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Students of Life

Certain people weave in and out of our lives. Some come in and stay a little longer and then there are others who are with us for a lifetime. No matter how eternal or fleeting the moment is, this short story reminds us of the lessons that life teaches us if we are ready and alert to be its earnest students. Here is one of those lessons I would like to share: Life Lesson 1 - "The Cleaning Lady" The first lesson encourages us to examine how we treat others. It was my second month of college. One day, our professor decided to be spontaneous and announced the sudden arrival of a pop quiz for all of the classmates. I was a rather conscientious student. I was particular about completing the daily homework assignments, and always stayed after class to probe the professor with detail-oriented questions which were at times unnecessary. At any rate, I wasn't ... Read Full Story >>

Two Wolves - A Cherokee Tale

A Cherokee is telling his grandson about a fight
that is going on inside himself.

He said it is between 2 wolves.
One is evil: Anger, envy, sorrow, regret,
fearful thinking, greed, arrogance, self-pity,
guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is good: 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 his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Kindness of Italian Grandmas

We were traveling in Italy recently and what really made our trip memorable are the encounters with Italian Grandmas. I had just crossed a busy road in Roma. A grandma right next to me sprinted across and came back with my toddler's missing shoe. I hadn't even noticed and she thought it would be easier to run twice than try to communicate with me through our language barrier :) Another time, I was looking for Fontana de Trevis and had wandered off in the name of looking at this and that. Out came a Grandma from a small cafe and she instantly knew I was lost. She took me by my hand and asked where I was headed. Then she went into a rapturous discourse about the fountain (I guess) and in 3 minutes, I was standing in front of the masterpiece. Just as she was about to disappear, she searched for ... Read Full Story >>

He Received A Caring Note and Was Touched Beyond Words

This past Christmas I dropped a little note to a co-worker who was going through his first holiday since the deaths of t
wo family members. I just wanted him to know I was thinking about him. The first anniversaries of a death are always the hardest. They make you feel alone and cut off from everyone and everything. I wanted him to know he wasn't alone.

He wrote back and said that I touched him more than I could ever know. It's good to remember that sometimes it's the smallest of gestures that have a big impact. Blessings on everyone on this site, all of you who have come together to make the world a better place. I hold all of you in my heart tonight. 

A Dinner Invitation Turns into a Great Friendship

I travel a lot for work and sometimes I end up staying behind to clean up the loose ends while my project team heads back home. We were in Boston meeting with a vendor and we wrapped up early, everyone was able to catch flights home, except me.  So I stuck it out and decided to go to dinner. Because I was not very familiar with where I was in Boston, I hired a driver to pick me up. I am a very outgoing person and love to meet new people and engage in conversation.  My driver asked for my destination. I responded by asking him to pick the restaurant he would like to go to for dinner.  We ended up at a local seafood place.  I invited him to join me for dinner; I hate eating alone and could not stand knowing he was sitting in the car in the parking ... Read Full Story >>

A Small Gesture Brings Sunshine to a Rainy Day

The weather was especially brutal yesterday.  I was out shopping for a few things.  As I exited the store, I saw these two ladies sitting on a bench with a few items, waiting for the bus or taxi.   As I approached them I smiled.  They smiled back and we briefly discussed the particularly unpleasant weather.

I asked, "Do you have far to go?"  They said,  "We're ok, we can wait for the bus." I responded, "I really don't mind getting you home"  They thankfully accepted my offer and away we went.  They lived only a few blocks away from the shopping plaza.

I was glad to be of help on such a miserable day.  It brought a little sunshine into my very rainy day to be able to help them out.

Home-cooked Meals For A New Mom

One of my friends at work ran into some complications towards the end of her pregnancy and had to deliver early at 7 1/2 wks through a C-section.  Her baby is under 4lbs and has to remain in the hospital until more weight is added to her frame. Another buddy and I have planned to throw her a baby shower later this month. It was suggested that the new Mom might prefer home cooked meals in lieu of toys or clothes gifts.  We called to inquire how she felt about the idea..  Well, she was thrilled!  She emailed to thank everyone for this generous offer advising what foods were recommended, since she is breast feeding. Everyone agreed that the food idea was a great one.  We are now coordinating efforts to have these homemade meals delivered to her home when she is home from the hospital to shower etc. to stock her freezer. We know she ... Read Full Story >>

My Son, a Real Gentleman

I had taken my 11-year old grocery shopping and after we had finished he was taking our cart back to the store.  I stayed in the car and noticed that he was helping a woman by carrying her groceries and putting them away in her car...and then putting her cart away too. I smiled to myself quietly.

As he was taking the carts away, the woman came over to my car and asked me, "Are you his mother?" I said yes. She said, "Your son is such a gentleman---it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this....you are doing a great job!" I said thank you and just beamed, with tears in my eyes. 

When my son came back I played it "cool" and simply said "that was nice of you to help that lady". He replied, "She looked like she could use some help with her bags". I then told him that the lady came over and called him a real gentleman, and how proud I was of him. It was such a memorable moment.  It made me feel like even if I am not around, I hope that he will always take the time to notice others and do the right thing.

The Gift of Love, Strength and Endurance from an Amazing Sister

From the Soul Curry Column in the Times of India (April 9, 2010) My mom was nearing 40, my dad a few years older and there were their three lovely children just getting out of their teens — it was picture-perfect, that is, until I decided to come along. She was just 20 when I arrived, but from the moment she put her finger into my little palm, I cottoned on to it and knew I had found a friend. She smothered me with love, sang sweet lullabies, soothed a fevered brow, gently scolded and cajoled me out of the cradle and into the walkie-talkie world. My first words were little songs and bits of nursery rhymes. School was a bit hard, because my parents were always mistaken to be my ‘grandparents’, much to my dismay. But she was there and told me that I was not to worry about what the ... Read Full Story >>

A Lost Kindness Opportunity

So today was a monday Morning and like millions of others,  I left home to get to work. The slight difference today from most Mondays was that I was running half hour late and I was feeling stressed about it. 

Just near a major bridge, a car in front of me broke down and I panicked and shifted gear and went ahead, as I was driving past the car, I noticed it was a lady in the driver's seat and the look in her face was quite helpless. I saw her and yet I did NOT stop.

The 'being late' thing was on mind and the fear that my boss will have a comment or two was in my mind and that made me decide to not help the lady. Now I have reached office and feel so miserable.

I am a person who always helps others and this time I did not.

Should I have stopped to help the lady? While I knew the right thing to do was to help that lady at that time, why did the being late to work created such a havoc for me. 

What should one do when faced with a similar situation next time?

The More I Help, The Lighter My Heart Feels

This morning I got up early and went for a walk at 5 a.m. to the teashop. I was wondering whether I could do an act of kindness and immediately an opportunity was presented. An old, poor gentleman arrived at the teashop on his bicycle and I seized the moment to offer him a cup of tea. He was happy and that act made me feel happy. As  I was walking back, I helped a family to reach the right bus stop so that they can reach the main bus stand at Koyambedu. They too were thankful. And then I was off to go help a family of four to pay the rent. The family consists of  a widow, her daughter (18 years old), son (19), and her husband's brother. Yesterday I heard my inner voice asking me to help them pay the rent. By the way this family lives in a slum.   In order to help ... Read Full Story >>

A Dollar Can Make a Difference

I was in the lobby of my doctor's office waiting for my appointment. As I was sitting there, an elderly couple came in. The gentleman had trouble breathing and looked as if he was in poor health. As they were checking in at the front desk, I overheard the receptionist say that they were on Medicaid and had an outstanding balance of $1.50. The woman only had 50 cents.

The woman and her husband both looked upset and embarassed. The receptionist said that the balance would need to be paid before they could see the doctor. I was sitting far away from the front desk so I walked up and said that I would pay the remaining  $1.00. They were so thankful and gave me many blesssings.

I always thought $1.00 wasn't enough to help anyone, but I was reminded that day that $1.00 really can make a difference!

A Second Chance To Help

Yesterday I was returning from Boston by bus. My wife was planning to leave work to pick me up from the the bus station. I called her to say not to bother, I would just take the local transit bus to her. This was the first time I had ever ridden the local bus system. While I was sitting on the bus a young woman with a dog got on. She was carrying several bags of heavy books. I noticed the dog was an emergency dog, one that is trained to warn the owner of a possible seizure. I heard the young women mention to someone else that she still had two miles to walk with the heavy books after she got off the bus. I thought maybe I should ask if she wanted a ride but I wasn't sure which stop she was getting off at so I hesitated and  didn't ask. The bus dropped ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness Of An Stranger

This afternoon coming back from seeing my mom; reading stories to her and a few scary moments that looked like this was it, I was driving home. I took the route that was more like a canyon Drive with beautiful sceneries to think and process my feelings. All of a sudden I heard a pop. I knew right away what had happened - a big flat tire! I pulled to the side, but this was a canyon drive with not much shoulder space, and it happened to be around a curve that people couldn't see me. That made it dangerous. Cars were speeding up unconsciously passing me. I couldn't get out. Within minutes, I saw a van stopped at a distance behind me. The gentleman walked out, wearing a mask offering help, and I dared to walk out of the car very carefully. It was so narrow. He moved my ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Girl Remembers A Little Smile

Remembering Not To Hold Back

I was new at church and I knew nobody. I felt lonely the first time.  After heading back home I just said to myself that I was never going there again. Another situation came up and I had to go back to that "unfriendly" church again. I was quite disturbed that night, thinking how it was going to be.

Then I thought, ''Why am I complaining now? Why didn't I make a friendly gesture? Why was I holding back?"  

The next day at the church, I smiled at every possible person I met there. To my surprise, I was showered with smiles and blessings. I gave that wonderful smile and got back too many to take home.

An Opportunity to Give

After many months of illness, the resulting financial troubles and the love and generosity of dear friends, family members and even strangers that helped me and my children through those difficult times, my life regained balance. On a trip to the grocery store I spotted  a young couple hitchhiking with two puppies. They were obviously tired and discouraged and had made a sign, which simply read, "Just Food." Praying that they would stay, I hurried into the grocery store and bought a bag full of  nutritious foods, puppy chow for the dogs along with items I needed. To my relief they were still there when I came out. I drove up beside them and the young man approached at my beckoning him. I handed him the bag full of groceries, saying, "this is for you..." then the bag of chow, "this is for your puppies", and then a ten dollar bill, "And here's ... Read Full Story >>

My Savior Angel

A year ago, I was a mess!    I was going through one of those phases that every teenager goes through in high school. I had made some new friends who were part of the popular gang of our school. Hanging out with them made me overconfident and feel like I could treat other people in whatever way I wanted.   Also, under the influence of these people, I would make up these unbelievably silly lies to cover up for all my mistakes. And, as you probably know, one lie leads to another and then another, and it keeps going on.    Among my new friends there was one girl who was very kind, compassionate and down to earth. She wouldn't judge people on their looks or their crowd. Since we had friends in common and went to the same classes we ended up hanging out a lot.    I remember being extremely surprised at her honesty. And ... Read Full Story >>

A Craving For Ice Cream

This morning I was running errands and had a sudden urge for an ice cream from McDonald's.   I tried talking myself out of it; I hadn't had lunch yet; I really didn't need it; I already passed McDonald's! But I gave into my craving and turned around.   A homeless man was begging for change at the traffic lights. He looked so tired and defeated. I pulled a couple of dollars out of my wallet and gave them to him. I asked him if he was hungry and he said yes, but that the money I had given him would buy something to eat.   I pulled up to the drive-thru to get my ice cream and decided to go ahead and order him a burger, fries and a coke.    When I handed him the bag I told him I had gotten him some lunch and he stared at me in disbelief. He immediately started ... Read Full Story >>

En Route to Ubud

I have been living in Ubud in Bali for the last 9 months, and am really loving it. One of the many things I enjoy about it is that I get to travel without going anywhere, because friends regularly fly in from different parts of the world to visit. When I happen to be the one traveling places, I love being welcomed at the airport, and so I try to do the same for friends whenever I can.   Two days ago, I headed to the airport to pick up a friend who was flying in from Paris to visit for three weeks.  I don't own a car so I hired the services of my friend, Wayan Yoga, a really sweet Balinese driver. Wayan is also my informal Indonesian tutor, so I always look forward to riding with him.  We had a wonderful chat on our way to the airport about what ... Read Full Story >>