MY WISHES TO YOU FOR A SUPER 2011‏

My Dear Friends,

Here's my A-Z Bucket List of wishes for a super 2011 and many, many more to come -

A - Accomplishments that you, your parents and progeny will be proud of.

B - Bravado in taking the right stand, even in tricky scenarios.

C - Courage to admit your own mistakes.

D - Divinity and your proximity to it.

E - Ethereal sense in even the most mundane of things you do.

F - Faith in the One above.

G - Grit and Gumption as two of your important traits.

H - Hope and Happiness as two strong allies.

I - Ideation and Imagination as your trusted lieutenants.

J - Joy of life; and Justice that you endeavour to bring out in your hemisphere.

K - Keen and sharp mind even in your twilight years.

L - Love of family and friends.

M - Music of the Universe that you develop a fine ear for.

N - Noble mindedness, Nice manners, Nourished soul, Notable achievements and Nirvana as the 
      final reward.

O - Opportunity to grow both as a fine individual and an above-par professional.

P - Passion for life and its finer elements.

Q - Quest for knowledge, perpetually.

R - Respect for animals, nature and what you have been bestowed upon.

S - Sensibilities for discerning right from wrong.

T - Trust in your own ability.

U - Uncompromising stand towards all that is unjust, corrupt and malaise infested - both in our       
      minds and the society we live in.

V - Vision for charting out your own unique course.

W - Warmth stemming out of the coziness of your relationships with all your significant others 
        including your pet children.

X - Xperience (sic) in life replete with all its vicissitudes and tribulations AND that little XTRA   
      (sic)  that allows you to give your individualistic spin to your personal matrix.

Y - Young spirit that conquers over an aging body and tired mind.

Z - Zest, Zeal and a Zillion dreams to enrich your own lives and to make this a better world to live   
      in.
Have a wonderful 2011.

With fondest wishes,

L. ARUNA DHIR

A BEAUTIFUL IRISH STORY!

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

'I want to repay you,' said the nobleman. 'You saved my son's life.'

'No, I can't accept payment for what I did,' the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

'Is that your son?' the nobleman asked.

'Yes,' the farmer replied proudly.

'I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.' And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill .. His son's name?

Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.

Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt.

Dance like nobody's watching.

Sing like nobody's listening.

Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

A New Year Wish for a stupendous Twenty Ten!

Dear friends,

On the threshold of a brand new decade, I wish you two imperative things - to my mind, at least - in order to bring in a happy, healthy, hopeful and prosperous New Year. And they are -

"A network of energy flows through all living things. All energy is borrowed, and one day you have to give it back." (Borrowing shamelessly from AVATAR)

AND
"Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.4 (Quoting Confucianism)

Here's wishing you a 2010 filled with promise, peace, passion, purity and perseverance. Go on, leave your footprints on the sands of time.

My best,

ARUNA DHIR

Picture Courtesy - www.deviantart.com (a picture by Emily Stevenson) and Google Images.