Tag: thoughts

Posted in Family and Society, Photography Art, Random Thoughts, Stories Around the World

Set by Own Standards

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Restoring old family furniture involves plenty of planning. Depending on the requirement, design and the budget; the type of wood is selected and work starts at full swing. While some may be a “do-it-yourself” project, others require help from the experts. Which is why two weeks later, we had stopped by the local furniture centre to pick up our refurbished pieces. Imagine to our surprise when not only was the underlying rotting wood removed and replaced keeping the design and base structure intact, the upholstery was redone and the polish shining to reflect. While we didn’t expect such a beautiful restoration. The work they had done spoke volumes about their work ethics and principles. Regardless of the expense or the pay received, the work done went beyond it.

“What you do is what matters, not what you think or say or plan.” Jason Fried

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To do any task entrusted to one, requires one to be willing to work and see it through. Yet along the way, there may be unexpected glitches which may take one by complete surprise or they may be as or beyond the anticipated. The battle then ranges between completion of target deadlines to doing the project in the complete manner in the time available. Doing the job may be as per the required but the choice of going that extra mile depends on oneself alone.

“Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.” Criss Jami

Not just as work projects alone; but whatever one does, one should learn to enjoy those little motions. Be it in making that single cup of morning coffee, washing the car, mowing the elderly neighbour’s lawn or giving a hand at the local fundraising garage sale, do it because one wants to help and do their best when in action. For while words and thoughts may fade away with time, the emotions left behind and the actions effected by them stay embedded for the years ahead. The care we have for another is shown not through words or deeds, but heartfelt actions or work that brings a smile on the faces around us.

“Even though your time on the job is temporary, if you do a good enough job, your work there will last forever.” Idowu Koyenikan

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One day a man was asked to paint a boat by an owner of boat. He brought with him paint and brushes and began to paint the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him. While painting, he realized there was a hole in the hull and decided to repair it. When he finished painting, he received his money and left. The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and presented him with a nice check, much higher than the payment for painting. The painter was surprised.”You’ve already paid me for painting the boat!”, he said.
– But this is not for the paint job. It’s for having repaired the hole in the boat.
– Ah! But it was such a small service, certainly it’s not worth paying me such a high amount for something so insignificant!

“My dear friend, you do not understand. Let me tell you what happened. When I asked you to paint the boat, I forgot to mention about the hole. When the boat dried, my kids took the boat and went on a fishing trip. They did not know that there was a hole. I was not at home at that time. When I returned and noticed they had taken the boat, I was desperate because I remembered that the boat had a hole. Imagine my relief and joy when I saw them returning from fishing. Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole! You see, now, what you did? You saved the life of my children! I do not have enough money to pay your “small” good deed.”
Source: Social Media (The Internet)

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Posted in Christian, Daily, Family and Society, poetry, Reflections

With His Hand

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

One of the early evenings at home, there was a sudden inspiration to start off a new recipe. Unfortunately it required quite a bit of milk. So there was an impromptu trip to the local grocers’. Leaving a child alone at home wasn’t an option, so he had tagged along. It’s only when we ventured onto the sidewalk, the realization of a “busy road” was understood. With heavy traffic on one side, road construction still going on and plenty of feet on the sidewalks, it was a huge rush that one could be lost in. So holding hands ( not the norm’ for a seven year old) we had crossed the road. While nothing eventful happened, the smaller hand held on securely for the fear of getting lost in the crowd was upper most in the mind.

“Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” (Amos 3:3)

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During the walk together, holding hands ensured that both went along the same path, keeping an eye on the road, the pile of pebbles or gravel alongside and watching for any construction pits nearby. When a car takes a sudden detour, it was the restraining by the hand that caused one to look up and stop or watch their step. Such is the love of our Father. He just requires us to hold His Hand as we walk ahead.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”(Micah 6:8)

To walk with Him requires us to follow the same direction as He Goes. His Ways are defined by His Word, as the Scriptures teach us the same. The best part as we walk with Him is the feeling of safety, His Love, His Grace and His Care that surrounds us completely. In the event that one may stumble or fall into the pits, His Hand would reach out to hold us back or guide us through the stumble; such that we feel safe and loved once again. As the toddler who feels secure with his parents or carers, such is the security and love that one feels when God walks with us. Such walks are to be treasured and priceless gifts of time and love that life gifts us.

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Walk With God
by Ellen Bailey

When you walk with God, you can do anything
It doesn’t matter what problems life may bring
You may have your days of ups and downs
But if you call out, He’ll be around

When you walk with God, your heart will sing
From the love and joy His presence brings
Your path will be clear, for He is the light
But you must walk with faith and not by sight

When you walk with God, you join a Holy Team
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is what I mean
They will shower you with an abiding faith
And fill your heart with love and not with hate

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Posted in Family and Society, Personal Musings, Quotes, Stories Around the World

Rein in the Fist

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Though the holiday mode has started, with travel to tourist places restricted; it is the woods and the farm fields that have occupied most of the spare childhood hours, thus making the work at home option feasible for a few days. Which is why while making my entries in the excel spreadsheet, a sudden clatter of metal and cries of pain forced to make a rush to the pantry where I caught the young one with his hand stuck in the jar of crisps and in the mute howling phase. Like the monkey who trapped his hand in the jar, a couple of minutes he lit off before I could settle the scene and deal with the fiasco.

Reliving those moments over the pre-lunch tea session, the morning incident reminded me of the monkey’s hand which had caught in the jar for the fistful of cookies were too big to come out through the mouth of the jar. Just like the monkey, we adults too grab whatever our fists can hold, resulting in biting more than one can chew and staying stuck in the big jar of “life” getting stuck knee-deep when retreat would have been feasible.

“So the unwanting soul sees what’s hidden,
and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants.”
Lao Tzu

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Growing up, the stress was often laid on being successful, making something profitable out of life and the ventures that we do. As we mature, one experiences the profits and gains and basks in their glory. Eventually one may lose sight of the more important things in life, realizing that their hold on those things have been lost. Once when one realizes that the really important things in life have been lost, then those material profits and gain become completely worthless.

“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” Socrates

Defining when to rein in the profits and close down the run for amassing more, or just to continue on, rests on what one considers important close to their heart. Greed is one of those things that can infiltrate any stage of success silently, grow therein and create complete unrest in a subtle manner, such that one realizes that the profits gained were meaningless in context of the damage wrought.

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One should make most out of any venture, trying for it to be a success on all fronts. Yet the highlight is to rein the urge to confine all the glory to one, amass more or just hoard the rewards. By letting go a bit of that fist, one can enjoy a bit of the reward then instead of losing out to a worse predicament later on. Also one could grab less or just a handful and share it out, so that rewards enjoyed around would life a lot more fun, happy and joyful; just enough to fit into each of our fists.

The Greedy Mouse
A greedy mouse saw a basket full of corn. He wanted to eat all of the corn so he made a small hole in the basket. He squeezed in through the hole. He ate a lot of corn until he was full and was very happy. Now he wanted to come out. He tried to come out through the small hole. He could not. His belly was full. He tried again. But it was of no use. The mouse started crying. A rabbit was passing by. It heard the mouse’s cry and asked, “Why are you crying, my friend?” The mouse explained, “I made a small hole and came into the basket to eat the corn. Now I am not able to get out through that hole.”

The rabbit said, “It is because you ate too much. Wait till your belly shrinks.” The rabbit laughed and went away. The mouse fell asleep in the basket. The next morning his belly had shrunk. But he wanted to eat some more corn. He forgot all about getting out of the basket. So he ate the corn and his belly was really big again.After eating, the mouse remembered that he had to escape. But obviously, he could not. So he thought, “Oh! Now I will go out tomorrow.” The cat was the next passerby. He smelt the mouse in the basket. He lifted its lid and ate the mouse.

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Posted in Family and Society, Personal Musings, Reflections

Abstract to Doing

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Abstruse”. From Latin abstrūsus, which literally means “concealed.”
Means difficult to understand.

With the entire nation going into shutdown for almost a month, office hours translates to completing the current projects by the deadline, working from the temporary home office from the family homestead was the only available option. With my better half stuck in the hospital campus, keeping the children busy and entertained falls on the shoulders of yours truly with occasional help from my in-laws. While the initial few days saw unwarranted help and support from the “screen” as popular animation movies and cartoons; “boring” soon came into the regular conversation. Which is why the green board in the family room is sporting the word “abstruse” for the moment.

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Ameliorate. Means “to improve something”. Began as an 18th-century alteration of “meliorate,” the latter likely influenced by the French word améliorer (“to improve”).

With the spare time on hand as the daily commute is no longer there, the children have begun their “read and enact” lessons. To be honest, the initial days were more of a reading session while as of now, it is costume session where superman helps to eliminate the super-bugs in the vegetable garden. To keep their interest piqued, the green board sports a new word or a phrase on a daily basis.

Between the drama sessions, tree house encampment, ball games and home art; there is plenty of things to do to keep the young ones busy for now. As for the hours saved by the lack of commute, the benefits are seen in no longer being a part of the ranks of “tsundoku”, the set of recipes being experimented on, impromptu artwork gracing the shed-converted-to-studio and the sudden fits of castaways.

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As each of us go into “lock-down” situation in our respective places, there have been many alterations to the social calendar. While some which have been done away with won’t be missed, certain events which have been looked forward for have been lost out. The sudden uprooting of the daily routine, unprecedented job cuts or being laid off, salary deductions, loss of income, basic amenities and the like, all create an immense amount of mental pressure and stress.

Through all this, what may be salvaged should be given complete effort whereas, those wherein the situations can’t be changed, one has to review their options and make the changes as necessary. To rewind back and change the course of time is a feat which science and technology haven’t achieved yet. Instead what one can do, is to deal with the present scenario, appraise the resources at hand and move ahead. Life always has its’ own sudden curves. The way we handle those sharp turns changes the journey as time moves on .

Tsundoku (Japanese: 積ん読). One who acquires reading materials but lets them pile up in one’s home without reading them. Also referred to books ready for reading later when they are on a bookshelf.

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Posted in Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Quotes

Not as the Speculation

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.” Toni Morrison

Preparations for the silver jubilee of the high school batch had begun well in advance, almost a year ahead. From inquiries among batch-mates about schedules, plans and venues to coordinating with the present school and alumni council, no stone was left unturned to reconnect with all members of the same batch year. Catching up to the present day, there was a couple of surprises in store for everyone. Besides the personal additions to the class, there were the professional landmarks and various talents that had come into play over the years; all which were way off the conjectures based on the know of the high school years.

“Those who have knowledge, don’t predict. Those who predict, don’t have knowledge.” Lao Tzu

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No matter how many suppositions one may presume, the reality may be something near the perceived or far off the mark. At times, it is more of the latter that makes one realize that at times perceived notions can be way out of the expected. As each of us had made our way into the world, shedding off the cloaks of the teenage years and entering into the young adult stage; not one of us would have been able to exactly predict the directions that we would turn. While for some of us, the final destination of the present day is close to the dream we had seen; for few others the present reality is way better than the future views held in the mind of those days.

“Life is no different than the weather. Not only is it unpredictable, but it shows us a new perspective of the world every day.” Suzy Kassem

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Whether the top scorer of the class reaches the pinnacle of success or the one with low grades runs his own company; towards the end of the day all those don’t matter. Neither does each of us have the power to completely judge or label one, neither does one like to labelled or judged. Whether the scorer of those days is successful today or not, it doesn’t affect the present day lives of most of us. As long as one is content from within, the true essence of life is then experienced. Though guess-work and suppositions may be nowhere near the reality, it doesn’t matter as long as each of us are happy in our own paths. And that is the true beauty of life, to feel and explore the dreams, aspiration and talents closest to the heart.

The heartthrob of the school, is a man grim and somber.
That lanky little girl, is now a weightlifter.
The topper of the class, is a happy homemaker.
Back bencher of the lot, is an entrepreneur.
The flamboyant fashionista, became a dreaded lawyer.
Oft ignored average Joe, turned a well known writer.
The one who failed math paper, is a fashion designer,
And one who often got to stand outside the class, is a respected army officer.
The reunion taught me how, people came with many layers, and tell me why should we never, judge a book by its cover.
–Anjali Sharma

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Posted in Daily, Personal Musings, poetry, Quotes

Step Back, Rest..Move Ahead

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

A while back, with new addition of a sister-in-law to the family, the entire family tree, complete with two generations of grandparent siblings and their couples as well as the next generation of siblings, cousins and respective families, had decided for a family meet at one of the hilltop enclaves. While the journey was breath-taking, getting there was a series of “ups” and “downs”, similar to a roller coaster ride, albeit the loops and screaming. With the constant tug-of-war with time, we had yet again run short of time and navigating out of the city was a mess.

As we took turns, shifted gears and made our way, complete with kids, dog and other paraphernalia; it was the rests at the quintessential cafe’s and inns on the way that put us in a good mood the entire journey. Despite the nagging worry of whether we would be there, none of us forget to appreciate the view and the journey and take snapshot memories of the same. Finally we did get to the hilltop in time, with no regrets for the length of the journey or the hassles faced. The views accompanied by the moments of joy, laughter, peace and happiness made up, much more and beyond for the tedious drive up-hill.

“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.” Erol Ozan

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Driving uphill or unknown roads and off-beaten paths is something that we often feel in a similar vein, in our daily life. One really doesn’t need to be aligned with the wheel, but even on foot it takes plenty of effort to go up and against the pull downwards. When the pull gets too strong, stopping for a while to rest makes a big difference. Each of us have our own set of winding roads. Though one mayn’t manage to navigate through on the first few tries, losing heart doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead rest to rejuvenate and recharge, gather the courage to reassess, reclaim own strengths and travel again along the same or slightly altered but right paths. Eventually one will get there when the mind, soul and spirit go hand in hand. The view from the road uphill around, above and below makes every arduous climb worth the effort. That is what the essence of the drive and life in totality, is all about.

“It’s easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top.” Henry Ward Beecher

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Up-Hill

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
– Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

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Posted in Christian, Daily, Family and Society

Stay on Track

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Watching the sports field as the shades of dusk settled, there was a hub of activity. As the preparations for the annual sports day was underway, the drill team were having their final instructions, the pit lines were being drawn and the tracks were being freshly marked. Observing the fresh white marked being poured to mark the race tracks, they were finely poured with measured distances between the lines. Everyone knows what happens when the tracks get drawn in a shabby manner. Too little space for the runners, or worst of all, they run into each other’s track fields resulting in a whole of confusion and shoving.

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Like wise in life, we too have our own tracks that help us stay in line. These tracks guide us, correct us when things go wrong and map out a course for us to run along. Such is the guidance of His Spirit. Life on earth, is never predictable. So are the paths that we follow, roads that we take and the unexpected roadblocks that we encounter. To stay on the track, in the course of events would be difficult at times. By His Spirit, the tendency to wander, get lost or be disheartened is lessened.

“Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them, Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name, Who led them through the depths? Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble…” (Isaiah 63:11-14)

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As one encounters the tough moments of life, His Spirit guides us on to which path to take, options to choose and heed to. One may call it the inner conscience, moral compass or the sixth sense, but it is His Spirit that stays in the mind and guides us through these actions, words and behaviour. The Spirit is strengthened by His Word and His Grace. for those to all come into being, one would need to walk in His Faith. Faith is not borne fruit by prayers alone, but complete belief in His Word and in His Law. When all these things come into proper balance, the gift of His Spirit and His Guidance would guide us through all the different race tracks or dirt tracks that we may run into throughout our lifetime.

“The Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie.” (1 John 2:27)

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