Point to Ponder: The relationships with companies are purely business and temporary; but the value you deliver, the relationships with people and learning experiences are lifelong. - Pravin R Shah
Storyline: This week I came across two interesting stories: One young man got laid off from a large corporation. In his note he talked about positive memories of the year with the company. Many notes from friends and colleagues recounted fond memories with him. Next day a former colleague sent him a photo of a nice motivational note he had written a month ago on one conference-room board. It was still there.
The other story I heard was about the person who retired after 39 years with an organization. The person left all items (SWAG: Plaques, Mugs, Clothing..) that were given to her in various company recognitions and celebrations. The person left without saying goodbye to many longtime colleagues displaying an attitude “I have nothing to do with this organization.”
This brought back memories of my days in the corporate world, and hence this reflection…
Reflection: Very early in my career I had come to the conclusion that the relationships with your company/your employer are purely business and nothing personal. No matter what claims are being made about lifetime benefits, good corporate citizenship, the best place to work on the planet Earth etc; The bottom line is- its business, and all seemingly attractive, tempting things are only in the context of what serves the business interest. (Another story for some another reflection)
Since then I’ve considered every relationship with my employer/ company as a business. With the mindset that someone is entrusting me and paying me to deliver certain results in terms of products or services, my duty is to deliver best possible solutions. This mentality served me very well in entire 40 years career.(1975-2015)
But the valuable benefits of those business dealings were a lot more than just business results or what I got paid for it.
Many talented, wonderful people around the world became lifelong friends. Dealing with so many different industries, companies and countries resulted in many learning experiences that enhanced the understanding of different technologies, cultures and history. And the significant positive impact of our work was acknowledged and appreciated in many ways by the organizations and people we served at that time and even now (many years later).
(Shhhhh…And I have treasured every memory; notes from people, coffee mugs, pictures, paper weights, jackets, recognitions for delivering outstanding results.)
Point to Ponder: “You’ve got to dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening and live like it’s heaven on earth.” William Purkey
Story Line: Certain events, people and images we encounter stay with us for a lifetime. I would like to share this unforgettable scene during a visit to Cambodia in 2016.
My wife and I were visiting ancient temple in the outskirts of Siem Reap. We noticed this little kid fully engrossed in dancing in tune with what seemed to be one of Michael Jackson’s songs.
Only after a few minutes of enjoying his dance, my wife pointed out that he didn’t have any music playing device. He had an ear plug with long wire not connected.
Reflection: That little kid was living up to the real message in point to ponder: Be in the present, love what you do and be free of anyone’s expectations or judgements.
Wish You the Year full of Dancing, Singing, loving and Working on things you enjoy and creating your own beautiful story.
Points to Ponder: I feel like my whole life was training ground for today and I am figuring out that in the fourth quarter of my life I want to finish strong. I really want to finish strong and this is what I want to do--John Helin
Credits for the video: John Helin, Kingston Media, ourmissionourveterans.org
Story Line: 2022 was a year of major changes in our lives. During this year of transition, I met many fine individuals. Through these interactions with people in various professions, cultures and countries- I heard some remarkable life stories. This end of the year reflection is dedicated to a remarkable person, John Helin. His life story is an inspiring one of transformation and selfless service. John dedicates his personal time and business resources to aid homeless veterans in locating and moving donated furniture into their new homes. I was fortunate to see first hand the effect John's work has on the homeless veterans he serves- from veterans recovering from drug addiction to a little five year old girl squealing with delight when seeing her new home for the first time and exclaiming in awe, "I love this house," John's selfless work has positively impaced hundreds of lives.
I can personally attest that John has made a big impact on our lives as well. I felt compelled to share coveage of his story from CNBC about John Helin
The following description about John is from the original central peninsula video.
"The 4th Quarter of Life is an amazing story of transformation. At the age of 12, John Helin became addicted to drugs and alcohol. For 25 years John continued to fight these demons until one day he attended a service at Central Peninsula Church and made a commitment to straighten his life out. During this journey, John connected with their veterans ministry which helps homeless veterans throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. As an owner and operator of a moving company, John came up with a perfect solution to how he could make a huge difference in the lives of veterans.
Many of John's clients had high end furniture that they no longer needed and they would give the furniture to him which included complete bedroom, living room, and dining room sets. John in turn would deliver and setup the furniture for previously homeless veterans when they were able access stable housing through community based organizations.
When John gets a call that a veteran has accessed housing, he immediately puts a plan in place to fully furnish the apartment. Today, John has provided beautiful furniture and an amazing gift to hundreds of veterans. John says, "I'm in the 4th quarter of life and I want to finish strong."
Reflection: What has impressed me more about John is that he not only spends his resources to pick up and deliver furniture for previously homeless veterans but he also spends time listening to their stories. He takes time to share his own story of struggle and transformation which have made a significant impact on the lives of many people. While he is determined to finish strong in the fourth quarter of his life, he is helping others- many of them young veterans- to improve the early quarter of their lives. We feel incredibly fortunate to have met John and to be able to share his work and story with you. What I've learned from John is that no matter what may have occured in the past, you have the power right now to make a positive change for the future.
If you like to help here is more information https://ourmissionourveterans.org/
Point to Ponder: “Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”
Story Line: For this wonderful week of holidays and festivals, I like to share some memorable experiences during our travel to Costa Rica, Canadá, Peru and Ecuador this year. Some were nostalgic, some unique and from each one offered new learnings.
Human Feelings Are Universal. Upper Left: Daughter trying to convince Father to stop protesting against the President in the town center Lima, with armed guards only a few feet away. ( update: three months later thatPresident was removed by Peru’s senate for corruption)Lower Left: Cooking healthyvegetarian meal in Costa Rica.Center: A five years old negotiating with fruit vendors to get more fruits for his family. The lady was very kind and gave him more for his money. Right: Grandma taking care of granddaughter ( piggyback) while weaving beautiful clothes. Alittle later her daughter arrives to pick up the little one.( Reminded me of our mother in law taking care of our daughter whenever we went out)
Learning from Nature
UL: Rare Golden Howler Monkey in Costa Rica. Sad to learn that New research suggests that it may be due to pesticide use. LL: Hawkish Manners: A Hawk waiting for the other to finish meal before taking his/her turn.Center: ET Already Home. Where do you think the idea of ET character originated? Galápagos, Ecuador. Right Column: Amazing experience of watching Scarlet Macaws waiting for Blue Green Parakeets to go for mineral rich meal first. They want to ensure there are no predators there. ( like in wartimes, sending Monkeys to blow up grenades before army marches in) Only after they are sure it’s safe, they came down and drive away Parakeets to enjoy the rest of the meal.
Goose Bumps Moments
UL Pointing at the spot in left field: Memories of World Series Game 6, Toronto Blue Jays vs Philadelphia Eagles. Bottom of ninth Phillies leading 6-5 and Joe Carter of Blue Jay comes to bat against Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams ( Wild Thing). on a two strike pitch, Joe Carter hit an inside pitch just over the left field fence for athree-run walk-off home run, giving the Blue Jays a come-from-behind 8–6 victory, and the World Series crown. Watching that spot gave me goose bumps as I still remember exact spot in the parking lot I was listening to the game in Palo Alto, California.
UR: on each side of equator line in different hemispheres (North and South). Ecuador
LL: Human Created Wonder: Nazca Lines, Peru. Numerous geoglyphs ranging from 400 meters to 1100 meters long created 2000 years ago. Can see the entire figures only from the planes. ( Must Visit). 16023 height on the way to ColcaCanyon, Peru. Prepare well before venturing into high altitude adventures.LR: Chinese were there 100 plus years ago: No matter where we went, small town, big town; Costa Rica, Canadá, Peru and Ecuador, Chinese immigrants significant contributions were visible. This photo is from Quensel, a small town in British Columbia, Canada.
Reflection: A long time ago, I was asked a question: “How will you measure your life?”
My simplistic answer was “By sum total of experiences”.
People have their own views about this journey called Life and there will be many different answers.
For me: In this journey called Life, every day we are faced with different situations and each one results in some learning experience. Sometimes we have done good and other times not so good ( as measured by our standards). In some situations we made positive contributions and in some not so.
But in the end, in each experience there is some learning and an opportunity for growing to be better than what we were yesterday.
Clock Wise 1. Sunset in Mal Pais, Costa Rica. 2. A Rare Double Rings Rainbow around Sun over the Lake Titicaca (13000 feet) Peru. 3. Spirit Island, Jasper, Canada. 4. San Cristobal, Galápagos, Ecuador 5. Baños, Andes Mountains, Ecuador. 6. Monterey, California, USA
Points to Ponder: “It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn.” – Anthony Bourdain
Story Line: Many readers are happy to see that Friday Reflections have resumed after a few months of sabbatical. They have asked to share new experiences from our travels in future reflections.
So here we begin with the answer to the question that has been often asked, “What is the greatest learning from our travels?”
Every place we visited had beautiful places, uniqueness of it’s culture and curious people wanting to know about us as much as we wanted to learn about them. Their surroundings (Nature, Monuments, Techniques, Tools) and customs have evolved over time. Each has historical, environmental, scientific and social context. And curiosity about the details of evolution made us realize how much little we knew about the world. Many times we felt “Can there be a more beautiful place than this?”, only to reach the next destination and find another marvel.
Going forward most Friday Reflections will be focused on people, places and experiences from our now Nomadic life. Occasionally there will be other subjects.
Reflection: Many times, for motivational or nationalistic reasons, we believe or made to believe that our country, our ways of doing things, our surroundings are the best in the world.
“There has never been a Nation (Civilization) like us and there shall never be.” But while visiting other countries, experiencing other cultures with open eyes and minds, we are humbled and enriched at the same time. Every place and culture has its own uniqueness and greatness.
There is so much that world has to share that it’s time we are aware, it’s a wonderful world of opportunities after all.
Happy Thanksgiving Holidays to All whose encouragement, support and help have made our life so fulfilling. Thank You for your kindness, care and love through the years.
In light of the current world enviornment and state of our country (and ongoing World Cup Soccer), we decided to revisit an old thanksgiving reflection from the year 2007.
Point to Ponder: "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision, the ability to direct individual accomplishments towards organizational (Team,Family, Nation) objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon things."- Andrew Carnegie
Story Line: But if you sometimes have trouble having compassion for the people you work with, consider the story of the good man who died and, because he had done a few things wrong, was required to spend a short time in hell.
While he was there, he found that one main torture was that everyone was forced to try to eat with spoons that were longer than their arms. The food kept dropping over their shoulders. The condemned were in constant torment for hunger in the midst of good food they couldn’t eat. Then the man was transferred to heaven.
To his surprise, he found that they had the same spoons there but they never went hungry because they fed each other.
Reflection: What kind of world do we want going forward? What changes do we need to make? Please spend sometime to ponder and initiate actions.
Note: After 17 years, Friday Reflections took a pause because of major changes in our lifestyle. They are resuming now and only time they will not publish is when we don't have access to Networks. Thanks to so many readers who sent us note saying how much they missed them.
From Left to Right: Row 1: Photos of City Ong (aka CT) and Adventures of Gautam. Row 2: Art of Shubhada and Signature Smile of Xiomara
By Phoebe Pineda
Point to Ponder: Success leaves clues. Go figure out what someone who was successful did, and model it. Improve it, but learn their steps. They have knowledge – Tony Robbins
Storyline: Recently, we’ve spotlighted some people who exhibit extraordinary passion, creativity, and kindness despite maintaining busy work lives. Looking at these remarkable stories, we’ve identified a few commonalities:
Childhood experiences: How people grow up is important in building the foundation for who they become as adults. Shubhada grew up immersed in art and science; Xiomara lived in a social neighborhood where everyone knew each other; and Gautam spent his youth watching sunsets and exploring forests in the remote outskirts of Mysore, India. For CT, the youngest child with the big age gap with siblings, he exercised his imagination while playing alone.
Support and encouragement: Having a supportive environment and people who are invested in your well-being is key. In addition to having parents who made sure he didn’t overwork himself, Gautam had a friend in high school who took him under her wing and helped him navigate the tumult of adolescence. Shubhada had very supportive parents. CT and Xiomara were deeply influenced by their mothers.
A turning point: Several of our subjects can pinpoint the moment they discovered their passion, whether by volunteering to take photos at a conference (CT) or borrowing money from their best friend to buy a train ticket to Nepal (Gautam).
Curiosity/risk-taking: Our subjects like to venture beyond the beaten path, driven by a desire to see the world in new and exciting ways. Shubhada utilizes out-of-the-box thinking (OBT) in both her engineering career and her artwork; Gautam seeks out the roads less traveled as he explores new countries; and CT finds his camera lens drawn to everything from sunsets to animals to a drop of dew on a leaf.
Building a relationship between passion and profession: Just because your interests are diverse doesn’t mean lessons from one can’t be applied to the other. Shubhada approaches both engineering and art with creativity and a methodical focus, and CT finds he’s at his most focused and ready to work after he’s spent some time taking photographs.
COVID as an opportunity: With the pandemic slowing life down, our subjects have embraced their passions. CT documented life in his Malaysian neighborhood, Gautam and his family hit the road to Florida and Yosemite, Shubhada drew daily charcoal portraits of inspiring people, and Xiomara encouraged those around her to remain positive despite the circumstances.
Love first: Though some make money from their passion, they do it primarily because they love it, and because they want to share the joy it brings them with the world.
Reflection: In Developing Talent in Young People, psychologist Benjamin Bloom identifies three key elements that are crucial to helping children discover and foster lifelong passions: exposure, support, and coaching.
My younger brother and I have been lucky enough to have parents willing to allow us to experience and experiment with different interests rather than limiting us to a rigid set of expectations. As a family, we love to travel–and to eat–and over the years my brother and I have been exposed to all sorts of different places (and different types of food). For my brother, a weekend is not complete if we haven’t hit the road–whether it’s a drive along the coast, a trip out to the new mochi donut shop, or even running errands at Costco.
Our parents have supported us in all our ventures as we tried new things: while neither of us took a liking to soccer, I enjoyed my ballet classes at the local rec center, and my brother is an avid runner. Their support, both emotionally and financially, has enabled us to receive proper coaching in order to hone our skills, from my brother’s weekly cross-country practices to my continuing education in writing and literature at a university whose faculty are committed to helping their students develop their craft and grow as artists.
But you don’t have to be a young person to find your passion, to discover what excites you. Expose yourself to new things, open yourself to new experiences. Find a friend (or two–maybe more) to support and encourage you–and don’t be afraid to seek out a mentor! You’re never too old–or too young–to find what you love.
Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies. In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.
Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.
"Where there is love there is life." –Mahatma Gandhi
Point to Ponder:“It’s your unlimited power to care and to love that can make the biggest difference in the quality of your life.”- Tony Robbins
Sanskrit has 96 words for love; ancient Persian has 80, Greek 5, Arabic 14 and English only one.
Story Line: The role Love plays in various relationships and The Universal Themes: With Coworkers, Friends and Family, in Business deals, with Schoolmates and being in Love with that special person. (the guiding principles for good Quality of Life)
“Love” is a not word you often hear uttered in office hallways or conference rooms. And yet, it has a strong influence on workplace outcomes. The more love co-workers feel at work, the more engaged they are. (Note: Here we’re talking about “companionate love” which is far less intense than romantic love. Companionate love is based on warmth, affection, and connection rather than passion). It may not be surprising that those who perceive greater affection and caring from their colleagues perform better, but few managers focus on building an emotional culture. That’s a mistake. -- Employees Who Feel Love Perform Better by Sigal Barsade and Olivia A. O’Neill
Relationships are not about extracting happiness but about giving joy to the other. Short journeys can be made alone, long journeys need reliable and resilient Relationships. Sadhguru
"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get–only with what you are expecting to give–which is everything."–Katharine Hepbur
“The only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.” The moment you start measurement in relationship it is transactional not love. –Tony Robbins
“Do what you did in the beginning of a relationship and there won’t be an end.” Tony Robbins
If you judge people you have no time to love them.- Mother Teresa
If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.-Mother Teresa
Reflection: Love in it's broader meaning is so powerful that it can change the world for the better. In different cultures and their languages there are many words for love, depending on the type of relationship and situations. Below is one excellent example
The Hindi language is rich in words. Its words are usually object-specific, and one can easily identify the nature of an object within a single word used. For instance, it has several different words for love, differing according to the object in mind.
FRIENDLY LOVE Prem: It is the general word for “love”; but is usually used for friendly love. Preeti: It usually carries the meaning of “love that contains delight”. This is the word used in the Hindi Bible in Peter’s answer to Jesus when He asked “Do you love Me more than these?” Pyaar: It is a common word for love; but, nowadays is commonly used for romantic love. Chaah: It usually means “like” or “desire”. Anurag: Friendly love that is far deeper and means selfless love or affection. Mitrabhav: Friendly affection
PARENTAL LOVE Sneha: It is the love that an elder has for the younger. Vatsalya: It is a parent’s love for the child. Mamata: It is the mother’s love towards her child.
ROMANTIC LOVE Popularly today, Prem, Pyaar, Chaah… Anurukti: Intoxicated love that sinks a person in thoughts of the object. Asakti: Deeper intoxication in love – being lost in love. URDU WORDS:ISHQ, DEEWANA
LUSTFUL LOVE Kama: Sensual Love, Kameccha: Sensual Feelings Moha: Love towards worldly objects
LOVE TOWARDS GOD Bhakti: It is superior to all other form of love. It is love in worship, love of the worshipper towards his/her God. In the Bible it is usually used for devotion, religion, and godliness.
Personal Memory: I will end with the words from a very first valentine card from my new life partner and former penpal (Year 1979.)
“You are life’s most precious gift to me, for the reasons even I can’t explain. I love you more every day.”
Happy Valentine's Day to All Friends Around The World.
“If you’re having a good time in your own company, it’s a good sign that you’re happy and you enjoy what you do.” -Shubhada
By Phoebe Pineda
Point to Ponder: “Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking about it differently.” –Albert Szent-Györgyi
Storyline: From majestic landscapes to portraits of renowned historical figures, Shubhada Sahasrabudhe’s art captures beauty in all sorts of places.
An engineer by trade, working at one of the world’s largest tech companies, Shubhada grew up in two worlds: art and science. “I lived in an engineering town that manufactured pumps, and my dad worked in research and development,” she says. “But art was in the house all the time. My dad did outstanding sketches and paintings, and we spent our evenings sitting side-by-side with him and watching him work, doing random art projects-Even his engineering drawings.” Growing up close to the process of creation, both at the pump factory and at home, instilled a strong sense of curiosity in Shubhada–“We were told to always be curious, not to stop at what but to ask why”–as well as a strong creative drive: “There was this push to be original,” she says. “My parents told me, ‘You have to create something that belongs to you. You're not an artist or a scientist unless you have contributed.’”
With limited supplies around the house, Shubhada often spent her childhood drawing in dirt roads with a stick which interestingly and unknowingly connected her to sand as a medium which she used years later. “It was like an unlimited canvas,” she says. Though she now has access to more traditional mediums, such as oil and acrylic, she still enjoys working with less conventional materials. “I’ve always been an experimentalist, so I always try a new technique–anything that stains with a pigment is my medium,” she says. “If I finish my coffee and I have a little left at the bottom, I will use it.” Her sand art in particular has garnered much attention, including a guest appearance on the Nickelodeon show Ryan’s Mystery Playdate.
Despite coming up in a workplace culture where hobbies and leisure time were challenging, Shubhada takes both her engineering and artistic career equally seriously. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like art and science are distinct things,” she says. “To me they are so blurry and so similar. Yes, there is more system to science, but you see both elements–system and random–in different ways. When I begin a painting, I don’t start with the details: I do the big strokes first to get the basic form and values together, and that defines my painting. That’s exactly how I think of engineering: whenever I look at a problem statement, I look at the broad strokes and ask myself, What am I trying to do? Once I have those pieces, I know how to fill in the minor details. Knowing the end point helps guide your next steps.” Science and engineering also played a major role in Shubhada’s sand art, from constructing the worktable (which Shubhada designed and built herself) to finding the right type of sand: “I went to twenty different beaches to get as many sand samples as possible,” she says.
Though balancing work and life can be challenging, Shubhada says making time to do what she loves is worth every minute. “Painting for hours is meditative,” she explains. “It’s the most neutral feeling you can have, which is so rare in this day and age: not happy, not sad, just neutral and satisfied.” She’s made it a priority to share that feeling with others, whether it’s teaching three and a half hours of back-to-back weekly classes through her art academy or finishing and posting a charcoal portrait every day for 140 days during quarantine. Sketch a Day “I tried to use my art to combat the negativity and sadness,” she says. “If you’re having a good time in your own company, it’s a good sign that you’re happy and you enjoy what you do.”
*For her contributions in the field of science, Shubhada recently received an esteem award "Women Engineer of the Year" by American Sociery of Mechanical Engineers. Being recognized in the areas of her profession as well passion demonstrates her commitment to excellence in whatever she takes up.*
Reflection: I’ve always envied creatives who work in math and science: my physics and bio major friends who draw, write, and paint, who can navigate these two seemingly opposing fields, one world as foreign to me as the other is familiar. Talking with Shubhada gave me insight into that fluidity: it’s about having a certain mentality, an approach that combines order and creativity and, most of all, an eagerness to learn.
At the end of the day, though the work may be different, the processes are more similar than we think, and the ultimate goal is the same: both science and art attempt to make sense of how the world works. Science tells its own kind of story, the histories of who we are and how we got here, how the world moves around us and how we move within it. And art is its own kind of science, an ongoing process of trial and error and building on the ideas of those that came before you, expanding our view of the world, defining and redefining truth.
For Anand, the son of two artists, interviewing Shubhada brought back a lot of memories of his own childhood, and how drawing on those creative experiences influenced his approach to problem-solving, enabling him to look at things differently and formulate solutions.
Our community of readers consists of people with a variety of different passions. Though these may seem different on the surface, all have similarities in terms of process and approach, and all have valuable lessons that can be applied to different contexts. But most importantly, no matter your line of work, putting your heart, enthusiasm, and soul into your endeavors will help you succeed.
You can support Shubhada’s work by visiting her WEBSITE or following her on Facebook.
Attachments: Versatility of the artist.
*late addition paragraph by Anand*
Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies. In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.
Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.
