-The mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

-The taxes I pay because it means that I’m employed.

-The clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat

-My shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.

-A lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

-All the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.

-The spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.

-My huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

-The lady behind me in temple who sings off key because it means that I can hear.

-The piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.

-Weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.

-The alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I’m alive.

So never feel that bad luck is with you, always see the brighter side. Be optimistic

-Navtej Kohli

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men
talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their
homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where
they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by
the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his
roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods
where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity
and colour of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a
lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed
their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of
every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the
distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the
man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the
picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a
parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he
could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window
portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring
water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the
window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and
called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it
seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to
the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making
sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

I was stunned when he told me the reason. It was his friends, who
knowing of his ailment did not want him to come on the holiday they had
been planning. For them, he was now reduced to a sick lot that they
won’t prefer to drag along.

What an irony! When you have such friends you don’t want any enemies?  

We all like to socialize, to make friends. Friends of the kind we
can share our good and bad times with. True friends are those who
accept us as we are, with our varying degrees of strengths and
weaknesses. Some of our friends will be closer to us than others. It is
during situations like this that can really be a test of friendship for
us. If they really are your friends they will be willing to sit down
with you and allow you to open your heart and speak up your troubles.

It is during such times you find out who your friends really are. As
for me, I have some great friends. We have learned to communicate well
to each other. For what I believe is friends don’t let friends go, and
if they let you go, they were never your friends.

These are some of the Navtej Kohli’s favorite SPIRITUALITY BOOKS-

• Freedom From the Known by Jiddu Krishnamurti
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
• The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes
• Awareness by Anthony De Mello
• Friendship With God by Neale Donald Walsch

/

One day a woman was walking down the street when she noticed a
beggar curled in one corner. The man looked woebegone, elderly,
unshaven, and haggard. As he sat there, pedestrians walked by him
giving him dirty looks they clearly wanted nothing to do with him
because of who he was — a dirty, homeless man. But when she saw him,
the woman’s heart brimmed with empathy.
It was a freezing day and the man was barely draped in his tattered
coat that looked more like an old suit coat rather than a warm coat.
She stopped and looked down. “Sir?” She asked. “Are you all right?”
The man lifted his head in dismay. This was a woman clearly accustomed
to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she
had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she
wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. “Leave
me alone,” he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling

“Are you hungry?” She asked.
“No,” he answered sarcastically. “I’ve just come from dining with the president. Now go away.”
The woman’s smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle
hand under his arm. “What are you doing, lady?” The man asked angrily.
“I said to leave me alone.”
Just then a policeman came up. “Is there any problem, ma’am?” He asked.
“No problem here, officer,” the woman answered. “I’m just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?”
The officer scratched his head. “That’s old jack. He’s been a fixture
around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?”
“See that cafeteria over there?” She asked. “I’m going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile.”
“Are you crazy, lady?” The homeless man resisted. “I don’t want to go
in there!” Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him
up. “Let me go, officer. I didn’t do anything.”
“This is a good deal for you, jack,” the officer answered. “Don’t blow it.”

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got
jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It
was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had
already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager
strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. “What’s going on
here, officer?” He asked. “What is all this. Is this man in trouble?”
“This lady brought this man in here to be fed,” the policeman answered.
“Not in here!” The manager replied angrily. “Having a person like that here is bad for business.”
Old jack smiled a toothless grin. “See, lady. I told you so. Now if
you’ll let me go. I didn’t want to come here in the first place.”
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. “Sir, are you
familiar with eddy and associates, the banking firm down the street?”
“Of course i am,” the manager answered impatiently. “They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.”
“And do you make a good profit from providing food at the weekly meetings?”
“What business is that of yours?”
“I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and ceo of the company.”

“Oh.”
The woman smiled again. “I thought that might make a difference.”
She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. “Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?”
“No thanks, ma’am,” the officer replied. “I’m on duty.”
“Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?”
“Yes, ma’am. That would be very nice.”
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. “I’ll get your coffee for you right away, officer.”
The officer watched him walk away. “You certainly put him in his place,” he said.
“That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all
this.” She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest.
She stared at him intently. “Jack, do you remember me?”

Old jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes “I think so , I mean you do look familiar.”
“I’m a little older perhaps,” she said. “Maybe I’ve even filled out
more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through
that very door, cold and hungry.”
“Ma’am?” The officer said questioningly. He couldn’t believe that such
a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
“I was just out of college,” the woman began. “I had come to the city
looking for a job, but I couldn’t find anything. Finally I was down to
my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the
streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I
saw this place and walked in on the off chance that i could get
something to eat.”
Jack lit up with a smile. “Now I remember,” he said. “I was behind the
serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for
something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.”
“I know,” the woman continued. “Then you made me the biggest roast beef
sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to
go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get
into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my
food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all
right.”
“So you started your own business?” Old jack said.
“I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually, I
started my own business that, with the help of god, prospered.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. “When you are
finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He’s the
personnel director of my company. I’ll go talk to him now and I’m
certain he’ll find something for you to do around the office.” She
smiled. “I think he might even find the funds to give you a little
advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until
you get on your feet and if you ever need anything, my door is always
opened to you.”

There were tears in the old man’s eyes. “How can I ever thank you,” he said.
“Don’t thank me,” the woman answered. “To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus. He led me to you.”
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance
before going their separate ways. “Thank you for all your help,
officer,” she said.
“On the contrary, Ms. Eddy,” he answered. “Thank you. I saw a miracle
today, something that I will never forget. And thank you for the
coffee.”
She frowned. “I forgot to ask you whether you used cream or sugar. That’s black.”
The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. “Yes, I
do take cream and sugar — perhaps more sugar than is good for me.” He
patted his ample stomach.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“I don’t need it now,” he replied smiling. “I’ve got the feeling that
this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar.”

Hope you had good time reading!

Do less thinking,
and pay more attention to your heart.

Do less acquiring,
and pay more attention to what you already have.

Do less complaining,
and pay more attention to giving.

Do less controlling,
and pay more attention to letting go.

Do less criticizing,
and pay more attention to complimenting.

Do less arguing,
and pay more attention to forgiveness.

Do less running around,
and pay more attention to stillness.

Do less talking,

and pay more attention to silence.

- By Author Unknown

The essence:

When you look at the areas of “do less” – thinking, acquiring,
complaining, controlling, criticizing, arguing, running around, talking
- you can see these things can bring you unwanted stress. So, give up
the stress now, change your outlook and start looking at life in a new
perspective.

Many people hush their poetic instincts, lest people will make fun
or laugh at them. But I think creativity flows freely in nature,
without any restraints. Humans are innovative beings and creativity
comes naturally. No matter if it’s painting, dancing, singing or
writing on whatever subject.

Poetry is one such form of creative self-expression. Anytime you
feel that the whole world is against you and no one understands you, do
nothing, just resort to a pen and paper. Let the feelings flow through
pen on paper.

Poetry is not something separate from life or something that we read
in our English textbooks. It is a silent voice that echoes between us.
I’m really happy to have discovered this lyrical way of conveying
emotions. It engages my mind while allowing me to be creative. What on
earth could be more fulfilling than to see your own piece of writing!

Don’t buy what I say? See for yourself then. Once you’ll start this hobby, trust me there will be no looking back.