Monday, December 1, 2014

The Power of Positive Thinking

Ever experienced the effects of thoughts, both positive as well as negative, in your life? We all have experienced it in our life, without actually realizing it. Are you in a hurry now? Just stop for a second and think. Haven't you got whatever you wanted? I know what you are thinking right now. You also, got whatever you didn't want. You might have gotten whatever you wanted, a bit late, but you have got it at the right moment. Right? That is the power of positive thinking. It applies to the negative thoughts also. But we all want only positive things to happen to us. Let us stay positive and think ONLY positive things. So only positive things happen to us, always.

I love reading books and right now, am reading the book written by Esther Hicks "Ask And Its Given". This book was gifted to me by one of my best clients Rosie Bank, for my 46th birthday, on 20th September. And I am so grateful for the gift. Whenever I read the book, I feel my brain pumped up. I feel like I have given a work-out to my brain. And now, after reading half of the book, I realize that I have actually got whatever I wanted in my life, all these years. My thoughts, both positive as well as negative, have come to reality. Now, I have learned to invite just the positive things in my life even in difficult situations, for positive things to happen. And I am experiencing it now. I would like you also to experience it, by staying positive. Let me give you an example of what happened last week.

I was at work last Thursday. While I was moving here and there, looking at the mirror in the rest room of my office, I stamped on a tiny object that I felt beneath my slippers. I moved away to see that it was one of my ear stud. The stud was there. But the back of the stud was missing. I searched all the nook and corner of the rest room. Yeah, I didn't forget the toilet seat. LOL. But I couldn't find it.


I played back the scene in my mind about the places where I went before entering the rest room. I came to the rest room from the pantry passing a narrow path between the pantry and the rest room. Before going to the pantry, I went into the conference room for some reasons. Before going into the conference room, I walked to the main office from my cabin. I searched all the places before coming to my cabin. But all of the time, I was thinking that I am going to get it back from one of these places. I couldn't find it until I reached my cabin. It was there just below my chair. I wasn't surprised at all. Incidences like these has been happening for a quite a long time in my life, without me realizing it.


For example, It takes half an hour to pass through the peak hour traffic from my home to Pallavaram railway station. So whenever I leave home well after the usual time of 8.15am to catch the ladies special train that come to the Pallavaram suburban railway station at 8.45am, I always think that I am going to, somehow, make it to the station at 8.45am. And I have always made it. Some times the traffic was less. And if it was heavy, the driver of the auto I traveled took less frequented another route, without me asking him to do so. Or the subway was less crowded. Or the station road was less crowded for me to walk fast, to the reach the station on time. BUT whenever I thought that I am NOT going to make it, I have never made it. Isn't this the power of positive thinking?

What about you? Do you realize, now, that you have always got whatever you wanted? Do you realize that you are living here, because you wanted to live here, at some point of time in your life? Do you realize that all that has happened in your life was because of your thoughts?  Do you have an experience to share with the world about the power of positive thinking? I am looking forward to read YOUR experiences.

Have a good life.

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Monday, November 3, 2014

The Crying Children

Around 4pm one day in March2014. 

"Grandma, please come."

Less louder,"please come, Grandma, my leg is paining."

More louder,"Grandma!"

I was cleaning the utensils outside at my backyard. I was wondering about the silence of the old man and the old lady in that house. I walked to the compound wall. I couldn't see anybody around in the kitchen. 

I called my mom and said,"Mom, this kid is crying for a few minutes but I couldn't seen anybody inside the house. I guess the kid's grandparents are not doing good. Can we just go to their house and find out what is keeping them from answering this boy?"  

My mom didn't give me any answer. She wore her slippers and started walking down the street to go to the next street. I took out a stool and placed it near the compound wall. Climbed on the stool, climbed on the compound wall and jumped on their washing stone on the other side. Got down from the stone and reached their back gate. I saw the old lady cradling the little baby holding the milk bottle in her hand, in the hall. The old man was sitting on the sofa and watching this. None of them bothered to answer the little boy's cry.

I called,"Aunty."

The second call,"Aunty." She came to the gate and asked me,"what happened?!!"

I said,"The little boy has been crying for a long time. And nobody bothered to answer him. So I thought something was wrong and was worried. "

She laughed and said,"Oh, he always does that. He is sitting inside the toilet and waiting for me to go and wash him."

I said,"Ok. He has been shouting and crying for a long time. And I didn't hear you asking him to wait. So I thought something has happened to you."

She laughed again and said ,"Oh, he always does that. I told him to wait for some time since I was tending to his little sister. But he never listens."

I said,"Ok" and started climbing on the washing stone. She came out of the gate and said,"Be careful girl. You can go through the front gate." 

I said,"That's ok. I have a stool down there in the other side of the compound wall. Thanks."

She repeated again,"This boy keep shouting like this. You don't bother about it."

By the time I climbed their washing stone my mom reached their front gate. The old man came out and gave the same reply, what the old lady gave to me. 

My mom asked him,"Ok. The lady was tending to the baby. Why didn't YOU go and help him to wash?" 

There was no answer for that question. The old man repeated what the lady said,"Oh. This kid always does this. He won't wait for us to come and wash him."

I am worried about the way this kid is being raised. I don't think he would react immediately if he come across some one's cry for help. He would take his own sweet time. 

On a rainy day in Nov2014

"Mom"

"Mom, can you please come and wash me?"

"Mom".

His mom yelled at him,"I said,Wait." His mom is a very short tempered woman.

A few seconds passed. The boy started to shout louder,"Mom, please come and wash me."

There was no power and the house was dark. The boy was shouting,"Mom." 

I guess he was afraid to sit inside that darkness. Or he wanted his mom to come and stand near the toilet. 

I know kids always does that. My cousins, nephew and niece always wanted us to stand near the entrance whenever they use the rest room, even during broad day light. It's quite understandable. Children are afraid either of the small room or the darkness. 

There was no answer from his mom for a few seconds. She said,"Hmm, wait" when the kid called again. 

The kid waited for some time and started shouting louder,"Mom, please come and wash."

I felt angry with her lethargic attitude and couldn't help myself from going near the compound wall to peep through the gate. Couldn't see anybody because it was dark. The toilet had no candle light. I felt very sorry for the kid. 

After a few seconds I heard her beating him inside the toilet and heard her saying,"Here. Wash it cleanly. Can't you wait for a few minutes until I come? Why should you shout like that?."

Like mother like daughter.

I heard him crying and I felt very bad for the kid. I was only thinking that if this kid is going to be raised by his elders in this fashion then I am sure he is not going to care for the elders in their old age. 

How can these elders expect their kids to care for them when they have failed to raise the same kids with the same love that they are seeking from them now?

I am seeing, of late, that many parents are not caring for their children the same way how my parents and my grandparents cared for us. 

Last weekend my mom had to walk to the next street to another house, only to be told by his mother that the kid was crying downstairs because she went upstairs to dry clothes leaving him downstairs. But we heard the kid cry as though some one was beating him hardly. That is an apartment and none of the neighbours came out to look for the kid. 

I am worried about the future world populated with these kind of kids who are raised with no love and no feelings towards the call for help and sufferings of others.

Will we see 'Like mother, like son' after a few years?

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Friday, October 24, 2014

The Best and Amazing Architect!

On a sunny morning, while I went to my backyard to dry my clothes, I saw a spider busy building its home inside the well. It was very interesting to see how fast it moved from the wall and pipes to the centre of the web to get the support from them to hang in there. LOL.

The Sun started shinning right on its web as the day passed on. I came back to take a photograph of the shinning web but I saw that it has changed the place of its home.

But during this rainy season, for reasons unknown, I found that it kept spinning its web in the same place and in the same fashion every time a heavy wind or a rainfall broke its web.

Take a look at this busy bee at work. What an amazing architect!



Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

You Reap What You Sow!

My personal experiences has made me to believe that I have received whatever I have given. Good and Bad.

I have had many good as well as good-bad friends. No, I don't want to call them as BAD friends. They were GOOD-BAD friends. Because they returned all those bad deeds that I gave to some one at some point in my life.

Good friends are the ones who give good to us and receive good from us. 

Its an enlightening experience to analyze our friendship with those good-bad friends.

I was deceived by them because I deceived somebody who believed in me.
They weren't trustworthy because I cheated somebody who trusted me.
They weren't kind to me because I was unkind to some one who showered their kindness on me.
They didn't love me because I failed to return the love to some one who loved me dearly.
They didn't care for me because I didn't care for some body who looked upon me.



Its like "You Reap What You Sow". If you feel that you have been an angel to everybody but received all negative things from them, then am sure you are lying to yourself. Think about those whom you have shunned. Think about those whom you have ashamed. Think about those whom you have failed to help. Think about those caregivers whom you took for granted.

We have to be true to ourselves. We have to analyze our own actions and behavior honestly, before pointing fingers at some one else. Understanding our own actions and correcting ourselves will give us the salvation.

Sow love and kindness to reap love and kindness. Sow happiness to reap happiness. Trust me if one of your friend didn't return your affection, you will get it in abundance from another friend. So don't stop being kind. If a situation arises for you to be unkind to some one, then the best option is to move away from that situation.

Let us sow love. This world is in need of it.

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer 

Image courtesy: By Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / freedigitalphotos.net

Friday, October 10, 2014

Disappointment Turns To Joy!

Have you ever felt disappointed that you didn't get something that you wished for? And later realized that you didn't get it for your own good?

That is what happened to me this morning. While I was waiting for a share auto in pammal, I waved my hands at an auto that was coming towards me. The driver stopped the auto just a few steps away from me. Even before I boarded the auto, girls swarmed it and boarded it. I felt very bad about it. I asked a little girl that whether she can sit on my lap. She replied, "No". The auto rolled on. I felt very bad of this incidence. I was feeling sad that the driver who stopped for me didn't even care to see that I boarded it. I know that he didn't have to. All he needed was passengers, either me or by standers.  If there was no one else, then he might have waited for me to board.

I know that getting an auto at that peak hour, is difficult. So, I have made it a habit to carry working women, working girls, school girls on my lap.

Uma in a share auto 


I saw another auto after a few minutes. Waved my hand. I boarded and I was the last passenger to be seated. After a few distance, there was a girl waiting for a share auto. The driver shouted at us,"Can you girls adjust for that passenger?". No one replied. I said,"Yes". The girl happily traveled on my lap.

I then realized that that was the reason why I couldn't board the previous auto. This girl would have left out if I had gone in the previous auto. Disappointment Turned To Joy in few minutes.

I  now understand EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

If you have come across these kind of experiences, then please share with me. I would like to listen to you.


Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Friday, October 3, 2014

Overcoming Shyness

I have always felt shy to take photographs in the public. I don't feel comfortable stopping on the way to take a click on something interesting happening around. The photographs that I have taken so far are from places where no one could see me photographing something outside in the public.

For example: This photograph of a woman with the tattooed hands was taken while I was standing in the train. No body could see my tiny Apple Iphone's camera focusing this woman.

Here is another one that I dared to take in the public, but no body could see me taking this picture. This one was in the train again.
  

I wrote a blog post two days back with the title The Woman With The Umbrella. And I wished to add a photograph of the Pallavaram Railway Station in the blog post. But I felt very shy to stop on my way to stand some where near the railway station or near the ticket counter or on the over bridge to take a photograph.

I was talking to myself all the way to the station from the subway this morning. I was just saying to myself, "you can do this. All you have to do is to just stop somewhere near the station and take a photograph". 

And I also said,"But people would be staring at me." 

I replied to myself,"It would hardly take a few seconds for you to take it.So give it a try".

I continued,"I feel very shy to do that." 

I said,"Let this be your breaking point. Do it once and you will never miss all the interesting happenings around you that have missed to capture earlier."

I was nearing the over bridge and started to climb. My instinct was pushing me to take the iPhone. It said,"Come on, do it."  I have started trusting my instincts these days. So I took it out of my bag and stopped on the stairs while I was climbing. I could sense the people who was passing by looking at me. I ignored them. I stood in a place from where the platform, the counter and the stairs covered. Captured it and climbed up back. Put my iPhone inside my bag. I felt happy, while I was climbing down the stairs.



I almost passed a middle aged lady struggling to carry a heavy bag up the stairs. I helped her to bring it up the bridge and walked back to the platform. I really really felt good for two reasons.
1. I overcame my shyness. 2. I helped some one today.

How did YOU overcome your shyness?


Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The Woman With the Umbrella!

It started drizzling when I boarded the electric train in Guindy. While I got down in Pallavaram, it was pouring. 
 
I waited inside the railway station, for a few minutes for the rain to slow down. I stretched my hands to feel the rain. I felt that it was slowing down. I ventured out of the station to climb the stairs of the overhead bridge. It started to pour again. I ran and took shelter under the sun shade of the window of the ticket counter. 


A woman holding an umbrella over her head stopped near me and called at me, "Come girl. Lets go together." I was not sure whether she called ME. So I looked around. She pointed at me and called me again,"Come on girl. Come and join with me". I hesitated and said, "Am going to Pammal." She answered,"Of course, am going to Pallavaram bus stand. Come with me." (One has to go to Pallavaram bus stand to take an auto or a bus to Pammal).

I didn't want to delay her any more in that downpour. So I ran to join her under the umbrella. I offered to hold the umbrella. Because she was carrying a bag in her other hand. We started walking towards the bus stand after climbing up and down the overhead bridge. I made sure that she is fully covered under the umbrella by asking her now and then whether am covering her or not. But she was such a nice woman, she pushed the umbrella away from her towards me and said,"Come on girl. You cover your head, first." I was very touched by her kindness. I still made sure that she was covered regardless of whether am covered or not. 


After reaching the pallavaram main road, I stopped walking so that she can take the umbrella back from me. She gestured me to keep walking. I kept walking towards the traffic signal and stopped there again, to find whether she is going to join with me to cross the road. She crossed the road with me. Now the rain has slowed down. She went, stood near an auto from which the driver was shouting "Pammal, pammal" and looked at me. I handed over the umbrella to her and said,"Thank you, Mam.I am going to Sankar Nagar. So, I have to cross to that side of the road to get an auto to my home." She smiled at me and said,"Ok. bye."


I got a share auto as soon as I crossed to that side of the road. The whole incidence has taken me by surprise.


Some of the questions that kept popping up in my mind all the way from Pallavaram to my home were:
Why should that woman choose me to take her along with her to the bus stand?
Why didn't she call anybody else in the railway station?
Why did she push the umbrella towards me knowing that she would get wet by doing so?
Did she know me? But I don't remember having seen her ever. She didn't look like a frequent traveler. She didn't look like a working woman.


Suddenly I realized - "What goes around comes around."

I remember I shared my umbrella with another girl who was standing in the traffic signal, while it started raining. I remember that I lent a helping hand to a mother who was carrying a heavy bag climbing up and down the overhead bridge. She was finding it difficult to carry the bag because she was carrying her little kid on her hip. I don't want to list the good things that I did. But I definitely understood that "As you sow so shall you reap."


Not just the good deeds. Bad deeds, also.

I am not a saint. I am not perfect. I have done bad things and received the same back. And trust me THAT experiences have made me a better person. 

Don't you agree with me that we learn from our mistakes?

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

It's Quite Normal!

Yesterday morning, we found the half a litre of empty Milk packet on the ground and the neighbor's cat was feeding on the poured Milk near the gate.This morning, the teenager who supply milk door to door, dropped half a litre of Milk packet on the floor instead of dropping it inside the cloth bag that we have hung on the outer gate. My mom who saw this from the kitchen waited for the boy to put it back inside the bag. He walked away leaving the Milk packet on the ground near the gate.

My mom came out, called him and asked him,"Why did you drop it outside the bag?"

He replied,"Its quite normal, that it slips out of my hand and fall on the floor".

We didn't expect this reply from that kid. He didn't feel sorry for whatever has happened. He didn't feel that he is responsible for his own actions. He didn't realize that the milk packet was dropped down because of his carelessness.

My mom said, "You dropped a packet yesterday also and one half a litre packet was empty when I came out to collect the milk packets from the bag. You call it as 'normal'?"

The kid stood there without uttering a word. My mom picked up the milk packet from the floor and showed him the damaged part. The milk was leaking outside, from the packet. He looked at my mom and said, "I can replace that packet for you, if you want me to".

My mom said,"No, I don't want any replacement. But the answer that you gave was not a very responsible one. I am going to talk to your employer."

If this kid is going to grow up to become an employer after a few years, how (pathetic) would be the situation of the customers? If this kid is going to raise kids, after he become a dad, how (bad) would the future generation be, for the society to function "normal"ly?

This kid need some lessons on personal responsibility and MORE. We hope his employer, the lady who has hired this kid, will educate him.

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Monday, February 10, 2014

Social Behavior - What Is It?

Yesterday, being a Sunday afternoon, our whole neighborhood was quiet and sleepy.

I was having my lunch. My mom was reading a Tamil magazine. And my brother was watching TV. Suddenly we heard a roar of laughter from a man, in front of our house. I went and peeped through the window. There were three men in their forties, on their bikes standing outside the compound wall of the opposite house. They were talking and laughing in a much louder voice, that my elderly sick dad's sleep was disturbed. I am sure other elderly people in the neighborhood was also disturbed.

My mom went out and said, "Hello, can you please talk softly? You are talking in a louder voice."

The man who laughed replied,"We are standing in the street."

My mom said,"Of course you are standing in the street. Do you mean that you WILL talk loudly if you stand in the street?"

Another man asked,"Why don't you even let us to talk?"

My mom replied,"I didn't ask you to not to talk. I only asked you to talk softly. The entire neighborhood is calm and quiet. So, please talk softly and don't disturb the quietness."

They turned their faces away and my mom came back inside the house.

I was wondering if these grown up men don't know about good social behavior, what would they teach to their children and other youngsters about good behaviors and good habits?

Alas! we talk endlessly about the deteriorating behavior of younger generation. The fault lies with these older generation who raises those youngsters.

Have you ever experienced or come across older generation that don't know what a responsible social behavior is? Looking forward to read your experiences.

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Personal Development - What Is It?

Do you know the rule of the road in India? It is LHT - Left Hand Traffic.

It was a cool and pleasant early morning. I started to jog from my home on the left side of the street. When I reached the main road from my street, I saw a group of three men walking towards me. I expected them to move away while I was nearing them. They didn't move but was proceeding towards me. I stopped jogging. Pointed the other side of the road and said that, that was their side of walk. They didn't stop walking. One among the group turned towards me and said, "No, no. You are wrong". My first thought was to call them back and educate them about the rule of the road. On second thought, I changed my mind because the one who answered sounded arrogant and angry. I completed my first round. In the second round, I saw them at the other end of the road walking towards me, again, on my left. I realized that they were up to something. I didn't want to waste my time or spoil my happy mood by getting into an argument with them. I took diversion and entered the near by foot ball ground. I completed my third round and was walking towards my home. I was tired and was looking down while I was walking. I saw a foot nearing me from the opposite direction. I stopped abruptly to wait for the person to pass by. I walked back towards my home without looking back. Surprisingly, I was calm and composed. His act of stupidity didn't ignite me. I felt that I have grown up to become a much better, organized and calm person compared to my younger days. 


How did that CHANGE happen?

What could be the reason behind my calmness? Is it because I made peace within myself? Or is it because life has taught me that I AM responsible for my reaction to any happenings around the world? Or have I learned to not to yield to teasing and bullying? Or is it because I understand that those men didn't come there to improve their health but to while-away their time watching birds? Or is it because I understand that some men don't like to be instructed by a woman? Or is it because I know that some men don't like to listen to others, especially to women? Or is it because I understand that some men are proud of being a MAN? 

I feel understanding to react and not to react as well as the way we react, is the sign of growing. What made me to become a better person? I am passionate about reading books on personal development and interpersonal relationship. The one that am reading now is, You,Inc written by one of my client, Rosie Bank, a successful network marketer, speaker, author and a coach. Though the book is written to guide network marketers to become a success in their business, I found that much is written about personal development and interpersonal relationship. 


Talking about the books that inspired me, I have to mention that "Veronica Decides To Die" and the "Witch of Portobello" written by Paulo Coelho taught me to change the outlook of life and spirituality. No, am not a spiritual person. I am in that stage of life, where people question the existence of God. I have passed the stage of believing in God without questioning. Now I am learning to find reasons to a question - Why man created God?


I also watch videos on personal development. The one video that I watched talk about "Anger". This video says, when we are angry, we are not angry with the other person. Instead, we are angry with ourselves, for being in that bad situation.  


Watch the video, if you are also interested to know about anger management.





What books and videos inspired you? Do you think reading good books inspire us to become a better person? How would you have reacted with those men in that situation?

Luv u all
Uma
Freelancer