What!!! Is it all about???

What exactly is the purpose of life? What are we here for? Should we just do whatever we feel like or do we decide what we want to do or is there a specific purpose / plan for each single life? Do we decide to do no harm and help as many people as possible especially those "less fortunate" along this journey of life?

Do you ever wonder when God answers prayers? Is it when it is according to His will? If prayers are answered when it is according to His will, so why do we have to ask at all? Ok, because He said we should.... So how do we know when what is according to His will? So, if we ask for something over and over like the woman that pestered the judge and we don't seem to get an answer, is it an indication that what we ask is not according to His will or does it just mean that it is not the right time for the particular thing we asked for?

So many, too many questions plague my mind from time to time.. Sometimes, I ask what it is all about? Is it just vanity upon vanity like the preacher said? Do we just drink and be merry? Are we like rats in a maze? I really wish I had answers to a lot of questions.... What!!! exactly is it all about?

A thankful heart

The weekend of the 10th October was thanksgiving in Canada - my first. The Canadian thanksgiving can be termed a harvest festival because it is a day that has been set aside to give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. I however read up the history / origin of thanksgiving and found out that it started with an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he established a settlement in Northern America. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey.

As human beigns we could forget to be thankful everyday for the seemingly little things in our lives and in the lives of people around us. So, I decided to be thankful for all around me...

I am thankful for:

The gift of life - seeing, breathing, touching, walking etc
The gift of love from family, friends and a wonderful husband
The ability to think
The ability to type, write, read etc
Technology that allows me to share this, communicate with my loved ones and generally makes life easier
The snow outside the house
Shelter with a heating system
The invention of warm layers of cloth
I could go on and on....

What are you thankful for?

Get Up And Go
It is often easier to continue along a particular path than to change, Maintaining the satus quo. Inertia does not necessarily mean inactivity or being without motion.. It could be an unwillingness to stop.

Inertia is derived from the Latin word, "iners", meaning idle, or lazy. It is the resistance of a body to a change in its current state. The great Isaac Newton defined it as the power of resisting, by which every body, as much as in it lies, endeavors to preserve in its present state, whether it be of rest, or of moving uniformly forward in a straight line.

I like to think of myself as someone who does things once her mind is made up. I however recently noticed some measure of inertia regarding a particular thing I was supposed to do. I realised I had been giving some excuses somewhere at the back of my mind as the reason for it. Then, it hit me like a flash that I was just comfortable not doing anything, I was comfortable about that particular thing. Then, I decided to apply an opposite force to counter the initial resistance. I also decided to post this as a reminder to myself to get up and do what needs to be done and to encourage someone out there to do the same... Excuses are just what they are - Excuses.... Get up and go or in some other people's cases "Be still"

If you had one wish, What would it be for?

I went for a camp over the weekend and the write up below about Lester's wish jumped out at me and I decided to share it... Enjoy and examine yourself

Lester was given a magic wish
By the goblin who lives in the banyan tree,
And with his wish he wished for two more wishes--
So now instead of just one wish, he cleverly had three.
And with each one of these
He simply wished for three more wishes,
Which gave him three old wishes, plus nine new.
And with each of these twelve
He slyly wished for three more wishes,
Which added up to forty-six--or is it fifty-two?
Well anyway, he used each wish
To wish for wishes 'til he had
Five billion, seven million, eighteen thousand thirty-four.
And then he spread them on the ground
And clapped his hands and danced around
And skipped and sang, and then sat down
And wished for more.
And more...and more...they multiplied
While other people smiled and cried
And loved and reached and touched and felt.
Lester sat amid his wealth
Stacked mountain-high like stacks of gold,
Sat and counted--and grew old.
And then one Thursday night they found him
Dead--with his wishes piled around him.
And they counted the lot and found that not
A single one was missing.
All shiny and new--here, take a few
And think of Lester as you do.
In a world of apples and kisses and shoes
He wasted his wishes on wishing. -Shel Silverstein

First Time!!!!!!!

The first time we do anything (good mind you) should be an exhilarating experience for anyone of us. I however found out that there are a number of firsts in our lives that we discount and do not revel in the joy of it. Some of us have been going round in circles that we think there is no room for firsts. It suddenly dawned on me that it was the first time I made someone's hair, the first time I got a bouquet of roses from my husband on our anniversary, the first time I went grocery shopping with a new friend, the first time I baked potatoes, the first time I wore a particular top... the first time, the first time.... I could go on and on... I am grateful for all the first and the new things in my life no matter how seemingly mundane.

It tells me that
1. I am able to do new things
2. I dare to do new things
3. Its not too late to have a first time of anything

Some of us have either forgotten how to do new things, are too engrossed in our same old habits and rots to bother with new things, are to scared to do new things or have forgotten to luxuriate in our firsts..... Dare to count your firsts... you might be surprised.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME IT WAS YOUR FIRST?

How do I satisfy them?

How on earth do you satisfy humans and our wants? Can humans ever be satisfied?

Three years ago, the face of public transportation was "Molues" (Humongous buses that mostly tilts at an angle of about 45 degrees to the side), "Danfos" (Smaller buses that sometimes have their trunks converted to chairs for people to sit in - in order to increase revenue), "yellow taxis" (Some shaky like jelly fishes and on the high end monetarily). A commutter was stuck with either of these. Today, gradually, the face of public transportation is changing thanks to the BRT, eko taxis and corporate cabs. I was pleasantly surprised a few days ago to find out that the newly procured BRT buses have functioning air conditioning units which means you do not have to sweat (considering the temperate whether). However, to my utter amazement, I heard a woman complain about the fare which by the way is lower tahn the Danfo's. She said she does not need the ac and she would rather board the old "Molues" as they were better, I chalked it up to her just ranting. However, I thought I'd vent about it when I saw the same woman again the next day making the same complaint even though she opted to board the fully - ac bus. It got me wondering about why humans are never satisfied. It also reminded me of a story.


Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there were men, women and children who were under the oppressive and heavy hand of a wicked task master. The yoke / burden was near impossible to bear so, these humans called unto a power higher than the task master to deliver them and releive them of the burden.

So, in came the higher power that delivered them with a lot of pomp and fanfair from their task master on the condition that they will go with him and work with him but the tasks he assigned them were light. These humans were grateful for a short period for the deliverance. However after a very short time, they began to complain once again, they even said the new master should have left them in the custody of their wicked, high handed task master. The new master was of course very shocked at this reaction. They did not enjoy their new found freedom because of the magnitude and frquecy of their complaints.


Lesson learnt:
Seek to do what is right and even though humans complain, realise that:

- Humans have an innate tendency to complain
- Human needs and beings are insatiable. Everyone cannot be satisfied all the time
- Change is very threatening for humans. We are comfortable and like to remain with the status quo
- Whenever you are about to complaint, think very deply about why you are about to complain and see if it really is a valid reason to complain

P.S:
To complain means to "grumble about" to whine or find fault. The opposite is to applaud, approve, be content, be happy, commend, praise, recommend, sanction

Police is your Friend (2)

Tunzie!!!!!!!!! What is it with the Police? I am beginning to wonder - Permit me to say that.

Let me quickly tell you what it is with them.
on the 6th of March, at about 6:20pm, The car I was in was moving towards its destination and had almost gotten there, I was contemplating whether to continue reading the book I had or just chill for a few more minutes till I got home, well, the desicion was taken out of my hands because I suddenly heard a loud sound and the next thing, the car rotated on its front tire axis and then I was on my head - a somersault. I saw blood but didn't realize it was mine. It was all so surreal. Well, now to why the topic... Guess who was at the accident scene.. Yep!!!! you are right. A Police man, he pulled me out through the window, I picked my bag and phone, I tried to make a phone call to my Sister and could not talk for long, so the Policeman took the phone and completed the phone conversation. He then took me to the nearest Hospital where we were told I couldn't be treated and to go to a more specialized Hospital. All this while, my blood was pouring. I kept on saying that "I was not going to die but I would live to declare the works of God in my life i the land of teh living". Well, someone that works with an NGO - non Governmental Organisation that operates an ambulance service had followed to the Hospital and organised for their ambulance to take me to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, it was rush hour and there was traffic, my blood was still flowing out. At this time, they had put something to collect the blood with. The Police man was there in the ambulance with me till I got to the Hospital. He called later to find out how I was doing. Waoh!!!!!! Police could really be your friend :-)