Pearls Of Wisdom @ MindSay 
I need to start socking away my pennies to save up for a trip to Rio and grab me a "How to Speak Portuguese" book from Borders.
PEARLS PLUCKED ALONG THE WAY
Life for me was a stern task master. It had things prepared for me to do which I never bargained for. All I wanted for myself was a happy contented life --- didn’t aim for money or wealth. I was happy to have an education, a job, help my parents, and coast along. But as I‘ve said things didn’t happen as I hoped it would. Far from my small and humble expectations I got something else. Looking back at it now I can wisely say Life was right all along – it was what I needed.
So my journey continued through the worn beaten path in my twice worn beaten shoes. I will not dwell on the harshness of the journey of those years now. Instead, I’m going to share about the stops I made along the way to gather flowers, sunshine, smiles, and pearls for my weary heart and soul.
By the way, there were many gathered and won’t be enough to put into a single page -- ‘Might take a whole book Lol!! ? So let’s take on a few random pearls for this writing.
:-))
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WAIT OUT THE SILENT STORM -
Oh yes, there were those times when nothing seemed to happen, when it seemed that life suddenly stopped and time abruptly stood still. And it did at a point I wished it didn’t. I wasn’t going anywhere; nothing I ever did budged me into the direction I wanted to take. I felt so alone, helpless, caged-in, frantic, confused, and desperate. The very reasons which motivated me seemed to have disappeared. I would frantically ask myself “What in Jupiter’s name is happening?! “ ---------- Now I know – so this was the so-called ‘silent storm’. It creates havoc to your peace and calm and derails what determination lies in you, throws it out to the wind. So what does one do with it?? Wait it out -- Just like you wait out a weather storm. It will pass. And as sure as the sun rises in the morning, the silent storm will pass and you’ll get your old self back again. But … it will help if you wait in prayer. Because prayer energizes your faith, hope, and trust in a mighty God who definitely knows what He is doing with your life.
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ROTTEN APPLES IN THE BASKET -
Oh, I get to meet so many different people in the journey... So lucky to have acquired good people and formed lasting friendships with them. It can never be disputed that wonderful friendships bring wonderful joys. And yet neither is it argued too, on the other hand, that one does get some rotten apples intertwined somewhere there in the basket -- oh yes! A small number have managed to make life miserable for me --- behaved in a manner which caused me pain, hurt, and suffering. I can’t say that I haven’t been affected by these jerks because apparently I was and have tiny scars to show for it, sadly. ---------- But I couldn’t let the few rotten ones ruin the rest of the good apples in my basket or snuff out my enjoyment of a basket fully laden with good fruits. What to do with them? Lift the rotten ones out from the bunch and throw them far out to sea. Lol!! Well, what I really mean is junk them – but take the lesson or lessons such unpleasant experiences bring. Enjoy and treasure those which give better meaning to relationships. Appreciate and celebrate good people and friends. They are part and parcel too of life’s many treasures.
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I AM FLAWED -
“Aww, isn’t she such a sweet little girl!” was what I’d hear from my Mom’s friends every time she shows me off to her ‘amigos’ or friends. Yeah, my aunts would tell me that I was a gentle, reserved, silent, passive little girl…Nice but that which almost always was passed over for good opportunities or better parts in school programs or forgotten for anything worth noting for in class. The traits I was so admired for turned out actually to be a character flaw --- Because my classmates more aggressive, active, and outgoing than myself got all the fun, recognition and adulation.---------- And I haven’t been sweet most times. At odd times I found myself selfish, harsh, bitchy, bitter, furiously angry, or just plain unreasonable --- Scary, huh? Yeah. But Mom would simply smile and say “You’re still a work in progress, little girl.” And she would patiently and lovingly ease me through the process. ---------- And she was right then --- and now, although she’s long gone. I’m still flawed, but I have a better understanding of how it works. God sends out things and people to help polish up my act and I’m supposed to help in that process, too. So I’m flawed but so is the rest of the world. Each day me, you, everybody is given the opportunity to work at becoming better persons aiming for the best though not necessarily perfection. Excellence would be a nicer name to it. After all, perfection as I understand it is solely God’s work. Ours is to work excellently in the tasks He gives us to do. Doing excellent work makes us better persons in the process.
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SMART IS NOT ALWAYS SMART -
Wondering why I say that? Because it doesn’t always work the way you expect it too. So okay, a person dresses smart, talks smart, thinks smart, does everything smart in perfect consonance with what most people consider perfect and acceptable. You’d think that he’s got it all – brains, education, money, looks. But have you ever thought what effect it has on those around him? Not necessarily his business associates or family who can understand him better than most. What about the ordinary people in his or your ordinary regular day? Do you think that being your old smart self would impress them or impact them in the same way it does your colleagues or tight circle of family and friends? ---------- Not always. People who have a lot less than you may have a lot of insecurities working in them. When you flaunt your good fortune, maybe unintentionally, it succeeds only to rub them the wrong way. --- Because it highlights the ‘nothingness’ or void or emptiness in their lives. It bites at their failed hopes and dreams for better things in their lives. It revives the deep and silent resentments they may harbor for not bagging the opportunities they think they deserve too. Looking at you so well-placed, successful, smart, enjoying the perks of a good life brings all these negative feelings out to the fore. And to avert attention from their ‘failed’ lives, they will try to heap upon you negative labels such as calling you--- ‘snooty’ ‘stiff’ ‘proud’ ‘aristocrat’ ‘condescending’ ‘big headed’ ‘conceited’ ‘arrogant’ among other things. Making you look bad, for them, does its bit to assuage or salve their feelings of insecurity and inferiority, Weird, huh? --- Not at all. It’s human nature in action -- A sort of defense mechanism which tries to protect the person from hurting some more. ---------- What to do with it? Be attuned to your surroundings – people, places, things. One behavior doesn’t fit all. Flexibility and adaptability will get you more mileage than trying to be smart all the time. Besides in the real sense of things, people are what matters…not you or your image. You simply can’t go about making people uncomfortable in your presence or embarrassed. Use genuine compassion to connect because it is the heart most times which succeeds to bridge all gaps, imaginary or real. You see, sometimes brains - flaunting it intentionally or not - is a big turn-off. Smart is not always smart, if you’re not careful.