9-11-2008

Today marks 7 years of the 9-11-2001 tragedy.  I still tear up and feel extremely sad thinking about the events and how it has affected so many families, lives and people.  It makes me think about our world today and how so many acts of violence and wars happen.  It makes me wonder how people can do anything harmful to each other or to anyone. 

I believe that every action, good or bad, creates a chain reaction.  One action creates momentum and it keeps on going and going and building and building, and there will never be an end.  But I believe it is up to us as individuals to commit to stopping the bad chain reactions and reverse it to create good chain reactions.  The hatred and anger started somewhere, it could have been as simple as a misunderstanding, but it just build and build and now everyone in this world is affected by one single incident of misunderstanding that probably happened years and years ago and had nothing to do with us personally.   Yet, it has somehow become so personal and affected us very deeply. 

We might never understand why there is so much hate, but I think we as humans have the stronger desire to want peace and good for all mankind.  It is not being a coward, but really trying to find peace and understanding from each other.   

Seven years after 9/11, I believe that we need to think about what kind of future do we want for our children and for this world.  One filled with hate, or one with hopes and dreams of peace and understanding.  We might never get there, but we’ll never know unless we try and start somewhere. 

So on this day, I’m doing my part on asking you who have taken the time to read this, to take a step back and reflect on how we as individuals can do things, no matter how small, to create chain reactions of good and reverse the hate and wars we have in this world.  I know we can all do something and I believe we owe it to those who have suffered and are suffering now, not just from 9/11 but every war and hate that ever happened.  We owe it to them to really try to dissolve wars and hate, to find peace and understanding in each other and ourselves.

Your life and your destiny

It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody’s life with perfection.

~ Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Indian Yogic text

Fun times

Quotes

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.

So love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don’t.

Believe that everything happens for a reason.

If you get a chance, take it.  If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said that life or love would be easy, they just promised that it would be worth it.

A good quote to live by…

“For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness.

Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”

~ Souza

I wish you enough

Wanted to share this story that I came across…

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport.  They had announced the departure.  Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, “I love you and I wish you enough.”  The daughter replied, “Mom, our life together has been more than enough.  Your love is all I ever needed.  I wish you enough too, Mom.”

They kissed and the daughter left.  The mother walked over to the window where I was.  Standing there beside me, I could see that she wanted and needed to cry.  I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking,

“Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?”

“Yes, I have,” I replied. 

“Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?” I asked.

“I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral,” she said.

“When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough.’ May I ask what that means?” I asked.

She began to smile and said, “That’s a wish that has been handed down from past generations.  My parents used to say it to everyone.”

She paused for a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. 

“When we said, ‘I wish you enough’, we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.”

Then turning towards me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory:

I wish  you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that  you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire lifetime to forget them.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE…

To all my friends and loved ones…

I WISH YOU ENOUGH.

Anger, Wounds and Forgiveness

(I came across this today…) 

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”

A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed! They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Just one more thing…

Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole in your fence!

–author unknown

The “Right” Person

“There’s no better feeling than knowing you have the right person in your life.”

I came across this quote sometime ago and really liked it, but never truly understood it or felt it…until now.

What does the “right” person mean?  Does this person have the perfect life resume or match a list of what you wish for in your significant other or are they the kind of person your parents would love for you to bring home for dinner, perhaps it is all of them…

To me, I’ve come to realize that the right person is so much more. 

It’s the person that comes into your life at the right time when you least thought it was.  That compliments your life in a way you never knew could work so well despite your differences.  That makes you realize just how easy it is for two people to be with each other and why past ones didn’t work because they just weren’t the right person for you at that time in your life.  How you finally understand what the “right” person means and feels like.  That it’s not about the perfect person as I don’t really believe there really is a perfect person that matches you.  But that there is a right person for you, a person that just goes along “right” into your life and you both put in the effort to make it work because you sincerely care for each other.   You know they’re the right person when you take a step back to see the big picture and suddenly realize that everything just works and feels right, with no confusion or fear of the unknown as many of my past experiences have been.

I feel extremely blessed that I am experiencing what the quote is saying — this feeling of knowing that, for now, I have the right person in my life…as it is truly and absolutely wonderful.

My all-time favorite video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbSieU8wcFQ 

This is my all-time favorite video…it just makes me laugh and smile every time, no matter how many times I’ve seen it.  Every time I watch it, it reminds me that the simplest things make us happy and truly smile. 

As we grow older and have more responsibilities, we often forget about what makes us truly happy and are constantly in search of the next excitement or next big thing.  Just because it’s in our human nature to always look for something new and more. 

In our world of technology and advancement today, we have so many things that make our lives faster and easier…but sometimes I don’t think it makes us happier.  Watching a baby or kid find laughter and joy in the simplest things reminds us of what is true happiness.  It’s not about owning all the things in the world or doing the latest trendy thing; it’s enjoying life with a loved one or enjoying what is always around us that we constantly take for granted. 

With the internet in our lives, our daily form of communication is email, yet a simple hand-written letter that is mailed to a friend can be so much more heartfelt and touching than a quick email.  We have so many gourmet restaurants and must-try delicious foods, yet it’s a simple breakfast or dinner made for a loved one that can truly be the best meal you’ve ever had. 

What does this all mean?  It means that in our constant quest for happiness or the next best thing, we have lost sight of what truly makes us happy, which I believe are the really simple and perhaps old-fashioned things in life. 

So now that you’ve taken the time to read my mumble jumble, I hope I have inspired you to find true happiness and joy in the simple and little things in life and in each of us…nothing fancy, just genuine and heartfelt…like a baby’s true joy and hysterical rolling-on-the-floor laughter over tearing up paper. =)

Turning 30

In our society today, turning 30 for women is a big deal.  It is for men as well, but for women, I think there’s a different type of pressure with the idea that we’re supposed to be married or having kids or something along that line because our biological clock keeps on ticking as we age. I think it’s great for those who have it, heck, even if you’re 20 and you’ve done that, great!  But for me, I’m on another track and I am so thankful my parents (especially my mom) are letting me let my life be instead of pressuring.  I’m not making excuses that I don’t want that; I do, just not right now.  Turning 30, even though it’s just a number, has been the best thing that has ever happened to me.  Why? Because of so many things. 

I remember when I was in my 20’s, I was constantly wondering where am I going to be, what am I going to do, what is my life going to be like and always worrying about the future.  Now it’s like a light switch went on or something, but I’ve never been more sure of myself and where my future will be.  Not to say that I still don’t have those thoughts and worries, but I’m more settled in myself and my decisions, and where my life and career are both heading.  I’m understanding what “it” all means now and what is important to me so I make sure to make time for things that are meaningful for me.  I’m not at ten billion places at once or doing so many things at the same time because I feel like I’ll miss something or I have to be there, but instead, I am dedicating more time for me…something I never did for myself in my 20’s. 

I  have come to realize that besides family and best friends, I am the most important thing.  I have only one life to live and I have the rest of my life to be married to my love and dedicated to a family.  This is the only time I have to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.  Not to say that I won’t be able to once I’m married with kids, but it’ll be different and things might be put off until who knows when.  I guess the message from “The Station” keeps on reminding me of life.  I remember I used to always say, once I did this, or when I get this…nowadays I think about “The Station” by Robert Hastings —

“Sooner or later we must realize that there is no Station; no place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is in the trip. The Station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.”

“It isn’t the burden of today that drives men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.”

I am not one to regret anything in my life, but I do know that I could’ve done more.  So keeping in mind the concept of “The Station”, I understand that I must live for today and let tomorrow come as it will.  I still think about tomorrow, but I don’t let it worry me constantly.  We could say that if this happens I’ll do this or that, but honestly that it is all hypothetical, or even ideal thinking.  When things really actually do happen, depending on the situation or what not’s, we might react in someway we never thought we would.  Therefore, I am a believer of the saying “I will cross that bridge when I get there” and just let my mind be in the present for now.  All this peace, content, and true happiness didn’t come overnight for me, I had to go through my 20’s to be where I am today. 

Therefore, I am so happy and thankful to be 30, for all that I have done and experienced.  I am proud of my accomplishments, I am stronger from my broken hearts, and I am wiser from the risks I took and the lessons learned.  All this that I have in me now, would not be here if I didn’t go through it, if I didn’t go through my 20’s.  Do I wish I was younger?  Maybe, in terms of number and youth (haha, who wouldn’t).  But for all that I’ve been through and know today — never, not a day.  People say, “I wish I knew then, what I know now”, but I think you have to go through it or grow older to appreciate it and learn from it.  I don’t think I have it all or I know it all, but I’m starting to get “it” and the years to come will only make me wiser, happier and more content with me and my life.  To think that I’m only 30 and I have so much more revelations and things to undercover when I reach 40, 50 and so on.  I can’t wait for my future to unfold and for the years to come…I can’t wait for life to keep on happening to me and for me to learn even more and appreciate all that I have.