LIFE 360

"A beautiful personality is magnetic and illuminating."      A recent experience compelled me to write about personality.  It really struck me how someone's  attitude and mannerism is the best thing about a person.  I was sitting in a fast food restaurant having a  quick lunch.  A young man seated across from me started a conversation with the cashier.  He was  pleasant and complimentary.  He told her the food at that location tasted better than the food at  another of their location.  I happened to agree with this having eaten at both locations.  Throughout his conversation, I just kept thinking how friendly and polite he was.  It all seemed genuine which made  me believe that's his natural personality.      Then I thought of how sad it is that we live in a world where many don't realize that someone's personality alone can make them beautiful.  Inste...

"The stakes are always high in a game of cheating."      When I think about the topic of cheating, I generally think about those who cheat in love, in sports or in business.  It's a broad subject but I will focus on cheating in love in this blog.  Cheating is  probably as old as the water in the oceans.  There was someone long ago who had the first (dis)honor  of cheating on his/her partner. We have to bear in mind that it can only be regarded as cheating if you  live in a society where monogamy is the accepted framework for relationships.  We know by now that  there are varied structures of relationships in different societies. Even right here in America where  monogamy is the norm, we have those who practice their "fringe love" which includes having more  than one partner.      Let's get back to the monogamous relationship where we expect the two people involved to be...

"With wisdom comes wrinkles"           When we're in the prime of our youth, giddy with vitality and possibilities, we don't stop to think  about when we become senior citizens.  We really shouldn't as we should enjoy each stage of our lives without being filled with angst about the next stage to come.  Childhood should be reveled in, the teen years and our twenties should be a time for explorations and self-discovery.  Then it's onward to the  thirties and forties where we balance family, work and finding time for some rest and relaxation.   Of course, you build your retirement plans and make provisions for health care along the way.   However, each stage of our lives must be lived in the moment without stressing over the future stages.      If we're fortunate, we get to join the esteemed ranks of the elderly population.  It's a group that I  admire because they hav...

"Look both way before you spend your money"      The ups and downs of money plagues most of us. We spend a lot of time and energy thinking about it and trying to acquiring it. We grew up hearing both positive and negative sayings about  money such as "money is power," "the fool and his money are soon parted," "money can't buy love/ happiness." Our view of money is formed based of what we see or hear in our immediate environment. This can determine whether we become money savvy or reckless with money.      When we become adults, we're responsible for our own money. We have to decide how we allocate  it. This is where we have to think before we spend it.  It becomes like a two-way street where we have  to look both ways before we proceed. We have to practice safety when we start spending.  We don't  want to spend on other things then become unable to maintain a roof over our head.  We...

"You have to define your own beauty when this world is wrong about you."      This topic has been on my mind since I recently saw some old pics of someone who is deemed to be beautiful by the media. I must say I was surprised as I just didn't know that she looked different back  then from she does now. The pics convinced me that she had quite a bit of work done on her face and body. That has me thinking about what really is beautiful. If a surgically enhanced face is seen as  beautiful, why are some natural faces being called unattractive?  Why is fake appearance being lauded over a natural appearance? This is when I concluded that we each have to define our own beauty.  We  simply can't sit back and let this world tell us that our looks is 'less than" while it extols the looks of  people who got theirs from a surgeon's scalpel.      I'm not against those people who get work done on themselv...

"Sometimes a dream is the only glimmer in our eyes." We all have dreams. They come to us naturally. Dreams often let us know what we're gifted to do as the inclination is strong to pursue a certain career or activity. Dreams fill our mind and give us a  purpose - something to look forward to. Sometimes a dream is the only thing we have that makes us  want to go on. We create stories in our mind about what it's like to pursue and finally achieve our  dreams. If someone wants to be a designer, I bet it gets really colorful in his or her mind. The future designer sees the materials, the sketches and the completed designs vividly in his/her head. A smile  comes across the face of a dreamer. Just dreaming about your aspiration is satisfying.      Then there's the flip side (there always is). Some people do say that some dreams are unrealistic and when we hold on to these lofty ideas about what we should be, it prevents u...

"We're all pupils in the school of life"      The table where we sit to receive our lessons from life itself has to be quite large. There's a seat  reserved for everybody. We're all summoned to this table where our lessons about love and kindness  are mixed in with our lessons about greed and selfishness. Many of us may think that these life lessons are doled out to us with nothing to cushion the blow or with nothing sweet to counteract the bitter  taste. We may even think that our lessons may be harsher than that of the person across the table  from us. Some of us many even take a page out of the book of someone who had dealt wisely with a problem similar to our own. There's absolutely nothing wrong with learning from each other.      The wise ones have said that there's nothing we are going through that someone else hasn't  experienced. We can certainly reflect on how that person dealt with it ...

"Forgiveness is a pinnacle that is hard to reach."      We will all eventually find ourselves in situations where we have to decide whether or not to forgive the actions, or even words, of someone close to us. I believe a lot of things do influence whether or not  we choose to forgive. Our upbringing, our religious beliefs and our own personalities are driving forces when we are faced with the dilemma of forgiveness. We will hear some people say that they were  taught to forgive because the Father forgives us while others do say that they need to forgive for their  own peace of mind. Some people have it in them to be "the bigger person" and let "bygones be  bygones." We have a beautiful sounding word for it known as being "magnanimous."      Whatever that helps to lead us down the path of forgiveness does not negate from the fact that it is a  difficult thing to do. We humans seem mostly to be na...

"There's something spiritual when you look at delicious meals on your table"      We are told from early on in our lives to give thanks before we devour a hearty meal. We have to  thank the providers and those who prepared it. Everything on our plates was once a living thing so we should be grateful for the sacrifice of their lives so we can eat. Mother Earth is a goddess that sustains  us. We should never take it lightly when we have food on our table. It takes a lot of measures to get us  to the point where the aroma fills our home and heart.      I grew up in the sunshine of the Caribbean. I've always loved the food that was all around me. The  Caribbean cuisine has been influenced by many cultures. Whether it's dishes from Europe, Africa, Asia  or North America, it's all there. You can indulge your senses year round with the varied meals you eat  in the Caribbean. The tropical fruits...

"Friendship adds a layer of beauty to our lives"      What I find most beautiful and endearing about friendship (the true kind) is that you reveal things to  your friends that you often don't share with your own family members. You have put a certain level of  trust into someone that you're not genetically related to and may not have known from your childhood. When that trust is not betrayed by either party, that's when you realize how awesome friendship really    can be. It gives you someone to talk with, laugh with and just be yourself with. The conversations between friends can get as real as life is. Dreams, hopes and fears are shared along with the  disappointments and mistakes.      We don't travel along the road of life by ourselves so it's great when you can reach out to a passing stranger and ignite a friendship that makes the journey less wearisome. In all honesty, we know when  ...

"Don't create a comfortable home for sorrow to dwell"      Sorrow befalls us all. My mother used to say, "We all have our own pain to bear." Nobody will go through life without experiencing despair that brings us to our knees.  Bewildered. We don't know whether or not we can go on; even the sun seems to cast only shadows  on us. There are many things in life that do bring us sorrow. Some situations may feel more  insurmountable than others. Psychologists have told us that there are different stages that we have to  go through when we grieve. The hope is always that we survive it and become stronger and wiser.      How can we throw off the cloak of grief? Based on my own experience and observations I've made  of others, we have to create our own "space of peace." We first have to accept the fact of the change that has happened to us. Life constantly changes around us. We indulge in whatever brings...

"The only thing better than sex is more sex."      I once read somewhere that we're at the peak of our physical/sexual attractiveness in our twenties.  The article said that we'll never be as appealing and energetic again like we are in our twenties. Immediately after reading it, I thought to myself that we really should sow our wild oats during that  decade of our optimal sexual appeal and energy. Obviously, I believe this article as by our thirties many  of us are already showing signs of crow feet and parentheses on our faces. When it comes to energy  level, we see how many athletes start to wane by their thirties and often retire from their sport by their late thirties. Similarly, we lose the youthful sexual energy of our twenties.      This is why we should have a lot of sexual fun in our twenties. You'll have those days to remember  later on when you battle the bulge, double chins and decre...