LIFE'S OPPORTUNITIES

“There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.”

This quote taken from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar epitomizes the real meaning of Opportunity.

Opportunity is defined as a chance or possibility arising from a combination of favorable circumstances. In life, opportunities present themselves to everyone, but only those who are ready or make themselves available will achieve the greatest success. Very rarely does an opportunity succeed without active participation of the participant, nor do they go to fruition without positive and active effort. In a way it is not the opportunity itself, but how one deals with it, that defines a person.

Opportunities are not reserved for the select few. They are certainly not just for the wealthy, intelligent, endowed or creative thinkers. Nor for that matter are they just lucky random occurrences. We are all constantly surrounded with a variety of opportunities ranging from small, locally affecting events, to others which could have an impact on people around us, as well some that could change the course of our life. The difference lies in how perceptive we are in responding. Clearly the kind of opportunity depends on individual circumstances. The wealthy are better able to benefit from financial opportunities, and the talented would be more successful in the arts, but everyone has the chance to benefit in their own way.

In life, the key is to understand and accept that opportunities are available to everyone, not just a few, but those who recognize and work for them are the ones who achieve the most. We can all relate to situations where an opportunity goes unrecognized because of our lack of attention or sensitivity.

History is overflowing with instances of successful use of opportunity and equally, of people who have failed the chance. It is not just a hit or miss situation. The ones who succeed are the ones who display a certain positivism, a strength and optimism of attitude towards life and achievement.

The answer therefore does not lie the common practice of envying the success of those who profited from their opportunities, but rather to learn from them, be motivated by them and be ready when your chance appears. Helen Keller, the great American author, activist and teacher, who despite being deaf/blind from birth ,stands out as a brilliant beacon of the successful use of opportunities for achievement against insurmountable odds, stated:

“ When one door closes, another opens.
But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door,
that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”

In the end, rather than envy others who have successfully converted their opportunities, let us instead remember that even if our effort fails and you fall to the ground, rather that wallow in self pity, look around for there may well be a better opportunity waiting for you.

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Opportunities are never lost;
Someone always takes the one you miss.
…..Author Unknown

Many an Opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf clovers.
......Author Unknown

The secret of success in life is for a man
to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.
……Benjamin Disraeli

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
…….Francis Bacon

Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work,
So most people don't recognize them.
……Anne Landers

LIFE'S DISAPPOINTMENTS

Disappointment is one of our more powerful emotions and one of the most difficult to deal with. It is a feeling we experience when something or someone fails to live up to our expectation. It has nothing to do with whether you are in a good or bad situation, but rather with how we respond to them.

Most people have expectations of how things should turn out and when this does not occur the feeling of disappointment takes over. They are not necessarily related to fact or reality but much more to your inner assessment and expectation. Even though you may believe otherwise, your expectation or hopes may not be so realistic, leading you to becoming disappointed without actual justification.

Whatever the reason, disappointment unless managed appropriately, will give rise to multiple, complex feelings which could lead to profound physical or emotional difficulties, or both. At the minimum, it could affect your attitude, and hence your subsequent approach to the situation or the people involved. At the worst, recurrent feelings of disappointment could lead to chronic stress situations, depression and profound personality changes.

Disappointment can be embarrassing or humiliating. Because we tend to think of it as a “bad” emotion, we avoid expressing our feeling, for fear of embarrassment in front of others. Sometimes we avoid speaking of our hopes or expectations, because of we are afraid of admitting failure.

Unless we actively try to correct or neutralize these feelings most of us will end up feeling cheated with life. Very rarely does a feeling of disappointment lead to a satisfactory outcome unless we take the time to learn lessons and avoid repetition. So much of our reaction is related more to our underlying personality than the prevailing circumstances. A rigid, unyielding personality is more likely to be affected than a flexible, accommodating one. A willingness to learn and adjust is able to avoid or mitigate the extent of disappointment.

Dealing with disappointment in a systematic way begins with unfiltered reflection. You’ve got to be able to understand the psycho-mechanics of your disappointment before you can deal with it in a productive way. This involves recognizing that however intense, your disappointment has to be faced and dealt with effectively before you can move forward. I
can not recall any disappointing situation from which lessons can not be learnt leading to future success.

Personally, like most people I know, I find disappointment a very difficult emotion to deal with. The more effort placed and the more expectation anticipated, inevitably leads to greater disappointment. However, you must remain resolute that disappointment, however intense, must never be allowed to overwhelm you. Rather it should act as a stimulus to re-examine yourself and institute corrective measures. You must be able to learn, as Martin Luther King did, that;

“We must accept finite disappointment,
but never lose infinite hope.”

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Disappointment is often the salt of life.
…….Theodore Parker

Disappointment is the nurse of wisdom.
…….Bayle Roche

Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy;
-- The bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation.
……Eric Hoffer

Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments
…..Henry Ward Beecher

If we will be quiet and ready enough,
we shall find compensation in every disappointment.
…..Henry David Thoreau

The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire;
the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way. ….Robert Kiyosaki

Disappointment, when it involves neither shame nor loss, is as good as success;
It supplies as many images to the mind, and as many topics to the tongue.
…….Samuel Johnson

The sudden disappointment of a hope leaves a scar
which the ultimate fulfillment of that hope never entirely removes.
….Thomas Hardy

Rigid beliefs make disappointments seem unbearable,
whereas realistic beliefs help us to accept disappointment and go on from there.
……Eileen Kennedy-Moore

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LIFE'S REGRETS

The Moving Finger writes; and having writ,Moves on;

nor all your Piety nor Wit,

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it

These lines from the "Rubaiyat” of Omar Khayyam of Naishapur exquisitely exemplifies the futility of regret.

One of the commonest advice we give, and receive, is to “Live your life so that at the end of it you'll have no regrets" implying that we can in fact avoid regretting what we did or should have done. Because of this we often find ourselves reluctant to do or say something because of our fear that it may cause us to regret later.

To me, allowing our lives to be guided by the fear of regretting later is unfortunate. To be controlled by a negative emotion, having to worry about what should have been rather than what could be, is not only unsatisfactory, but robs us of so many opportunities to achieve fulfillment. It cheats us from any chance of expressing our true selves.

Like all learned behaviors, Regretting is not a natural, inborn instinct, but rather an artificial response which we acquire along the way. Unlike the animals, we humans are victims of our experiences and tend to store them in memory pools and use them to create an image of ourselves, our being, our personality and our behavior. Our responses are less likely to be
natural and instinctual, but rather controlled and deliberate. Our actions are not determined by the demands of self preservation and survival, but by the need to accommodate and to please our inner egos. The lion does not regret killing the innocent lamb no more than the eagle when it swoops down to grab a fleeing rabbit. These are instinctual acts, predetermined by nature.

Man however, weighed down with the demands of conforming within a society’s codes, is required to submerge his basic instincts. The society’s survival is dependant on group conformity which naturally means that the individual’s behavior has to undergo modification.
This is understandable, for without this consensus society will fragment and our civilization will not exist.

I have no doubt that we can all relate to situations where an action done in good faith with the intention of avoiding conflict and pain backfires, leading to unexpected and unplanned consequences. To me this gives rise to significant regret which is difficult to erase and sometimes have to accept and live with.

Any action we do is likely to give rise to some regret, either by being inappropriate or inadequate. Provided however this is done in good faith, we can only accept the result and learn from it. In the end, while doing everything to avoid having to regret, we should never spend our lives avoiding saying or doing anything because of consequences or subsequent regrets.

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Accept life, and you must accept Regret.
……Henry F. Amiel

Regrets and recriminations only hurt the soul.
……Armand Hammer

It is better to look ahead and prepare;
Than to look back and Regret.
…..Jackie Joyner-Kersee

You seldom experience Regret for anything you’ve done;
It is what you haven’t done that will torment you.
……Wayne Dyer

Regret for the things we did, can be tempered by time;
It’s the Regret for the things we did not do; that is inconsolable.
…..Sidney J. Harris

LIFE'S ATTITUDE

In the field of human endeavor attitude is everything. In every situation many outcomes are possible, and the final result, positive or negative, is much less dependant upon ability than it is on attitude.

Attitude can be defined as a complex psycho-physical state involving the complete emotional composition of the individual, including feelings, beliefs, values and behavior responding in a predictable manner. It refers to a frame of mind of the individual which determines the future action for or against another person, situation, belief, thought or disposition. Simply put, attitude is based on interpretation rather than reality.
Henry David Thoreau very accurately described this state as follows:

“It’s not what you look at, that matters,
It’s what you see.”

In my practice, by way of demonstration to my patients, I often used this simple sketch to illustrate the impact of attitude on subsequent behavior;

“You are standing outside your home and you notice in the distance a person
coming towards you with his hands raised and holding an object.

If you thought the object was a knife, you would quickly turn and run away, but if you thought he was bringing you a gift, you will turn and run towards him.
Notice, his action has not changed, it is your attitude that determined behavior.
Also his subsequent behavior will be affected by your action.

If in fact he was bringing you a gift he would appreciate your coming forward and be disappointed if you ran away.”

So much of life is determined by the attitude we bring to bear in our day-to-day living that it is often considered the very foundation of existence, not only at the individual level, but equally, at the global level. Success or failure, trust or distrust, joy or anger, belief or disbelief, love or hate, even peace or war, all have their foundation on the people's attitude and their willingness to recognize and adapt.

The tragedy of this situation is that despite the undisputed impact of attitude on our life, most of us do not learn to recognize and change our attitudes and as a result continue to repeat our mistakes over and over. If only we could take to heart the profound observation of Scott Hamilton;

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”

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Our Attitude toward life determines Life’s attitude towards us.
….John N. Mitchell

The Problem is not usually the problem;
The problem is your Attitude about the problem.
……Author Unknown

People are not disturbed by things,
but by the attitude they take of them.
……Epictetus

I discovered I always have choices:
Sometimes it may only be a choice of Attitude.
……Author Unknown

Your Attitude is more important that your Aptitude.
…….Zig Ziglar

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

For as long as I can recall, the Butterfly has been a source of wonder and fascination to me. Not only for its beauty and graceful appearance but equally, its freedom to do whatever it chooses and go wherever it wants.

As a student attending St. Mary’s College in Trinidad my English teacher, Rev. Fr. James Cahill, a multi-talented, brilliant teacher, spoke of the “Butterfly Effect Theory” in the context of the famous quotation from Paul Erlich:

“The Fluttering of a Butterfly’s wings can affect climate changes,
on the other side of the planet”

He explained that in the same way that the small wings of a butterfly when used correctly can change weather conditions worldwide, even cause hurricanes or change their direction, so also can anyone of us, at the right time, affect the lives of those around us or even far beyond for good, or for bad. He then went on to stress the importance of making the right choices during our growth and development and equally, avoiding the wrong ones, to ensure our gradual metamorphosis to our full potential.

I have often reflected on the butterfly’s lifecycle, which to me represented a true microcosm of life as it should be. As it undergoes the transformation from a clumsy, ugly, helpless caterpillar, through being trapped in a cocoon and finally emerging a beautiful, delicate winged creature capable of changing the world, it exactly models our own cycle of life. We too, must undergo a transformation from the clumsiness and total dependence of childhood through a period of restrictive, controlled adolescence to emerge as a proud confident adult.

I am sure we can all recall times in our lives when we have had to face situations which made us feel as small as a butterfly, convinced that the little we can do will make almost no difference to the lives of those around us. Little do we realize that some times what we do may truly result in significant changes in the lives of people around us, or even to history itself. Such changes would never have happened had we not taken the initiative to step forward in good faith.

Consider the young Albanian woman called Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, who in 1950 travelled to India to help the poor, suffering street people and as Mother Teresa, started a movement that has spread worldwide and continues to administer to millions of the most needy people. And the young Scottish physician, Alexander Fleming, who discovered the healing properties of a lowly fungus and subsequently extracted the antibiotic Penicillin which has and continues to save many millions of lives. These are but two outstanding examples of the success of the Butterfy Effect Theory that is happening around us daily. If you just reflect a moment, I have no doubt that you will readily think of many examples in your own life where your action has resulted in
benefit to others or alternatively, others have done things that have helped you.

If you haven’t done so, maybe you should. So that the next time you see a butterfly happily flying around, you will take time to remember it’s potential impact on the world and
remind yourself that you too can achieve the same.

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We delight in the beauty of the Butterfly;But rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
…..Maya Angelou

Just like the Butterfly, you too will awaken in your own time.
……..Deborah Chaskin

I only ask to be free; The Butterflies are free.
……Charles Dickens

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a Butterfly;or whether I am now a Butterfly dreaming I am a Man.
……..Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi)

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.
……..Rabindranath Tagore

Love is like a butterfly;It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes.
…Author unknown

BROTHERS AND SISTERS

As the youngest boy in a family of seven with only one younger sister, I have always felt that the strongest link in my life is the support of my siblings. Brought up by parents whose commitment to the welfare and success of their children stood above all else, and who passed on a strong sense of family unity and commitment among us all, these feelings have never faltered even after the passage of many decades.

Whenever I reflect on the meaning of my family to me, I invariably recall the unforgettable words of Clara Ortega:

“To the outside world we all grow old, but not to brothers and sisters.
We know each other as we always were, we know each other's hearts.
We share private family jokes.
We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.
We live outside the touch of time”.

Although time and circumstances have a way of moving us forward and away from the secure world of childhood, and changing us into the people we are today, with separate needs, priorities, responsibilities and commitments, the invisible bond remains strong and continuous.

And as our lives become more involved and more complex, we inevitably drift away into our own individual worlds, building our own families and our own separate identity. But throughout, we are but one word, one thought away, ready to drop all to support the one.

When our eldest brother succumbed to cancer we came together to mourn his untimely loss and to support one another. When our eldest sister departed, despite all that had taken place, we came together to share in the loss and to remember.

Even after the passage of time, we each continue to deal with our loss in different ways, some have become stronger, others continue to feel the pain, and yet others continue to carry regrets, but we are all united in acceptance.

Equally, in times of celebrations and good fortune, we look forward to sharing the joy and happiness with all, and remain unhappy and unfulfilled, unless we are able to come together and share our good feelings with one another.

And even as we grow older and travel further along the road of life, our concerns for one another, and each others’ welfare, grow more acute. The news of the illness of one, creates an urgency among the others until resolution occurs. An inevitable consequence of the bond created within us by our parents, and a desire to keep it intact for as long as we can, and to pass it on to all who follow.

For if I have learnt anything from the example of our late parents is that the Family is Paramount and stands above all else.

..........And I intend to pass this lesson on to my own children.

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You don't choose your family.
They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.
……Bishop Desmond Tutu

Other things may change us,
But we start and end with Family.
…….Anthony Brandt

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which
I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.
……..Thomas Jefferson

Families are the compass that guide us.
They are the inspiration to reach great heights,
and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
…….Brad Henry

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.
….Vietnamese Proverb

There's no other love like the love for a brother.
There's no other love like the love from a brother.
…Astrid Alauda

I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see.
I sought my God, but my God eluded me.
I sought my brother and I found all three.
….Author Unknown

MY SPIRITUAL LOVE

Many years ago, while I was still a young man who felt that he could, and will conquer the world, I attended the 60th wedding anniversary of my late uncle. He was a man whom I held, and still do, in the highest possible regard for the depth of wisdom, extent of knowledge, experience and qualities of life he displayed. Indeed, he was my “Guru”, whose advice I sought, whose opinions I cherished, and whose life I admired and still try to emulate. I have always attributed much of the success in my career and my life to his wisdom, his advice and his example. So much so, that I have attempted to pass these principles on to my own children in every way I can.
He began his speech by describing his marriage as:
“A journey which begins with physical attraction,
then crosses several stages of Love and Commitment,
to arrive at the ultimate level of Spiritual Love”.

Over the succeeding years I have often reflected on that statement and wondered what he really meant by “Spiritual Love”. Each time I see a particular TV advertisement depicting an elderly couple walking slowly, hand in hand, along a garden pathway, serenely oblivious to the world around them, totally content with their own life, wanting and needing nothing more, as a young couple briskly passes them and then look back admiringly, I am convinced that that they too, have arrived at that exalted place.

And for me, after more than 40 years of marriage, sharing my life with my wife, being blessed with a family of 4 children and a life overflowing with good memories, I believe I am beginning to truly understand what he meant by “Spiritual Love”;

It is the unspoken word that speaks volumes.
It is the smile, however fleeting, that says ‘thank you”,
And the frown, however brief, that stops you.
It is the feeling of joy and security whenever she appears, however many times she does,
and the momentary regret, when she leaves the room.
It is knowing what she thinks and what she wants, before her saying so, and equally,
Being assured that she will respond to my requests, even before I have requested.
It is the warm feeling that flows over me whenever she is with me,
And, the deep sadness I feel whenever she hurts or she is ill.

Above all, it is my constant desire to thank God, over and over, for this gift of my soul mate, and the profound hope that she will continue to grace my life for many more years.

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Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength;
Loving someone deeply gives you courage.
……… Lao Tzu

Love is the master key that opens the gates of Happiness.
……..Oliver Wendell Holmes

Love would never be a promise of a rose garden,
unless it is showered with light of faith, water of sincerity and air of passion.
……Author Unknown

Love is, above all, the gift of oneself. …….Jean Anouilh

Love is a gift of one's innermost soul to another;
……So both can be whole
…… Tea Rose
Married couples who love each other tell each other a thousand things;
…….Without talking.
…..Chinese Proverb

For True love is inexhaustible;
The more you give, the more you have.
And if you go to draw at the true fountainhead,
the more water you draw, the more abundant is its flow.
…… Antoine de Saint-Exupery

LIFE AFTER DEFEAT

Many years ago, during an interview, a reporter asked the great heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in 1971 after his loss to Sonny Liston, how he felt about defeat, he replied:

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated,
Can reach down to the bottom of his soul
And come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win the match”.

The profound wisdom of this statement has remained with me since then and continues to serve as a powerful reminder each time I undertake a task or give advice to anyone.

The word “Defeat” can be viewed in two ways. In one sense it signifies the disappointment, the
embarrassment and frustration of failing to achieve our goal and as such, set us up for continued failure. On the other hand, it could signify that an attempt has been completed, lessons will be learnt and success is better assured.

Success and Defeat are equally important components in our growth and development.Unless
we suffer the pain of defeat, we cannot know the true joy of success. Hence it is so important that we expose our children to experience the “downs” of defeat as much as we encourage them to seek the “highs” of success. By protecting them from knowing and dealing with failure, we do them the greatest injustice of all.

All of us can no doubt think of instances of people who have come back from embarrassing defeat to resounding success in many aspects of their lives. In my own case, I believe the earliest and most impressive example occurred when I was less than 10 years old. I clearly recall the occasion when a very close friend announced to my father that his business had failed and he was forced to declare bankruptcy at the age of 55. Undaunted, he started a new business and by dint of dedication and hard work grew it into a multi-million dollar success within a few years. I remember asking him the reason for his success, his reply was “I learnt all from losing everything.”

In 1980, as a result of a series events, some predictable, other beyond my control, despite
having attained substantial success both socially and professionally, I made the decision to relocate to the USA. The move, at best, was daunting, the pressure upon my wife and young family was formidable and the uncertainty of the future course was substantial. However, despite several periods of significant doubt, in my mind defeat was never an option, and ultimately success was inevitable. I learnt more about myself during this period than at any other time in my life, being guided by a motto which continues to guide me:

“It does not matter how many times you fall.
What matters is that you get up each time you do.
You will fail only if you do not get up”

Throughout the ages, the history of successful men is invariably based on the many defeats they encountered and the resulting lessons learnt. For after all is said and done, the true measure of a man is not that he has succeeded, but rather that he overcame defeat.

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He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.
……. Napoleon Bonaparte

The taste of defeat has a richness of experience all its own.
……..Bill Bradley

If you learn from defeat, you haven't really lost.
……Zig Ziglar

Victory is sweetest when you have known defeat.
......Malcolm S. Forbes

I learned much more from defeat;
That I ever learnt from victory.
…….Ben Stein

Victory has a thousand fathers,
But Defeat is an orphan.
….John F Kennedy.

CHANGE IS LIFE

Although this may sound paradoxical, change defines life. Life cannot exist without change and in the absence of change there is no life. It is the most constant and most important ingredient of all the components that make up life, and the yardstick by which all life is measured.

We see change occurring in all natural phenomena, beginning at the very moment of inception of life and continuing without interruption to the end. It is the single, most convincing truth that guarantees life into infinity.

In the same manner, change is the most essential element in every aspect of human relationship. As in all life, it keeps relationships going and gives reason for living. In our daily interactions our lives are sustained by the alternating periods of highs and lows we experience, without which it quickly becomes stagnant and withers away.

Change is constantly occurring and its impact on each one of us is determined by the attitude we bring to bear. Many of us are content to passively accept its influence, and like the floating leaf, be carried along life’s journey like so much flotsam. And yet there are others who are intent to impose their own will on their environment and in so doing, modify the changes or impose new ones. That is the true character of a leader.

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If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
…….Author Unknown

There is nothing permanent except Change.
……Heraclitus

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
The courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.
…….Reinhold Niebuhr

You must be the Change you wish to see in the world.
……Mohandas Gandhi

When you Change the way you look at things,
The things you look at, will Change.
……Wayne Dyer

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.
We are the ones we've been waiting for;
We are the Change that we seek.
…… Barack Obama

THE FABRIC OF LIFE

Life to me is a complex fabric made up of all the threads of experience collected during a whole lifetime. You begin life as a plain cloth made up of the many characteristics you inherited from your parents, pure, clean and unadulterated. As you go through life you begin to add threads derived from all the knowledge, experiences, encounters and influences you acquire along the way, resulting in a mosaic of exquisite complexity and specificity.

A cursory look at this mosaic will reveal an apparent accumulation of unrelated threads which appear to have been woven together in a random pattern with no regard to sequence or order. Many people will try to convince you that your life is merely the sum total of all your experiences piled up one on the other, like a layered cake, without any reason or meaning. I do not believe this is correct.

To me every single thread, as it weaves itself into the mosaic, affects and is affected by every other thread it encounters. Over its lifetime this is modified by, and it modifies the appearance and texture of the fabric, changing its color, appearance, feel and outlook, and as it does, so are we affected in our attitude, our expectation, our hopes and our desires. Indeed we become who we are and our behavior is determined by this.

Lea Yekutiel, in her essay wrote the following:

“The fabric of life with all the threads interacting together can be quite positive,

but if one thread negatively vibrates against another thread or is angry because

another thread is “in a better place” or “looks better”, the feelings are passed

through the whole cloth and is absorbed and experienced by all. When I realized

that life is like a fabric, I started wondering. What if the cloth’s role is to absorb

and experience the aspects of each thread? What if each part of it, individually,

has to be experienced in some way by the whole cloth? What aspects are we

sharing with our fellow threads in this cloth of life? Are we adding something

or taking something away? Can we offer each thread care and love and have

it move through the whole fabric, rather than competing or trying to be better

than our fellow threads?”

Jack Mattingly in his discussion of this topic, repeated a poem by Fr. Gregory Norbert, OSB, which eloquently expresses its impact on life:

“I want to say something to all of you who have become part of
the Fabric of My Life,
The color and texture which you have brought into my being,
Have become a song and I want to sing forever.
There is an energy in us which makes things happen,
When the paths of other persons touch ours,
And we have to be there and let it happen.
Our thing, our accomplishment won’t matter a great deal.
But the clarity and care with which we have loved others,
Will speak with vitality, of the great gift of life,
We have been for each other.”

In my own personal life, I have witnessed many instances where a random encounter has led indirectly, to significant life changing events for which I am truly grateful. Very often the effects appeared several years after the initial encounter and in ways that could not have been anticipated or predicted.

As I see it, the Fabric of our life is uniquely our own, to do as we wish. To abuse it without respect or regard and then suffer the consequences of pain, regret and eternal damnation. Or to nuture and support it, respect it and expand it and as a result enjoy the rewards that will inevitably come as you journey along on the road of life.

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Life is a network of invisible threads.
…..George Eliot

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments,

but what is woven into the Lives of others.
……..Pericles

Life is not advancement, it is Growth.It does not move upwards,

but expands in all directions.
……..Russell G. Alexander

The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.
…. Okakura Kakuzo

The art of living lies not in eliminating but in growing with troubles.
…..Bernard M. Baruch

The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.
….Corrie Ten Boom

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when.
You can decide how you're going to live now.
……Joan Baez

What is important in life is life, and not the result of life

.…..Wolfgang Von Goethe