The Box

Imagine you're in London's Heathrow Airport. While you're waiting for your flight, you notice a kiosk selling shortbread cookies. You buy a box, put them in your traveling bag and then you patiently search for an available seat so you can sit down and enjoy your cookies.Finally you find a seat next to a gentleman. You reach down into your traveling bag and pull out your box of shortbread cookies.

As you do so, you notice that the gentleman starts watching you intensely. He stares as you open the box and his eyes follow your hand as you pick up the cookie and bring it to your mouth. Just then he reaches over and takes one of your cookies from the box, and eats it! You're more than a little surprised at this. Actually, you're at a loss for words. Not only does he take one cookie, but he alternates with you. For every one cookie you take, he takes one.

Now, what's your immediate impression of this guy? Crazy? Greedy? He's got some nerve?! Can you imagine the words you might use to describe this man to your associates back at the office? Meanwhile, you both continue eating the cookies until there's just one left. To your surprise, the man reaches over and takes it. But then he does something unexpected. He breaks it in half, and gives half to you. After he's finished with his half he gets up, and without a word, he leaves.

You think to yourself, "Did this really happen?" You're left sitting there dumbfounded and still hungry. So you go back to the kiosk and buy another box of cookies. You then return to your seat and begin opening your new box of cookies when you glance down into your traveling bag. Sitting there in your bag is your original box of ookies -- still unopened.

Only then do you realize that when you reached down earlier, you had reached into the other man's bag, and grabbed his box of cookies by mistake. Now what do you think of the man? Generous? Tolerant? You've just experienced a profound paradigm shift. You're seeing things from a new point of view.

Is it time to change your point of view?

Now, think of this story as it relates to your life .

Seeing things from a new point of view can be very enlightening.
Think outside the box. Don't settle for the status quo. Be open to suggestions.
Things may not be what they seem.

Big Girl Panties

Just got this in my mailbox.
The Motto for 2009/2010!

Someone will always be prettier.
Someone will always be smarter.
Some of their houses will be bigger.
Some will drive a better car.
Their children will do better in school
And their husband will fix more things around the house.
So let it go, and love you and your circumstances
Love who you are!!
Look in the mirror in the morning and smile and say,
'I am too Blessed to be Stressed and to be Disappointed!'
'Winners make things happen~~ Losers let things happen.'

The Ideal Man

Without wanting to sound like a female chauvinist, I just have to post this.  It really made me laugh and moreover, made me say: that's right, time and time again.

So ladies, tell me, which is your favorite top 5.
What does YOUR men need to be??

This is Kavita's list ...

It's not difficult to make some women happy.

A man only needs to be:

1. a friend
2. a companion
3. a lover
4. a brother
5. a father
6. a master
7. a chef
8. an electrician
9. a carpenter
10.. a plumber
11. a mechanic
12. a decorator
13. a stylist
14. a sexologist
15. a gynecologist
16. a psychologist
17.. a pest exterminator
18. a psychiatrist
19. a healer
20. a good listener
21. an organizer
22. a good father
23. very clean
24. sympathetic
25. athletic
26. warm
27. attentive
28. gallant
29. intelligent
30. funny
31. creative
32. tender
33.. strong
34. understanding
35. tolerant
36. prudent
37. ambitious
38. capable
39. courageous
40. determined
41. true
42. dependable
43. passionate
44. compassionate

WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:


45. give her compliments regularly
46. love shopping
47. be honest
48. be very rich
49. not stress her out
50... not look at other girls

AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:
51. give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself
52. give her lots of time, especially time for herself
53. give her lots of space, never worrying about where she goes

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:

54. Never to forget:
* birthdays
* anniversaries
* arrangements she makes


HOW TO MAKE SOME MEN HAPPY

1. Show up naked
2. Bring alcohol

In my job I meet a lot of very sensitive people.  Most of them sound very surprised when I can sum up what Life feels like to them and can predict their reaction to certain situations.

Well ... I suppose it takes one to know one :-)

It takes some time for people to admit that they are Highly Sensive and even more time to see it a a very valuable aspect of ones Self, a precious bonus, a great asset.





One of the books I enjoyed readingon the subject was The Highly Sensitive Person:
How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron.  Eilaine has a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and is a HSP herself.

According to Dr. Aron's definition, the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) has a sensitive nervous system, is aware of subtleties in his/her surroundings, and is more easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment.
Additionally, she says, the success of The Highly Sensitive Person is cause for celebration: "We've done it ourselves. And not surprisingly, since we are 15 to 20 percent of the population - that's fifty million in the United States. Highly sensitive people are real, we exist, and we've proven it. That alone is something to celebrate."


Another cause for Aron and her fellow HSPs to celebrate is the acceptance into mainstream psychology of the HSP personality trait.
After numerous in-depth interviews, as well as surveys of over one thousand people, Dr. Aron's findings have been published in Counseling Today, Counseling and Human Development, and the prestigious Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

In defining the Highly Sensitive Person, Dr. Aron provides examples of characteristic behaviors, and these are reflected in the questions she typically asks patients or interview subjects:

• Are you easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby?
• Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?
• Do you make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows?
• Do you need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation?
• Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?
• Do you notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art?
• Do you have a rich and complex inner life?
• When you were a child, did your parents or teachers see you as sensitive or shy?

Dr. Aron explains that in the past HSPs have been called "shy," "timid," "inhibited," or "introverted," but these labels completely miss the nature of the trait.

Thirty percent of HSPs are actually extraverts. HSPs only appear inhibited because they are so aware of all the possibilities in a situation. They pause before acting, reflecting on their past experiences. If these were mostly bad experiences, then yes, they will be truly shy. But in a culture that prefers confident, "bold" extraverts, it is harmful as well as mistaken to stigmatize all HSPs as shy when many are not.

InThe Highly Sensitive Person, Dr. Aron reframes these stereotyping words and their common application to the HSP in a more positive light and helps HSPs use and view these aspects of their personality as strengths rather than weaknesses.

Sensitivity is anything but a flaw. Many HSPs are often unusually creative and productive workers, attentive and thoughtful partners, and intellectually gifted individuals.
According to Dr. Aron, HSPs could contribute much more to society if they received the right kind of attention - and her national bestseller proves that this 15 to 20 percent of the population is eager to get off on the right foot in asserting their unique personality trait.


You can order the book through this link


And there's a workbook too

Are you an Optimist or a Pessimist?

I have been giving some thought lately to optimism and pessimism. I must admit that in my practise I meet a lot of both.  Basically, optimism and pessimism are attitudes — attitudes that shape and formulate our entire existence. I mean, have you ever met a happy pessimist?
Of course not.

In short, our optimism or pessimism is this:
The way we interpret the past
The way we experience and view the present
The way we imagine the future

Have you given much thought about how your attitude, whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, affects you business, organization or school? Have you thought about how it affects you personally? And what about the team you are a part of?

What is optimism? It is the belief that things in our past were good for us, even if that means they were hard and taught us lessons. It is also the belief that things will be better in the future.

Here are some contrasts between optimism and pessimism and how they affect us:
Optimism breathes life into you each day.
Pessimism drains you.
Optimism helps you to take needed risks.
Pessimism plays it safe and never accomplishes much.
Optimism improves those around you.
Pessimism drags them down.
Optimism inspires people to great heights.
Pessimism deflates people to new lows.

There is only one way that optimism and pessimism are the same, and that is that they are both self-fulfilling. If you are an optimist, you will generally find that good things happen to you. And if you are a pessimist, you will find yourself in the not-so-good situations more often than not.

So can a person just become an optimist? Yes! We can choose to look at the world any way we want to.

We can choose to look at the world and think the worst, or we can tell ourselves the good things about each situation. As you find yourself looking at your enterprise, begin to view it through the eyes of an optimist, and you will reap the rewards listed above, and so will the people around you.

There are tremendous benefits to being an optimist, as stated above. But there are some pessimists out there who will say, “But that isn’t realistic.” I say, “Who cares?” If things go awry, at least I have spent my time beforehand enjoying life and not worrying about it. And, being an optimist, I would view the “negative” situation as an opportunity to grow and learn. So I can even look forward to my failures because they will be steppingstones and learning tools to be applied to my future success.

Have you ever met a successful pessimist? Become an optimist, and see your world change before your eyes!

Giant Snowflake

 
 


Just wanted to share this beauty

Mantra to stay Young

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things that Life offers.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. Tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next city; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

9 Ways to PMS Relief

Go with the flow? For many of us, that's a lot easier said than done. Roughly 80 percent of women report dealing with at least mild premenstrual symptoms. But killer cramps, belly bloat, and mood swings straight out of a Lifetime movie don't have to rule your cycle. Whether PMS is a mild nuisance or a monthly torment, here's how to get your life back.

If you're...slightly out of sorts

Pass On Salt-Laden Foods
Your body stores sodium so that if the released egg gets fertilized, the baby will have all the fluids and electrolytes it needs. To avoid puffing up, nix sodium-packed processed foods a few days before you normally start to hold water.

Hit the Mat
A steady yoga practice can cause a significant drop in both psychological and physical symptoms of PMS, a study in the Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology found. Exercise, relaxation, and stress management all appear to help PMS symptoms, and yoga offers a little of each.

Snack Wisely
The same hormones that cause premenstrual cramping can also cause your intestinal walls to contract, resulting in diarrhea. Reach for foods rich in soluble fiber, such as cooked vegetables, bananas, and oatmeal, to add bulk to your stool. Fiber also helps keep you full, which can help blunt pre-period food cravings.


If you're...moderately miserable

Combine Calcium and Vitamin D
A Columbia University study found that getting 600 milligrams of calcium twice a day cut participants' premenstrual fatigue, cravings, and bummed-out moods by almost half. You can pop two 500-milligram supplements along with a supplement containing 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D.

Get Wet
If avoiding sodium-drenched foods isn't enough to wring you dry during the week before your period, try a 20-minute swim to ease the bloating instead. The pressure of the water causes extra fluid to move back into the blood-stream, which helps cut down on swelling. No pool? Soaking in the tub for the same amount of time can have a similar effect.

Add a Little Spice
A pinch of saffron may help tame the monthly beast by increasing serotonin levels. In a recent study published in BJOG, a journal from the British Royal College of Ob-Gyns, women who took 15 milligrams of saffron extract in the morning and evening saw a significant dip in irritability, fatigue, and depression. Saffron appears to work by boosting levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, which can plummet before menstruation.

Thanks to Woman's Health

Is this haunting picture proof that chimps really DO grieve?

By Michael Hanlon


United in what appears to be deep and profound grief, a phalanx of more than a dozen chimpanzees stood in silence watching from behind the wire of their enclosure as the body of one of their own was wheeled past. 
This extraordinary scene took place recently at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon, West Africa. 
When a chimp called Dorothy, who was in her late 40s, died of heart failure, her fellow apes seemed to be stricken by sorrow.

As they wrapped their arms around each other in a gesture of solidarity, Dorothy's female keeper gently settled her into the wheelbarrow which carried her to her final resting place - not before giving this much-loved inhabitant of the centre a final affectionate stroke on the forehead.

Locals from the village serve as 'care-givers' to the chimps - something hugely needed by the animals who are all orphans as their mothers were killed for the illegal bushmeat trade. 
Hunters captured them as young babies, often still clinging to their mother's bodies, to sell as pets.

Until recently, describing scenes like this in terms of human emotions such as 'grief' would have been dismissed by scientists as naive anthropomorphising.



But a growing body of evidence suggests that 'higher' emotions - such as grieving for a loved one after death, and even a deep understanding of what death is - may not just be the preserve of our species. 
Chimpanzees - as you can see in the November issue of National Geographic magazine, on sale now - and the closely related Bonobos maintain hugely complex social networks, largely held together by sex and grooming. 
They have often been observed apparently grieving for lost family and tribe members by entering a period of quiet mourning after a death, showing subdued emotions and behaviour. 
And such complex emotions are not the preserve of primates or even mammals. Just this month, for instance, Dr Marc Bekoff, an ethologist at the University of Colorado, reported evidence that magpies not only appear to grieve for their dead but carry out something akin to a funeral ritual. 
In one instance, a group of four magpies took it in turns to approach the corpse of their dead comrade.

Two of the birds then flew off to return with a piece of grass, which they laid down by the corpse. The birds then stood vigil. 
In fact, there is a large body of anecdotal evidence that corvids - the group of super-bright birds that include crows, magpies and rooks - engage in many sophisticated social rituals. 
But the most famous nonhuman death rituals are those of elephants, who will often spend days guarding a dead body, gently prodding the remains with their trunks and giving the impression of being lost in grief. 
Elephants are highly social, long-lived and intelligent animals, whose excellent memory is no myth.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the loss of a member of the clan produces an emotional reaction.

The evolution of human death rituals is lost in the mists of time. There is some evidence that now-extinct hominid species such as the Neanderthals appreciated the significance of mortality, burying their dead and even scattering the graves with flowers. 
Seeing a group of chimpanzees, our closest relatives, apparently paying a sad and heart-rending tribute to their much-loved lost sister gives us, perhaps, a window on how this deepest and most fundamental emotion evolved in our own ancestors.

Recession

This Story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs. He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more a more raw material and buns and use to sale more. He recruited few more supporting staff to serve more customers. He started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove.

As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from College, joined his father.

Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it." The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times."

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV. He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colorful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic.

He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly, same with the profit.

The father said to his son, "Son, you were right". "We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of The Story: Its all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think.

Midway ~ Message from the Gyre

I am sorry if I am offending or shocking by posting these photographs.  But it shook me so bad, I just HAD to post.

These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

THis is what they should look like:

Essence of Water

I am sorry things have been 'on the quiet side' for some time.  Not that I have been lazing about.  Rather on the contrary.  I have been rather rushed off my feet.

For months we have been preparing for the visit of dr Masaru Emoto to Belgium.

He arrived last Thursday and the next day was one of the speakers at a scientific colloquium called:"Essence of Water"  organised by us in co-operation with the University of Ghent.

Apart from dr Emoto there were really interesting lectures by Patrick Backx, Rotary International, Cees Kamp en Elmar Fuchs from Center of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology - Wetsus, Nederland and Structural properties of water, by prof. K. Korotkov, University St-Petersburg, Russia.

I must say I was really touched by prof Korotkov and his approach to 'complementary Health'.  He has taken Kirlian Photography to quite an different level!



"When we observe the play of light around human body, drop of water or crystal, we understand that everything in the world has interrelationship and any object - biological or inorganic - has its own inner energy. Understanding the fact that our life is not only material body and material existence but, first of all, it is energy, and therefore - Spirit, makes us have new attitude towards our everyday reality. When on real time we observe change of human biological field under influence of therapy, meditation, prayer, love, it makes us see the world round us with different eyes." Dr. Konstantin Korotkov

Take a 'Real' Vacation

Aaaaahhh vacation. The moment we dream about all year. Yet, how many times has your vacation been a disappointment? Or you find that the temporary lift it gave you vanished faster than the time it took to unpack?




What's wrong - do we expect too much?

Actually we expect too little. Rather than consciously planning to have fulfilling, nourishing vacations, we often think that pure, mindless escape from our everyday routine is what will make us happy.

So we plan our vacations to be loaded with rest and relaxation activities laced with overindulgence of our bodies and pocketbooks or - at the other extreme - frenetic activity schedules and packed travel itineraries that leave no time for quality experiences and a feeling of exhaustion upon returning home.



The reasons we do this are many. Sometimes it's as simple as having bought into western society's commonly-held vacation concepts preaching that a quick-fix zone-out or a high-powered dash through a country or even a continent will pump us up for coping with life's battles for the next round. Sometimes the vacation choices we make reflect more deeply our personal situation and state of mind.

Too often we go through our vacations in a fog, not realizing that we've substituted a sense of activity for real purpose; we expect to feel refreshed, when exactly the opposite is true. Often the obstacle is what I call "soft addictions" that keep us from discovering and feeding our deeper, more spiritual hungers to live, to feel and experience our lives, to grow and develop, to connect, to express ourselves, to make a difference, to be part of something bigger.

What are some soft addictions that can overtake our decisions and our lives, even our vacations? They are often associated with the way we approach gambling, eating and drinking, shopping or collecting trivia, as well as exercising, celebrity following, and fantasizing through reading materials, surfing the Internet, and channel switching during hours of television viewing.



Recreation is basic to the purpose of a vacation. Recreation means "to restore to life, refreshment by recreating oneself". To recreate is to refresh ourselves, to heal, to recharge our batteries and reorient ourselves to a more nourishing, successful life. You don't re-create or refresh yourself with soft addictions. Instead, you become less of yourself.

We don't realize how many things we can do to recharge our batteries, help us resolve our feelings, help us get in touch with our vision and goals, and provide much needed perspective. A conscious vacation brings more life, love and meaning to our lives. It is like a little life sabbatical that leaves us ready to re-enter our lives with fresh perspective and new energy.

As you plan your vacation, therefore, focus less on where you're going and more on the larger purpose. It's fine to go to the beach and read a page-turner. Just be sure that you take some time to watch the waves roll in and read a book that makes you stop and think every time you turn that page.
Get to know yourself better rather than distract yourself. Really connect with your loved ones. Interview your spouse like you did when you were dating. Expose your children (and yourself!) to new and different activities. Enjoy their discoveries and see them fresh, outside of normal routines.



When we plan vacations to meet our deeper hungers, real magic happens. We feed our soul - and that lasts a lot longer than the temporary numbness we get from indulging our soft addictions. This year, really take a vacation. Discover what life feels like when you satisfy those hungers and break destructive habits. Now, that's something to write home about!

Article by Judith Wright

For a Soul Feeding Holiday of a Lifetime please visit my website

**

Strength of a Man

I would like to thank Kavita for sending me this beautiful text.
Yes ... my perfect man too.
And ladies ... what else would you add to this list??

The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.
It is seen in the width of his arms that encircle you.

The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.
It is in the gentle words he whispers.

The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It is how good a buddy he is with his kids.

The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It is in how respected he is at home.

The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.
It is in how tender he touches.

The strength of a man isn't how many women he's Loved by.
It is in can he be true to one woman.

The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It is in the burdens he can understand and overcome.