something to make us appreciate life a bit more

[king]

often, we are so blind... unable to see in others what should be so obvious if we only wanted to see.

why not start a thread that will make us appreciate life a bit more, that would show us what we are missing in this life -- love for your fellow human being?

Why not post here some of your favorite stories or poems that pertain to this question.

here is an email that i received and that i found very touching:


Crabby Old Man





When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Tampa, Florida, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.



Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.



One nurse took her copy to Missouri . The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.



And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this "anonymous" poem winging across the Internet.




Crabby Old Man



What do you see nurses? .......What do you see?

What are you thinking......when you're looking at me?

A crabby old man, ....not very wise,

Uncertain of habit .......with faraway eyes?



Who dribbles his food.......and makes no reply.

When you say in a loud voice....."I do wish you'd try!"

Who seems not to notice ....the things that you do.

And forever is losing .............. a sock or shoe?



Who, resisting or not...........lets you do as you will,

With bathing and feeding ..... the long day to fill?

Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?

Then open your eyes, nurse......you're not looking at me.



I'll tell you who I am ....... as I sit here so still,

As I do at your bidding, ..as I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of Ten......with a father and mother,

Brothers and sisters .......who love one another



A young boy of Sixteen ...........with wings on his feet.

Dreaming that soon now. ........a lover he'll meet.

A groom soon at Twenty .........my heart gives a leap.

Remembering, the vows........that I promised to keep.



At Twenty-Five, now .......... I have young of my own.

Who need me to guide ..... and a secure happy home.

A man of Thirty ........ my young now grown fast,

Bound to each other ........ with ties that should last.



At Forty, my young sons ........have grown and are gone,

But my woman's beside me.......to see ! I don't mourn.

At Fifty, once more, .......... babies play 'round my knee,

Again, we know children ......... my loved one and me.



Dark days are upon me .......... my wife is now dead.

I look at the future ..........I shudder with dread.

For my young are all rearing ......young of their own.

And I think of the years...... and the love that I've known.



I'm now an old man.........and nature is cruel.

Tis jest to make old age .......look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles..........grace and vigor, depart.

There is now a stone........where I once had a heart.



But inside this old carcass ...... a young guy still dwells,

And now and again .....my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys.............. I remember the pain.

And I'm loving and living.............life over again.



I think of the years ....all too few.....gone too fast.

And accept the stark fact........that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people ........open and see..

Not a crabby old man. Look closer....see........ME!!

[lookfar]

Good thread king, nice & positive :)

Oh wow what a lovely poem, very touching indeed!!

I'll have a dig about & see what I can find to post on here...

[auron]

I absolutely love this one! :)

In accordance with an old prophecy...

The Church of Love is proclaimed in 1986. -

It has no fabric - only understanding.

It has no membership - save those who know they belong.

It has no rivals - because it is non-competitive.

It has no ambition, because it only seeks to serve.

It knows of no boundaries for nationalisms are unloving.

It is not of itself because it seeks to enrich all groups and religions.

It acknowledges all great teachers of all the ages who have shown the truth of Love.


Those who participate, practise the Truth of Love in all their daily being.

There is no walk of life or nationality that is a barrier.


Those who are, know. It seeks not to teach but to be, and by being, enrich.

It recognises the collectivity of all humanity and that we are all one with the One.

It recognises that the way we are may be the way of those around us because we are that way.


It recognises the whole planet as a Being, of which we are a part.

It recognises that the time has come for the supreme transmutation, the ultimate alchemical act, the conscious change of the ego into a voluntary return to the whole.

It does not proclaim itself with a loud voice but in the subtle realms of loving.

It salutes all those in the past who have blazoned the path but paid the price.

It admits of no hierarchy or structure, for no one is greater than another.

Its members shall know each other by their deeds and being and their eyes and by no other outward sign, save the fraternal embrace.

Each one will dedicate his or her life to the silent loving of their neighbour and environment and the planet, whilst carrying out their daily task, however exalted or humble.

It recognises the supremacy of the great idea which may only be accomplished if the human race practices the supremacy of Love.

It has no rewards to offer, either here or in the hereafter, save that of the ineffable joy of being and loving.

Its members shall seek only to advance the cause of understanding, within whichever church, group or family they happen to be.

They shall do good by stealth and teach only by example.

They shall heal their neighbour, their community and our Planet.

They shall know no fear, and feel no shame and their witness shall prevail over all odds.


It has no secrets, no arcanum, no initiations save that of the true understanding of the power of love and that, if we want it to be so, the world will change but only if we change ourselves first.


ALL THOSE WHO BELONG, BELONG, THAT IS THE CHURCH OF LOVE

[shodan]

What an excellent thread and a great couple of posts.

I had a moment of synchronisity not so long ago that would fit in here.

Whilst out for a drink I went to a 'trendy' bar, bought a drink and crossed to the back of the bar, on the edge of the dancefloor. I was in a mindset of 'self pity' at the time and as I sat down there was a girl who had downs syndrome who was with two other women - her carers I think. As I sat down I looked at her and temporarily put my own woes to oneside and was impulsed to give the girl a big loving smile. She was being ignored by everyone at the time. A few seconds later I looked back and she was looking and said something. I could'nt hear, so I leant over and she said 'I like you'. Doesn't sound like much but it meant the world to me, man how such a simple thing can completely change the vibe of yourself and those around.

A day later I was at a friends house who has 2 children that both mother and partner treat very badly with verbal abuse and cruelty. Whenever I protest they treat them even worse so I treat them nicely - teach by example and all that.
One of the children turned round and showed me her mobile, she had written 'I like you'. She didn't want to say it out loud because she was scared of her mother. This also moved me, and I havn't had a moment of self-pity since.

[king]

What an excellent thread and a great couple of posts.

I had a moment of synchronisity not so long ago that would fit in here.

Whilst out for a drink I went to a 'trendy' bar, bought a drink and crossed to the back of the bar, on the edge of the dancefloor. I was in a mindset of 'self pity' at the time and as I sat down there was a girl who had downs syndrome who was with two other women - her carers I think. As I sat down I looked at her and temporarily put my own woes to oneside and was impulsed to give the girl a big loving smile. She was being ignored by everyone at the time. A few seconds later I looked back and she was looking and said something. I could'nt hear, so I leant over and she said 'I like you'. Doesn't sound like much but it meant the world to me, man how such a simple thing can completely change the vibe of yourself and those around.

A day later I was at a friends house who has 2 children that both mother and partner treat very badly with verbal abuse and cruelty. Whenever I protest they treat them even worse so I treat them nicely - teach by example and all that.
One of the children turned round and showed me her mobile, she had written 'I like you'. She didn't want to say it out loud because she was scared of her mother. This also moved me, and I havn't had a moment of self-pity since.

WOW!

that was great!!!!


humans need to be more like that!
we can either be like majority of humans are nowadays -- or we can break out of the mold and create new reality where we do not judge each other so easily, where a smile, a hug and love is the way.

[freespark]

Great posts people.

Anybody remeber this one---

The lyrics to Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen, by Mary Schmich:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

[carlg1212]

something to make us appreciate life a bit more


When I think about how shitty my life is, and how the world sucks ass, and how wars, hunger, pain, misery, malcontent, torture, massacres and assassinations are "normal", and how other motherfuckers are fucking everything up and they can just go kiss my royal ass.........I think of mouth painters. If they can be happy, then I should just shut the fuck up and be happy.

http://www.amfpa.com/files/paintings/1500.194.jpg

But that's just my opinion.

[i am all i am]

This is from the book 'The Fifth Sacred Thing', by Starhawk.


DECLERATION OF THE FOUR SACRED THINGS

The earth is a living, concious being. In company with cultures of many different times and places, we name these things sacred: air, fire, water and earth.

Whether we see them as the breath, energy, blood, and body of the Mother, or as the blessed gifts of a Creator, or as symbols of the interconnected systems that sustain life, we know that nothing can live without them.

To call these things sacred is to say that they have a value beyond their usefulness for human ends, that they themselves become the standards by which our acts, economics, our laws, and our purposes must be judged. No one has the right to appropriate them or profit from them at the expense of others. Any government that fails to protect them forfeits its legitimacy.

All people, all living things, are part of the earth, and so are sacred. No one of us stands higher or lower than any other. Only justice can assure balance: only ecological balance can sustain freedom. Only in freedom can that fifth sacred thing we call spirit flourish in its full diversity.

To honour the sacred is to create conditions in which nourishment, sustenance, habitat, knowledge, freedom and beauty can thrive. To honour the sacred is to make love possible.

To this we dedicate our curiosity, our will, our courage, our silence and our voices. To this we dedicate our lives.



With LOVE. http://www.lifeshore.com/smiley/data/media/3/3D_emoticon_S36.gif

[shadow cat]

Remuneration:.......Nil
Essential Criterion:........Female
Desirable criteria:....Income from family trust. Relative who owns a pub.

Qualifications:
Drivers Licence: Applicant must be able to control vehicle with broken air-conditioner, in heavy traffic, while listening to choking baby in back seat.
You will have the ability to concentrate while singing 'Incy Wincy Spider' and know the location of every public toilet. You will be experienced in loitering outside youth venues late at night.

Catering
Must be capable of pre planning menus for varied appetites for at least 18 years. Supply of own milk to infants is required,as is frequent dinner preparation for large numbers.

Administrator
You will be directly responsible for control of budget estimates, complaints and negotiations.

Nurse
Must be able to exist without sleep for up to 6 days while completing other duties. Must display proficiency in caring for the sick in the early hours of the morning. Stain removal ability is highly sort after in this category.

Early Child Educator
Must be able to recite the complete works of A.A. Milne and be cognizant of everything written about Dinosaurs. Ability to make necklaces from Macaroni and Dental Floss will be well regarded.

Tailor
Must be able to design and sew rabbit outfits for concerts.

Hairdresser
Applicant must have ability to detect headlice, remove chewing gum from hair and cut a straight fringe while receiving verbal abuse.

Bike Engineer
Will need to be conversant with all aspects of bicycle maintenance, including fitting and removal of stabilizer wheels. Applicant must be able to repair punctures at a camping site. A First Aid Certificate is required.

Veterinary Assistant
Must care for and train a variety of pets after owner has relinquished ownership of them. Frequent feeding and cage cleaning required. Must be well versed in neighbourhood dispute resolution and conduct occasional burial services.

Painter & Decorator
Will be conversant with removal of sticky products and graffiti from doors. An ability to paint ceilings while cooking an advantage.

Telephonist
Will have the ability to hold discussions on the telephone while someone is hanging off leg and someone else is banging a tin with a wooden spoon. Must provide sustenance to teenagers on the phone to avoid effects of prolonged stasis.

Landscape Gardener
Must be able to start lawnmower, operate gardening equipment and keep house plants alive. Must know phone number of local poisons centre and be abreast of latest methods of composting, pruning, seed cultivation, and tree surgery. Must know location of every mouse that has died and been buried.

Entertainment Officer
You will co-ordinate sporting functions via telephone and trips to school office. You will be required to coach games in all weathers and encouraged to enter into strong discussions with opposite factions. Purchase and maintenance of euipment required. Must be able to hold parties, produce jellies and invent games where everybody wins. And you will do Christmas.

Readers Digest May 2000

Whew!!! I'm SO glad I haven't any youngsters anymore.
SC xx

[lumukanda]

that poem was really touching, i've been guilty of not really seeing people, just the vague shell that we interpret to be that person, it really takes no effort to see just a little bit deeper.

this is something i posted on another forum, i thought i'd share it here.

a couple of nights ago we visited a , something i was really dreading because they are so very very afrikaans, loud, brash, not really my scene.
when we got there there was this godawful music playing, it's called boeremusiek, this really terrible polka type music, loads of accordians and banjos, really terrible stuff, except this was to a techno beat, truly fucking awful. there were about 10 people there, all in a massive state of inebriation, i was in hell.
but as i got talking to these people, especially my friend's sister, i was blown away by how judgemental i was. these were great people, not only were they really hospitable, as i got talking, they were telling me about the zimbabwean refugees that had been staying with them, they had no place to go, so they put them up for a month, until they could get a flat.
their doors are always open, we have lots of ex- uMkontwe isizwe and APLA (freedom fighters during apartheid) soldiers that kind of wander the countryside and they often put them up for the night, give them food and water, that kind of thing. they also take in all kinds of stray animals.
then i started talking to her husband, who was quite trashed, also about the people they put up, and he started telling me about this thing called 'carmen'.
i really didn't know what he was talking about, but he kept on telling me about 'carmen', eventually i asked him what the hell 'carmen' was, and he looked at me and said, if you do good things to other people, good things will come to you, then i clicked, he was talking about karma!
so here were these people that instead of being brash and rude, were loving and caring and lived what i consider to be the right kind of life, the only difference being the wore a different outfit from what i am used to, they did it in their way, but they did it, not many can say that.
just as an aside, her mother, a lady in her 70's, once sat me down and began telling me about this book she's reading, about who really controls the world etc etc, and i'll be damned if she didn't whip out a copy of 'the biggest secret', i was gobsmacked. just goes to show, all over the world, all kinds of people are beginning to realise, and beginning to wake up.

[shodan]

a couple of nights ago we visited a , something i was really dreading because they are so very very afrikaans, loud, brash, not really my scene.
when we got there there was this godawful music playing, it's called boeremusiek, this really terrible polka type music, loads of accordians and banjos, really terrible stuff, except this was to a techno beat, truly fucking awful. there were about 10 people there, all in a massive state of inebriation, i was in hell.
but as i got talking to these people, especially my friend's sister, i was blown away by how judgemental i was. these were great people, not only were they really hospitable, as i got talking, they were telling me about the zimbabwean refugees that had been staying with them, they had no place to go, so they put them up for a month, until they could get a flat.
their doors are always open, we have lots of ex- uMkontwe isizwe and APLA (freedom fighters during apartheid) soldiers that kind of wander the countryside and they often put them up for the night, give them food and water, that kind of thing. they also take in all kinds of stray animals.
then i started talking to her husband, who was quite trashed, also about the people they put up, and he started telling me about this thing called 'carmen'.
i really didn't know what he was talking about, but he kept on telling me about 'carmen', eventually i asked him what the hell 'carmen' was, and he looked at me and said, if you do good things to other people, good things will come to you, then i clicked, he was talking about karma!
so here were these people that instead of being brash and rude, were loving and caring and lived what i consider to be the right kind of life, the only difference being the wore a different outfit from what i am used to, they did it in their way, but they did it, not many can say that.
just as an aside, her mother, a lady in her 70's, once sat me down and began telling me about this book she's reading, about who really controls the world etc etc, and i'll be damned if she didn't whip out a copy of 'the biggest secret', i was gobsmacked. just goes to show, all over the world, all kinds of people are beginning to realise, and beginning to wake up.

Thats brilliant

[i_am]

To Whom It May Concern:

I hereby officially tender my resignation as an adult.

I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of a 6 year old again.

I want to go to McDonald's, and think that it's a four star restaurant. (weeelll! But you get the picture)

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money, because you can eat them.

I want to play kickball during recess and paint with watercolours in art.

I want to lie under a big Oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summers' day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colours, addition tables and simple nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

When all you knew was to be happy because you didn't know all the things that should make you worried and upset.

I want to think that the world is fair, that everyone in it is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible.

Somewhere in my youth... I matured and I learned too much.

I learned of nuclear weapons, war, prejudice, starvation and abused children.

I learned of lies, unhappy marriages, suffering, illness, pain and death.

I learned of a world where men left their families to go and fight for our country, and returned only to end up living on the streets... begging for their next meal.

I learned of a world where children knew how to kill...and did!!

What happened to the time when we thought that everyone would live forever, because we didn't grasp the concept of death?

When we thought the worst thing in the world was if someone took the jump rope from you - or picked you last for kickball?

I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life and be overly excited by little things once again.

I want to return to the days when reading was fun and music was clean, when television was used to report the news or for family entertainment and not to promote sex, violence and deceit.

I remember being naive and thinking that everyone was happy, because I was.

I would walk on the beach and only think of the sand between my toes and the prettiest seashell I could find.

I would spend my afternoons climbing trees and riding my bike.

I didn't worry about time, bills or where I was going to find the money to fix my car.

I used to wonder what I was going to do or be when I grew up, not what I'll do if this doesn't work out.

I want to live simple again.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.

I want to be 6 again.

[lightbeing]

To Whom It May Concern:

I hereby officially tender my resignation as an adult.

I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of a 6 year old again.

I want to go to McDonald's, and think that it's a four star restaurant. (weeelll! But you get the picture)

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money, because you can eat them.

I want to play kickball during recess and paint with watercolours in art.

I want to lie under a big Oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summers' day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colours, addition tables and simple nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

When all you knew was to be happy because you didn't know all the things that should make you worried and upset.

I want to think that the world is fair, that everyone in it is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible.

Somewhere in my youth... I matured and I learned too much.

I learned of nuclear weapons, war, prejudice, starvation and abused children.

I learned of lies, unhappy marriages, suffering, illness, pain and death.

I learned of a world where men left their families to go and fight for our country, and returned only to end up living on the streets... begging for their next meal.

I learned of a world where children knew how to kill...and did!!

What happened to the time when we thought that everyone would live forever, because we didn't grasp the concept of death?

When we thought the worst thing in the world was if someone took the jump rope from you - or picked you last for kickball?

I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life and be overly excited by little things once again.

I want to return to the days when reading was fun and music was clean, when television was used to report the news or for family entertainment and not to promote sex, violence and deceit.

I remember being naive and thinking that everyone was happy, because I was.

I would walk on the beach and only think of the sand between my toes and the prettiest seashell I could find.

I would spend my afternoons climbing trees and riding my bike.

I didn't worry about time, bills or where I was going to find the money to fix my car.

I used to wonder what I was going to do or be when I grew up, not what I'll do if this doesn't work out.

I want to live simple again.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.

I want to be 6 again.

What a lovely poem, this can be our reality again..............

I like the bit about climbing trees and riding my bike, that was me, simple pleasures, oh how things change!....................:eek:

[i_am]

Beware of people who know all the answers and seek the company of people trying to understand the questions.

Don’t let the bastards get you down.

It is your future – you create it.

The world is a wonderful place. You attract what you put out.

If you want the world to be a happier place – smile – it has to start somewhere.

and my favourite...tada....

Thou shalt!

[lottie]

When my nan died a couple of years ago i read this poem out at her funeral- she was always saying how people dont have the time to stop and appreciate the beauty of things anymore because they are always rushing around like headless chickens, so we thought this poem was most appropriate- ive never forgotten these words and i actually make time to stop and appreciate the beauty around us now....

"LEISURE"

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

By Wm. Henry Davies.

:)

[lightbeing]

When my nan died a couple of years ago i read this poem out at her funeral- she was always saying how people dont have the time to stop and appreciate the beauty of things anymore because they are always rushing around like headless chickens, so we thought this poem was most appropriate- ive never forgotten these words and i actually make time to stop and appreciate the beauty around us now....

"LEISURE"

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

By Wm. Henry Davies.

:)

What a beautiful poem to read at your nans funeral, very touching.

[lookfar]

Can I request some help here please guys?

I'm trying to post a Powerpoint presentation & don't know how to do it? I've checked the attachment link & it doesn't give .pps option.... doh!!?? Any ideas most appreciated...:)

[freespark]

that poem was really touching, i've been guilty of not really seeing people, just the vague shell that we interpret to be that person, it really takes no effort to see just a little bit deeper.

this is something i posted on another forum, i thought i'd share it here.


a couple of nights ago we visited a , something i was really dreading because they are so very very afrikaans, loud, brash, not really my scene.
when we got there there was this godawful music playing, it's called boeremusiek, this really terrible polka type music, loads of accordians and banjos, really terrible stuff, except this was to a techno beat, truly fucking awful. there were about 10 people there, all in a massive state of inebriation, i was in hell.
but as i got talking to these people, especially my friend's sister, i was blown away by how judgemental i was. these were great people, not only were they really hospitable, as i got talking, they were telling me about the zimbabwean refugees that had been staying with them, they had no place to go, so they put them up for a month, until they could get a flat.
their doors are always open, we have lots of ex- uMkontwe isizwe and APLA (freedom fighters during apartheid) soldiers that kind of wander the countryside and they often put them up for the night, give them food and water, that kind of thing. they also take in all kinds of stray animals.
then i started talking to her husband, who was quite trashed, also about the people they put up, and he started telling me about this thing called 'carmen'.
i really didn't know what he was talking about, but he kept on telling me about 'carmen', eventually i asked him what the hell 'carmen' was, and he looked at me and said, if you do good things to other people, good things will come to you, then i clicked, he was talking about karma!
so here were these people that instead of being brash and rude, were loving and caring and lived what i consider to be the right kind of life, the only difference being the wore a different outfit from what i am used to, they did it in their way, but they did it, not many can say that.
just as an aside, her mother, a lady in her 70's, once sat me down and began telling me about this book she's reading, about who really controls the world etc etc, and i'll be damned if she didn't whip out a copy of 'the biggest secret', i was gobsmacked. just goes to show, all over the world, all kinds of people are beginning to realise, and beginning to wake up.

This resonated with me becuse i was born in South Africa and also looked at the Afrikaaners the same way you did. It's amazing how the racism is ingrained in us when we are young and we only start snapping out of it once we grow up and start learning to think for ourselves.

Thanks for posting this lumu.

[lumukanda]

This resonated with me becuse i was born in South Africa and also looked at the Afrikaaners the same way you did. It's amazing how the racism is ingrained in us when we are young and we only start snapping out of it once we grow up and start learning to think for ourselves.

Thanks for posting this lumu.

hey no probs man, i had my eyes opened a bit more this weekend.
you know what the funny thing is? i am afrikaans.
i was really expecting a bunch of your typical brandy and coke boere, and in many ways that's exactly what they were, but they were good people.
you are right though, we are so fixated with race and language in this country, it's a miracle anything gets done.

[shodan]

Hi Lookfar, you could try renaming the .pps bit to one thats accepted and tell everyone to rename it back to .pps by saving it first. Might work.

Peace

[turquoisefyre]

The intention of the Soul according to Gary Zukav,

is to create:

~Harmony



~Co-Operation



~Sharing



and



~Reverence for Life

http://www.indigosun.com/images/zukar.JPG

[freespark]

hey no probs man, i had my eyes opened a bit more this weekend.
you know what the funny thing is? i am afrikaans.
i was really expecting a bunch of your typical brandy and coke boere, and in many ways that's exactly what they were, but they were good people.
you are right though, we are so fixated with race and language in this country, it's a miracle anything gets done.

Oh noes another dutchman! Run away....run away! :)

Hehe i'm a soutpeel!

Have you heard that expression?

[pollock]

Oh dear, this thread makes me all tearyeyed and sentimental, I better add some things that makes me appreciate life a bit more:
Animals
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=oe90utw2yz

and more
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=39y1al99un

children
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=vxfqjs84g9

and a bit of this
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=dpso02ocd4

Oh and the totally silly
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ma90141xw2

Just to mention a few
F

[king]

Hi Lookfar, you could try renaming the .pps bit to one thats accepted and tell everyone to rename it back to .pps by saving it first. Might work.

Peace

or.. just zip the power point.
i am sure that zip is accepted format.

[lumukanda]

Oh noes another dutchman! Run away....run away! :)

Hehe i'm a soutpeel!

Have you heard that expression?


a soutie? yes i've heard that, we used to call you guys rooinekke too, and the english guys called us rockspiders, hahaha, oh the schoolyard fun.

[zoloko]

When I think about how shitty my life is, and how the world sucks ass, and how wars, hunger, pain, misery, malcontent, torture, massacres and assassinations are "normal", and how other motherfuckers are fucking everything up and they can just go kiss my royal ass.........I think of mouth painters. If they can be happy, then I should just shut the fuck up and be happy.

http://www.amfpa.com/files/paintings/1500.194.jpg

But that's just my opinion.
Right on!!!!!!!!!!!!
I lived in a war-zone some years ago and recently i lived in a country whose populatin is very opressed and these are the places where I´ve experienced most "happiness! People sing and dance, make fun with each other and they tuch each other! The children take part in the daily routine and in between that, they: PLAY!!!! The guy who mouthpaint in the square, has good buisness and is always talking and: SMILING! The young man who lost his hands, picking up a land-mine, is very good with his feet and loves to: SING! The old beggar-woman on my street, never forget´s to share her extra´s or to: BLESS THE BEAUTYFULL DAY!
The air is filled with the noises of people living in the simplicity of: NOW!!!!!

[freespark]

a soutie? yes i've heard that, we used to call you guys rooinekke too, and the english guys called us rockspiders, hahaha, oh the schoolyard fun.

Haha rooinekke i remember that!

Soutpeel - Englishman living in South Africa. He has one foot in England and one foot in South Africa and his 'peel' (trouser snake!) is hanging in the ocean! Hence.....Soutpeel (salt penis!)

Rooinek - Englishman living in South Africa and has a red neck (obviously as he is not used to the sun!!)

Haha. Man what a place to grow up. Was born in Jo'burg (this makes me a Vaali - from the Transvaal) and came to live in UK when i was 26. My sister and Dad still live there so i go for a visit every few years.

Beautifull place.

[turquoisefyre]

Our Deepest Fear


Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others

- Marianne Williamson

[turquoisefyre]

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

I walk down the street
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost…I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I’m in the same place.
But, it isn’t my fault
It still takes a long time to get out.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in…it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.


I walk down another street.

Portia Nelson