Billy, have you ever thought about >> what you want to be once
you grow up? 
 
Do you ever dream about what you would do
with 
your life?' 
 
Mommy, 'I've always wanted to
be a fireman when I grow up.' 
 
Mom smiled back and said,
'Let's see if we can make your wish come true.' 
Later that day she
went to her local fire department in Phoenix , Arizona  , where she met
Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix .. 

 
She
explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her
6-year- 
old son a ride around the block on a fire
engine. 
 
Fireman Bob said, 'Look, we can do better than
that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning,
we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to
the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine
yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire-man's uniform
for him,  with a real fire hat - not a toy -- 
one-with the
emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department 
on it, a yellow slicker like
we wear and rubber boots. 
 
They're all manufactured right
here in Phoenix , so we can get them  fast.' 
 
Three
days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his  uniform and
escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting ho ok and ladder
truck. 
Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it
back to the fire station. 
 
He was in
heaven. 
 
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day,
and Billy got to  go out on all three calls . He rode in the different
fire engines, the paramedics' van, and even the fire chief's car. He
was also videotaped for the local news program. 
 
Having
his dream come true, 
With all the love and attention that was
lavished 
upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three
months longer than any doctor thought possible. 

One night all
of his vital signs began to drop 
dramatically, and the head nurse,
who believed in the hospice  concept - that no one should die alone,
began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the
day Billy had spent as a 
fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and
asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital
to be with Billy as he made his transition. 
The chief replied, 'We
can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do
me a favor? 
When you hear the sirens screaming and see
the 
lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that
there  is not a fire? It's the department coming to see one of its
finest  members one more time. And will you open the window to his
room? 
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at
the  hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor
open  window-------- 
16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder
into Billy's room. 
With his mother's permission, they hugged him
and held him and  told him how much they LOVED him. 

With
his dying breath, 
Billy looked up at the fire chief and said,
'Chief, am I really a  fireman now?' 
 
'Billy, you
are, and t he Head Chief in Heaven, is holding your hand,' the chief
said. 
With those words, Billy smiled and said, 'I know. He's
been  holding my hand all day, and the angels have been
singing.' 
 
He closed his eyes one last
time. 

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