Character of a Happy Life

Character of a Happy Life

by Sir Henry Wotton

How happy is he born and taught,

That serve not other's will;

Whose armor is his honest thoughts,

And simple truth his utmost skill!

Whose passions not his masters are,

Whose soul is still prepared for death;

Untied unto the world by care,

Of public fame, or private breath.

Who hath his life from rumors freed,

Whose conscience is his strong retreat;

Whose state can neither flatters feed,

Nor ruin make oppressors great.

Who God doth late and early pray,

More of His grace than gifts to lend;

And entertains the harmless day,

With a religious book or friend.

This man is freed from servile bands,

Of hope to rise, or fear to fall;

Lord of himself, though not of lands,

And having nothing, yet hath all.

This is a very wonderful poem that I wish to share with you. I had been busy sorting out my old things. I came across this poem in one of my old diary. This poem was written by Sir Henry Wotton describing the characteristics of a happy life.

Having a simple life with nothing to compare with. Enjoying each day of what you have. Being contented for what you are, what you and what you can do. Just simple living without any competition from anything. Life is good so live it to the fullest as it comes every day for we never the same path as of today. Be honest and don't be afriad to fight for the truth. Live life in transparency. Do not copy or act like others. Be you not any body. Smile more. Never lose hope, fear and always trust God to be happy every day!

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Thinking Of You

I'd been thinking of you the whole day

Wondering what you're doing

Wondering who's with you

Wondering who are you taking with

Are you happy, sad, busy or ...

You feel lazy today?

I tried to avoid thinking of you

But whenever I do this, its you

That I think of most

I know you won't be thinking of me.

I know you are laughing and

Enjoying the day with a special person

Though it ain't me, I'm happy you're happy.

I dreamt of teaching your heart to love me

I dreamt to be near you all the time,

To talk with, to laugh and to hug you.

Hmmmm ....

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Jige Carrying Experience

A Jige is a device for carrying things on the back. It is one of the greatest tools invented by the Korean people. It is usually made of pines.

• You need two natural wooden logs, from which a limb branches off a short length from the upper part of each log.


• Stand the two wooden logs upright, with both inclined at top toward each other.


• Stick 3~4 struts in between the two logs, and tighten them securely.


• Tie shoulder straps to the top and the bottom.


• On the part where the carrier's back is in contact, attach a thick straw--wooden pad.


• When it rests on the ground, support at the strut with a wooden stick, with a split end like a pair of scissors.

I got the chance to experience carrying a Jige in Seoul Korea. My friends and I visited the Seoul Namsam Traditional Theater or Namsan Village early February of this year. Above are some photos of carrying Jige.

&(^._.^)& Lea

Laugh, Laugh, Laugh

God grant that I may see the joke of things,

The little things that bother now and then.

God grant my sense of humor may be strong

To weep a bit -- and yet, to smile again.

God grant there be a chuckle in each tear,

To every trial God grant a funny half.

And when I'm to be judged, perhaps He'll say:

"Are you the soul who always tried to laugh?"

And when I nod and answer, "Yes, I am.

I tried to kill my trouble with a grin."

Perhaps He'll smile and say, "That was a task.

But here's the Gate of Heaven,

Enter in.

"You are only young once but you live with mistakes forever" -- anonymous.

Falling In Love

"Tough love means desiring to nurture another person towards spiritual growth. It requires nothing less than honesty, discipline and commitment."

It is a mystery why we fall in love.
It is a mystery why it happens. It is a mystery when it comes. It is a mystery why some love grows and it is a mystery why some love fails. You can analyze this mystery and look for reasons and causes, but you will never do anymore than than take the life out of the experience. Just as life itself is more than the sum of the bones and muscles and electrical impulses in the body, love is more than the sum of the interests and attractions and commonalities that two people share.

And just as life itself is a gift that comes and goes in its own time, so too, the coming of love must be taken as an unfathomable gift that cannot be questioned in its ways.

Sometimes, hopefully at least once in your life --- the gift of love will come to you in full flower, and you will take hold of it and celebrate it in all inexpressible beauty. This is the dream we all share. More often, it will come and take hold of you, celebrate you for a brief moment, then move on.

When this happens to young people, they too often try to grasp the love and hold it to them, refusing to see that it is a gift that is freely given and a gift that just as freely, moves away. When they fall out of love leaving, they try desperately to reclaim the love that is lost rather than accepting the gift for what it was, then moving on.

They want answers where there are no answers. They want to know what is wrong in them that makes the other person no longer love them, or they try to get their lover to change, thinking that if some small things were different, love would bloom again. They blame their circumstances and say that if they go far away and start a new life together, their love will grow.

They try anything to give meaning to what has happened. But there is no meaning beyond the love itself, and until they accept its own mysterious ways; they live in a sea of misery.

You need to know this about love, and to accept it. You need to treat what it brings you with kindness. If you find yourself in love with someone who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just didn't choose to rest in the other person's heart.

If you find someone else in love with you and you don't love him, feel honored that love came and called at your door, but gently refuse the gift you cannot return. Do not take advantage; do not cause pain. How you deal with love is how you deal with you, and all your hearts feel the same pains and joys, even if our lives and ways are different.

If you fall in love with another, and he falls in love with you, and then love chooses to leave, do not try to reclaim it or to assess blame. Let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning. You will know it in time.

Remember that you don't choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes in your life. Fell the way it fills you to the person who brought it alive in you. Give it to others who deem it poor in spirit. Give it to the world around you in anyway you can.

There is where many lovers go wrong. Having been so long without love, they understand love only as a need. They see their hearts as empty places that flows to them rather than from them.

The first blush of new love is filled to overflowing, nut as their love cools, they revert to seeing their love as a need. They cease to be someone who generates love and instead become someone who seeks love. They forget that the secret of love is that it is a gift, and that it can be made to grow only by giving it away.

Remember this and keep it to your heart. Love has its own time, its own strength, its own reason for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it, or reason it into staying. You can only embrace it when it arrives and give it away when it comes to you. But if it chooses to leave from your heart, and from the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and there is nothing you should do. Love has always been and always will be a mystery. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life.

IF YOU KEEP YOUR HEART OPEN IT WILL COME AGAIN.

"It is only with the heart that one can see clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eyes."

This is an article from the book "Letters to my Son" by Kent Newburn. When I was in my primary years, I borrowed this book from our school library and got inspired by this article. I never worried about how love will come to me. If its there I enjoy its presence, if its not around, I try love other things and make it open for other possibilities along the way. May 24, 1998.

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Laziness

Laziness

Time is gold,

Time flies.

What have you been doing?

Is it important?

If not leave it.

Move on.

If you'll not do it today,

Who will?

When will?

When you've regreted

that you could have done

it today or earlier.

There is always tomorrow,

but today is what matters,

tomorrow depends on today.

If you fall today, you'll cry

but tomorrow, you'll cry more.

It is not too late.

You can start NOW.

Laziness makes you work twice.

written by ltg 073198

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It's Me!

It's Me!

Behind my smile

My eyes are heavy

I've longed for you

To comfort me.

Where have you been?

It's quiet a while,

I missed you,

Did you miss me?

Maybe you didn't mind

That's why you ignore me much

I'm in front of you

But you couldn't see me.

Open your heart

Not your mind,

Open your eyes

Not your mouth.

Now, can you see me?

If still not,

I'll step aside

Maybe we're not meant to be.

I really love you as if you didn't know.

I wrote this poem for a man I loved. It was written on May 19, 1998. I don't know where he is now.

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It's Not Too Late!

What you're about to read was a personal resolution which I always read on New Years day and on Holy Week. Why including holy week? Well, during this kind of holiday I have another chance to think again of the task I have to do and/or to recall the kind of person I should be for people to remember me.

Let this year be better than all the others -- was its original title.

It's another year to prepare for my future. Every year is a different year for every individual. Let this year be better than all the others. It is not too late to check myself from my mistakes, promise to do some things I've always wanted to do and remind myself of little important attitudes towards living (hmmm ... what are those?)

I have to confess I am a perfectionist, but no man is perfect. (I'll have to engrave that to my brain). To be perfect is to balance the thoughts and actions which will harmonize in truth. Yet many people try to balance everything. (hmm ... ) All the accuracy and precision I do must be geared towards a specific purpose --- that is total positive self-realization. I must start calling a friend I haven't heard for quiet some time. I hope my simple "hello" can uplift a spirit.

It is important to know myself, even though I know that will make me unhappy --- truth hurts. I must be aware and understand that peace and happiness lies within me. To be careful in choosing the person I would trust. I shouldn't be gullible. The one who makes me laugh today might be the one who will cause tears tomorrow. To try not to make a promise I think I can't keep. Free myself of envy and malice. Try to be a role model to young people and be supportive. I need a role model too, but I know I can be a role model to younger ones especially in this fast and progressive generation.

There is a saying that goes " to take a job problem home or a home problem to work is like walking on a new carpet with muddy shoes". I'll keep my problems where they belong. I'll stop magnifying small problems. Words I cannot eat are hard to digest so I'll refrain from speaking harsh words so I won't get it too. I'll find more time to relax myself and play more games ( I like this ... fun, fun, fun ) But there is a game that I would try to stop ... guessing game ( the adult guessing game --- I found out, we have one ) Almost every day, I guess at what others are thinking and doing. So instead of assuming and guessing what people are doing ... I'll just ask directly. Guessing often brings negative thoughts and attitudes such as doubt, jealousy and suspicion which in return bring sorrow to oneself and others. I'll be more open-minded. Try to understand a point of view that is different from your own. Few things are 100 percent more one way or the other.

Sometimes thoughts and feelings are expressed in laughter, but it can have a positive or negative influences and effects. One thing that is not good is to laugh at the misfortune of others. Doing this is quiet cruel, so I'll do my best not to laugh at others in their weakest times. The one affected is the closest to the laughter, that is, the one who is laughing. I'll apologize when I realize that I'm wrong. An apology never deminishes a person. It elevates him. I won't blow my own horn or carry my own chair. I'll wait for others to give compliments on my accomplishments ... if it didn't happen, oh well I always have my right hand to tap my left shoulder "you did very well". ( I like this. ) I'll always give compliments. It might give someone a badly needed lift.

There is no time like the present. It provides opportunities for improvement because whatever step I make will either take me up or down, backward or forward. The past cannot be changed but the present bring with it time to change, to build, to improve. I would find time to be kind and thoughtful. We are all given a time allotment: 24 houes a day. I would be more optimistic. Mistakes are lessons to learn from, not for crying over. I have a tomorrow habit --- including most of the people I know. I've noticed that we have slogans that encourages us to "act now!" But its still difficult for me to appreciate the value of time. I must continue in learning how to manage time wisely. I should stop "I'll do it tomorrow" habit. If I can do it now, do it. If it doesn't happen it leads to laziness, carelessness and misuse of time.

Every now and then during the day, I'll try to stop for a moment and take a look at the blessings I have got, regardless of how big or small it is. ( I've had several blessings that I valued when they were gone ... don't wait for this to happen. ) I would find time to check on my friends, relatives not just my clothes, accessories and gadgets. I would also find time for myself to improve intellectually, spiritual and have a healthy living. Well, I'm only one I've got. I'll be myself more. Phoniness is transparent, and it is tiresome. Try to avoid malcontents and being pessimists. I'll think things through carefully.

I won't say "sorry" when I don't mean it at all. It is easy to say. Talk is cheap, they say. These are words spoken without meaning, without truth, then words are wasted. To say sorry is very easy but do I really mean it? Perhaps I shouldn't make the mistakes I've done. I'll take time to think before I speak again so that I won't regret later.

Well, these challenges are going to be tough and living on earth is a survival of the fittest. I believe that I have all the materials I need to believe --- but I'm wrong. I need people like my relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors and the community. I want to have them with me, so to be a part of a community, I must be one. For a start --- SMILE. It won't hurt me to stretch my lips a little upward. Walk tall and smile more. Through smile, I'll have more friends. Through smile I'll look prettier. And I won't be afraid to say "I love you." ( Well, you say too. Say it one more time. ) They are the sweetest words in the world. Before the year ends, I'll do something that I will proud of. So when I welcome the coming year, I'll stand tall and smile the biggest I can.

When I wrote this five years ago, it wasn't as long as this one. It is more on like a wish list. But as I read and re-read it every year, it becomes longer and added few intellectual comments. I hope you learn something from it. And I hope I'll be able to accomplish most of what I've written.

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Make It Happen

Make It Happen

by Ralph Marston

Nothing gets done by accident. Great achievements do not fall out of the the sky and land in one's backyard. They take time, focus and commitment. You must know where you're going and precisely what you want to do. And then you must do it with persistence and commitment.

If its going to happen for you, you must make it happen. Opportunity is everywhere, yet it is not something for which you sit and stand. Opportunity benefits those who act on it ... it is useless to those who wait for it.

Look around you, all the successful businesses, all the loving relationships, all the scientific breakthoughs, all the beautiful works of art, engineering feats and other accomplishments you see, are the results of commitment. Someone made them happen through focused, disciplined action.

You can have everything if you'll use your time and your commitment to make it happen.

I love reading this short article. I found it written in my old notebook which I used as collection of my inspirational notes to make it through the hard days. Well, amazingly these kinds of notes did help. If our life line ... people whom who could encourage us, lift our spirits, have shoulders to cry on, and have free hands to hold us ... are all busy, we can still have help ... from writers like this one who are so good in motivating. Wherever you are Mr Ralph Marston, thank you!

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