You want your child to be a Genius. I know you said yes because it would have been grossly unpatriotic of you if you had said no. To want the mark of pure, unadulterated genius on the forehead of your progeny is a national characteristic. No, I didn’t say obsession, you just hear noises in […]
Lessons
Mind Job
The mind is a rationalizer. Once the heart/ soul takes a decision based on an emotional instinct, impulse or desire, the mind rationalizes the decision you’ve taken, justifying it on rational principles. Sometimes when a decision cannot be so rationalized, the mind manufactures rational arguments and evidence in order to sugar- coat it for the […]
Arguing With Life
WHAT IS, is what is supposed to be, or it would not be. The rest is just you, arguing with life. ~ Neale Donald Walsch When I read that quote in the morning today, it was like someone threw a bucket of cold water over me. We all react to a bucket of cold water […]
Monkey See Monkey Do
Human beings learn vital skills by aping their immediate social group. A large part of our reactions and responses falls under the category of learned behavior. We’ve learned to ape facial expressions, tone of voice, the way we do things like holding our spoon, clipping our nails or tying our shoelaces. We’ve also aped some […]
Your Best-Case Scenario
I’d like you to visualize this: It is an incredibly beautiful day. The air is clear, the sky is brilliantly, impossibly blue. Somewhere you hear the tinkling music of wind- chimes; it creates an answering resonance within you. The silence around you is deep, rippling with the shadows of contentment over a vista lit with […]
An Impulse to Excel
I’ve been lagging behind on reading the blogs I subscribe to. I decided to read first today and then, if I was a good girl, I’d get to write. Most times this game works but sometimes, like today, it falls flat on its face. I’m so pleased. I was reading away contentiously when I came […]
Not Just Words
Have you noticed how language- centric we’ve become? There is such an endless stream of words in our lives. There is increasingly less personal, face- to- face time we have for each other. We ‘communicate’ more than we ever did because we have a myriad ways to touch base with those who matter to us. […]
Beyond Salvage
Your garden has the exact mix of order and wilderness that appeals to you. You love it; it is beautiful. The best feature of your garden is a huge shady tree under which there is a garden bench. A rope swing hangs delicately from its sturdy branches. The tree is big and strong. It will […]
Life in 55 Words
ONE “Dad, let me take this summer job.” “What?! You’re just sixteen! People will think I can’t provide for my family.” “It’ll be good for my future, I’ll learn so much. Please?” “I’ll become the laughing stock of town. I’ve said no, discussion over.” The child fell silent, spirit crumpled under the weight of society’s […]
Soul Food
If you could get all the nutrition you needed in a day with a pill, no worrying about what to eat, no food preparation, would you do it? On some, rare day I might want to pop a pill. But on a permanent basis? No way! Food is not just nutrition for us, just as […]