FOR CLOSENESS: T-R-A-V-E-L FOR LIFE

Fried rice vermicelli with prawns - “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

For closeness: travel. No, I don't mean to go to take a road trip or
to fly away to some exotic place. But there are ways to go deeper into a relationship -- like traveling. And there are things we can do to help a relationship really go somewhere. Let me explain.

Inmate Mitchell King had a visitor -- his wife. King was serving a
six-year jail term in Auckland, New Zealand for armed robbery. But his wife didn't want to be away from him for that long. So they held
hands. She wanted them to always stick together - through it all. Hand in hand, forever joined. And they did stick together. She had rubbed her palms with Super Glue.

Their new-found closeness was short-lived. And their separation
painful. (I suggest we put the Super Glue idea on a short list of
"THINGS NOT TO DO" when we want to grow closer.)

But if you want a deeper connection with someone your care about, if
you want relationships that are more intimate, more meaningful and
longer-lasting, then try this simple technique. Just remember the word "TRAVEL."

T is for TRUST. If we're seeking a glue to cement us to another, then
trust is that bond. A relationship will go nowhere without it.

R is for RESPECT. Some people talk about how much they have always
respected their cherished friends and family at a funeral. But why
wait? People want to know that we hold them in high regard. It's about valuing others and letting them know you respect them.

A is for AFFECTION. Sometimes affection means love. Sometimes it means a touch. Or a hug. Always it means kindness.

V is for VULNERABILITY. Though we may feel afraid to let another too
close, no relationship will go anywhere without taking a risk. Like
entrepreneur Jim Rohn says, "The walls we build around us to keep out
the sadness also keep out the joy." And the love.

E is for EMOTIONAL INTIMACY. It about learning to be open. Learning to communicate freely. The quality of relationships we make are largely determined by how openly we communicate.

L is for LAUGHTER. Victor Borge got it right when he said, "Laughter
is the shortest distance between two people." It's also the most
enjoyable.

So for a relationship that can really go somewhere, just remember the
word "TRAVEL." Then enjoy the trip.

From Lifesupport

Lifesigns Life Quotes

EIGHT GIFTS THAT DON'T COST A CENT IN LIFE

Groceries shopping at the frozen food section - “In a sense, words are encyclopedias of ignorance because they freeze perceptions at one moment in history and then insist we continue to use these frozen perceptions when we should be doing better.”

This simple checklist can help measure how you are nurturing your
relationships. The author of these thoughts is unknown, but deeply
appreciated.

The Gift of Listening
But you must really listen. Don't interrupt, don't daydream, don't
plan your response. Just listen.

The Gift of Affection
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and
handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for
family and friends.

The Gift of Laughter
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say,
"I love to laugh with you."

The Gift of Solitude
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone.
Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

The Gift of a Favor
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

The Gift of a Written Note
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A
brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime.

The Gift of a Compliment
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super
job," or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

The Gift of a Cheerful Disposition
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone.

These are eight important ways we can contribute toward whole and
healthy relationships. They cost nothing, yet they may well be the
most valuable gifts we can ever offer another.

From Lifesupport

Lifesigns Life Quotes

ENJOYING WHAT YOU DO IN LIFE

Crispy butter chicken rice - “The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”

Plato said that work should be play. Some airline employees are
taking him seriously. After landing, one flight attendant announced,
"Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed
giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
(I like the honest approach.)

As a plane touched down and was slowing to a stop in Washington, a
lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!" (Who
says you can't have fun with your job?)

One pilot made this weather announcement: "Weather at our
destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try
to have them fixed before we arrive."

"As you exit the plane," a flight attendant said, "please make sure
to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be
distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave
children or spouses."

And passengers reported that they heard this from the crew just as
they began to exit: "Last one off the plane must clean it."

To enjoy your work more, I think it helps to put some play in what
you do. And if you don't like your work, can you find something to
do you enjoy more?

Authors Doug Hall and David Wecker tell the story of Ken Davis, a
man who found a simple way to enjoy his work (MAKING THE COURAGE
CONNECTION; Fireside Books, 1997). Ken just couldn't find his
occupational niche. He worked at a variety of jobs and disliked them
all. While Ken was working as a door salesman, he noticed that at
least half of his customers had malfunctioning doorbells. And
suddenly, Ken's life career became clear. He opened his own doorbell
repair service.

Ken's wife laughed when she first heard his idea. When she realized
he was serious, she cried. Whoever heard of making a living
repairing doorbells? But Ken is making a comfortable living at his
unique job, and he's happier than he's ever been. Ken didn't enjoy
what he was doing, so he is now doing what he enjoys.

"The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are
working for somebody else," Earl Nightingale asserts. "Job security
is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the
individual. Remember, jobs are owned by the company; you own your
career!"

It's true that, no matter where you work, you actually work for
yourself. After all, it's your life. And with a little creativity
and imagination, maybe your work can seem less like drudgery and
more like play. Wouldn't you really rather have it that way?

From Lifesupport

Lifesigns Life Quotes

DOING SOMETHING GREAT IN LIFE

Toy train decoration - “Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”

When was the last time you were challenged to do something really...
well... great?

President Abraham Lincoln helped me to understand that there is a
bit of greatness within all of us. It is said that he often slipped
out of the White House on Wednesday evenings to listen to the
sermons of Dr. Phineas Gurley at New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church.

He generally pre­ferred to come and go unnoticed, so when Dr.
Gur­ley knew the president was coming, he left his study door open.
On one of those occasions, the president quietly entered through a
side door of the church, took his seat in the minister's study,
located just off the sanctuary, and propped the door open just wide
enough to hear the preacher.

During the walk home one Wednesday even­ing, an aide asked Mr.
Lincoln his appraisal of the sermon. The president thoughtfully
replied, "The content was excellent... he delivered with
elo­quence... he had put work into the message.."

"Then you thought it was an excellent ser­mon?" questioned the aide.

"No," Lincoln answered.

"But you said that the content was excel­lent, it was delivered with
eloquence and it showed much work," the aide pressed.

"That's true," Lincoln said. "But Dr. Gur­ley forgot the most
important ingredient. He forgot to ask us to do something great."

There is nothing wrong with average lives and average
accomplishments. Most of the good of the world is built on the
accumulated efforts of everyday people. But, as Lincoln seemed to
know, a life should strive for some greatness.

Are you part of a relationship that, if given more effort, could be
outstanding? Or do you volun­teer for an organization which is truly
doing something excellent? Have you joined a cause that is
attempting something great? Or have you ever said to yourself
concerning a beautiful dream, "I could never do that," while knowing
that if you were to attempt it and succeed, you just might
ac­com­plish something significant?

If Abraham Lincoln is right, then every life should strive to reach
a little further today than it did yesterday, for there is some
greatness in each of us.

From Lifesupport

Lifesigns Life Quotes

RACKING SPICES IN LIFE

Last week I went to visit my cousin as he has just moved in to his new house. To be honest, I thought long and hard about the ideal house warming gift for the occasion but came out blank. So I went to visit him empty handed. As he was showing me around the new house, something caught my eye in the kitchen. My cousin likes to cook during his free time and he stocks quite a bit of spices in his kitchen. The thing that caught my eye was the wooden old rickety spice rack he was using to store his spices. Then it dawned on me that I should get him a few spice racks for his kitchen.

When I reached home, the first thing that I did was to search online for suitable kitchen spice racks as my cousin's house warming gifts. I was slightly astounded by the various shapes and sizes that modern spice racks come in. Well after much consideration, I have decided upon an elegant yet functional wall spice rack. That way, my cousin can have more table top space available during his cooking process.