Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own. ~Harold Coffin
Sometimes in life, we come across people who are so empty, within, that they have nothing but malevolence to offer even though you reach out in love and friendship. I've been crossing paths with one such, in the last couple of weeks. Not the first of it's kind though... but every time, i am left perplexed and i have to confess, a little hurt. After giving it a good thought, as to whether i am arousing this effect, and on finding that its totally unreasonable and senseless...i find my peace in attributing the behaviour to rivalry / jealousy.
There is an English proverb: "Envy shoots at others and wounds itself." Balzac has said that envy is the most stupid of vices, for there is no single advantage to be gained from it.
One of the truest marks of possessing great qualities is being born without envy and i have to add, i am honoured to know atleast a handful of such blessed souls. Bible classifies envy as one of the seven deadly sins. It is one of the transgressions that causes not death of the body but of the soul. The Bible also says in Proverbs 14:30 that a tranquil spirit revives the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
Personally, i think immaturity is one of the main triggers of jealousy along with false pride and insecurity. R's remedy is to focus on the good qualities of everyone and to deflect all negativity by always being good. It is sound advice and i have been practising it.
Search your hearts, folks...what do you find in there?
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
One day of my life
This post comes a full 24 hours delayed. I was too tired to write.
Yesterday was just a normal day, a dreary Monday, but i realized by the end of the day, the reason for the smile in my heart.
Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown
First 'T' dropped by to go for a quick walk around the block and she gave me a new recipe to try, "Pesarattu Upma", it's an Andhra tiffin special and very nutritious. Hmm.. when am i going to try that? And then we talked about random things, had a good laugh. We both seemed to want to have a cup of coffee together, both had a slight pain in the heel, and both were having a "so-so" day, which made it great. T is a new friend who i met recently.
Then 'S' who is 3,000 miles away called back after a couple of days. I was happy to chat with her.
It was evening. 'B' passed by and asked if we can hang out for a while and we had a heart to heart talk about simple but profound things. How too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in a person's eye when she feels that we have understood.
And just as i was going to call it a day, 'A' messaged from 7600 miles away with her usual banter: "Where did you disappear for the last three days?" 'A' is an old friend, who tries to stay in touch very normally in an absolutely irregular way. Actually she disappears once in a while! Talk of a busy working mom! :)
To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed, that can make life a garden. ~ Goethe.
I knew as i went to bed last night, that it was not just another day. It was made special by each one of them in their own unique way. Maybe it was my lucky day, "R" sacrificed extra time on a busy weekday, to lend a big hand in the kitchen.
It is days like these that make life worth living. Life is not a matter of milestones but of moments!
Go make someone happy! :)
Yesterday was just a normal day, a dreary Monday, but i realized by the end of the day, the reason for the smile in my heart.
Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown
First 'T' dropped by to go for a quick walk around the block and she gave me a new recipe to try, "Pesarattu Upma", it's an Andhra tiffin special and very nutritious. Hmm.. when am i going to try that? And then we talked about random things, had a good laugh. We both seemed to want to have a cup of coffee together, both had a slight pain in the heel, and both were having a "so-so" day, which made it great. T is a new friend who i met recently.
Then 'S' who is 3,000 miles away called back after a couple of days. I was happy to chat with her.
It was evening. 'B' passed by and asked if we can hang out for a while and we had a heart to heart talk about simple but profound things. How too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in a person's eye when she feels that we have understood.
And just as i was going to call it a day, 'A' messaged from 7600 miles away with her usual banter: "Where did you disappear for the last three days?" 'A' is an old friend, who tries to stay in touch very normally in an absolutely irregular way. Actually she disappears once in a while! Talk of a busy working mom! :)
To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed, that can make life a garden. ~ Goethe.
I knew as i went to bed last night, that it was not just another day. It was made special by each one of them in their own unique way. Maybe it was my lucky day, "R" sacrificed extra time on a busy weekday, to lend a big hand in the kitchen.
It is days like these that make life worth living. Life is not a matter of milestones but of moments!
Go make someone happy! :)
Sunday, 10 July 2011
How-to
Do you know how to choose a near perfect watermelon? Well, i did not, until now.
The stripes should be uniformly dark colored. It shows the watermelon ripened evenly in the sun. The coloring should be glossy green.
Look for the sugar spot on the bottom, yellowish or white, where the belly of the melon rested on the ground. The sugar spot says it will be sweet. Raw watermelons will have a white spot, while the ripe ones will have a yellowish spot. This spot should not be very wide.
A good watermelon is hard all over. Discard soft / mushy ones.
Hold the melon and thump it quickly as you would a drum; the vibration should radiate through the entire melon. A hollow sound ensures the watermelon is ripe.
Ok, i m off to the market to put my new knowledge to the test. And this post ensures that 'R' will also be able to pick a good watermelon, if ever need be.
I am craving for some refreshing sweetness!
The stripes should be uniformly dark colored. It shows the watermelon ripened evenly in the sun. The coloring should be glossy green.
Look for the sugar spot on the bottom, yellowish or white, where the belly of the melon rested on the ground. The sugar spot says it will be sweet. Raw watermelons will have a white spot, while the ripe ones will have a yellowish spot. This spot should not be very wide.
A good watermelon is hard all over. Discard soft / mushy ones.
Hold the melon and thump it quickly as you would a drum; the vibration should radiate through the entire melon. A hollow sound ensures the watermelon is ripe.
Ok, i m off to the market to put my new knowledge to the test. And this post ensures that 'R' will also be able to pick a good watermelon, if ever need be.
I am craving for some refreshing sweetness!
Universal Song (?)
I recently read an article by Stefany A Goldberg.
There is a song that's sung the same way wherever you go. Maybe the only song that ties us all together than any other. Guess, which one? Of course, you know it!
It was first sung in a kindergarten classroom in Louisville, Kentucky by the Hill sisters, Patty and Mildred. It is a song you can sing after you've heard it only once. It is a song always sung spontaneously by a random group. It is probably one of the few songs of the last century passed down through an oral tradition. It is a song that belongs to us all. It is ageless, secular and silly. No wonder it lurks in all corners of the globe. Last clue, it is a wish.
We had gone to Buca di Beppo, an Italian restaurant, and at a nearby table, a group was bellowing out this song at top volume with a candle-lit cake and a surprised, smug fellow diner surrounded by friends and waiters. It lights up any atmosphere and leaves everyone with a smile.
You got it, did'nt you? :)
"Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear (name)
Happy birthday to you!"
There is a song that's sung the same way wherever you go. Maybe the only song that ties us all together than any other. Guess, which one? Of course, you know it!
It was first sung in a kindergarten classroom in Louisville, Kentucky by the Hill sisters, Patty and Mildred. It is a song you can sing after you've heard it only once. It is a song always sung spontaneously by a random group. It is probably one of the few songs of the last century passed down through an oral tradition. It is a song that belongs to us all. It is ageless, secular and silly. No wonder it lurks in all corners of the globe. Last clue, it is a wish.
We had gone to Buca di Beppo, an Italian restaurant, and at a nearby table, a group was bellowing out this song at top volume with a candle-lit cake and a surprised, smug fellow diner surrounded by friends and waiters. It lights up any atmosphere and leaves everyone with a smile.
You got it, did'nt you? :)
"Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear (name)
Happy birthday to you!"
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