June of 1970 was one of the worst months for my father’s business in Mumbai, India. The market was turning very fast. My father had a strong reputation in the industry, and as a result, although far from being an ideal situation, it was still a blessing to have a small but crawling flow of work to keep the ship from sinking.
What’s new? | Life Series
What was your most recent purchase? Did that replace something you already had? Perhaps a bigger and smarter phone? So very exciting. Do you recall your excitement getting the old item that you just replaced?
Behave! | Work Series
Our school principal, Father Francis Mascarenhas, would occasionally visit some classes for observation. Although it didn’t seem random for my class, his visits were usually a surprise. There would be an absolute pin-drop silence as soon as he would set his foot inside the class. I recall the experience of one being a mix of fear, respect, maybe more fear than respect.
Final Summary | Life Series
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside us all. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked: “Which wolf wins?”
Continue reading “Final Summary | Life Series”
Take the next exit | Life Series
I had accepted a new job in Toronto, the big TO, in 2006, and despite the excitement, leaving Florenceville, New Brunswick was unusually harder than we expected. This was not the first time we were uprooting ourselves in search of the proverbial new pastures. We had travelled thousands of miles before, but this time it seemed different.
Pause everything you are doing | Life Series
An 89-year-old man was dying. He was surrounded by his family to bid him the final farewell. The old man opened his heavy grieving eyes, looked around the room and asked for his son, his daughter-in-law, his granddaughter, and his brother. All were present around him. He felt pleased when all of a sudden his gaze went outside the room.
Continue reading “Pause everything you are doing | Life Series”
★ Detour | Off Topic
Pit stops help keep the journey exciting and also prevent falling asleep on the wheel. Continue reading “★ Detour | Off Topic”
“My Precious” | Life Series
Gollum teaches us some very essential lessons.
If Smeagol had strong walls within him, he wouldn’t have become obsessed with evil, killing his best friend, living an unnaturally long life in despair and become Gollum, finally melting away with the One Ring. Now, that probably wouldn’t have given us the epic story ‘The Lord of the Rings’ either. Continue reading ““My Precious” | Life Series”
Build some walls | Life Series
Forts and castles can be traced back to the time humans first started defining their territories and power over one another. It was a symbol of strength and superiority over other ruling powers. It took years to build and took sweat and blood from hundreds and thousands who toiled on making them. Continue reading “Build some walls | Life Series”
You give what you have | Life Series
Back in 1946 when Germany was divided, a huge wall separating East and West Berlin was a center of the endless conflict. One day, some people in East Berlin took a truckload of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin side. The stench could be smelled from miles. Continue reading “You give what you have | Life Series”
