Friday Reflections

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

Point to Ponder: The more you experience life, the more wisdom you gain and the more meaningful your life becomes.

 

Reflection: 

I came across this superb article (The Physics of Quest) while researching in internet about the movie “Eat, Pray, Love” in which Liz (Julia Roberts), having gone through major changes in her life,  decides to get out of her comfort zone and embark on the journey of self discovery to Italy, India and Bali, Indonesia. 

 

I could also relate with our own journey; the one my wife and I started a year ago as Twilight Explorers; experiencing different cultures, getting to know more people and contribute positively in whichever way possible for us. 

 

Whichever stage you are in life; contemplating changes in career, relationships or in other aspects of life, this article will provide great points to ponder and ideas for action. Highly Recommend. 

 

Story Line: The Physics of Quest: A Truth-Seeking Journey. by Hanna Abdelwahab Source: Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. 

 

A paragraph from article as an appetite before you venture into the entire article ( link at the bottom of paragraph)

 

In a memoir called "Eat, Pray, Love" (most of us remember the movie which starred Julia Roberts), the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, talked about the "physics of the quest", which goes something like this: "If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared - most of all - to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself … then the truth will not be withheld from you."

 

full article in the below link

 

The Physics of Quest

 

Your Reflection? 

At 99-We remember all the times we shared together.

Points to Ponder: In many ways, old age can be a great blessing because the whole experience of life is behind you. - Candi Brim-Bagley

 

Story Line: There has not been a dull moment in our first 51 days in India. Majestic monuments, historic sites, deserts, forests and vast ocean; beautiful churches, mosques, temples; vibrant cities; watching lions, tigers, leopards within 10 feet of us and other wild animals in their natural environments /forests and noticing incredible energy and enthusiasm of people have been the source of great joy. But the greatest thing has been meeting friends and family members from my childhood days, four of family members ages 91 to 99. 

 

But today’s story is focused mostly on one person; 99 years old Smt. Siddhida A. Trivedi. At the age of 27 she joined Shree Manav Sevak Sangh, a Non-Profit Organization in the field of welfare activities for the Orphan Children and less Privileged Women & Senior Citizen. It’s Mission is to shape and impact the lives of orphaned, abandoned, destitute, Helpless Children and Women. And they have positively impacted thousands of lives. 

 

Many decades ago she was appointed as President and Trustee, the honor she holds until today. She was actively involved in the organization but few years ago Alzheimer took it’s toll. 

 

The reason for this reflection is what happened in the meeting with her last week. 

During our 90 minutes interaction, she asked same questions several times and when I answered, she will recollect other people or events associated with it. But few seconds/minute later, she forgot and asked same question again. But something very surprising happened twice: 

 

When I told her about an organization that is involved in education and empowerment of poor children in Assam, she patiently listened, was very curious and asked many follow up questions about the activities there. The conversation took place for several minutes with continuity of thought process; no memory lapses. At the end I saw happiness on her face. 

 

And when we were leaving, I told her how many orphaned children and women have better life because of her efforts for 70 years, I noticed tears in her eyes. 

For a person who couldn’t remember most of things we discussed seconds ago, had not forgotten things related to noble cause she had dedicated her life. 

I left the place heavy hearted. 

 

Reflection: During my childhood years my family used to visit Bombay during summer vacation. She was always very kind and arrange many sightseeing trips and family events for us. But events that have impacted me most and shaped approach in life is following. 

 

Her husband was a senior executive in India’s largest corporation. Many times while we were at their place, they would get invited to exclusive clubs or homes of their friends ( personal invitations not company events). 

 

We, coming from different upbringing, wore clothes that were not to the standards people wore in those type of places. Plus I wore only rubber slippers; no shoes. 

What I remember is that she would inform her friends that she was bringing us ( her summer guests) at those events, never embarrassed to introduce us to Who’s Who of society and engaged us in conversations with them. 

 

Those experiences shaped my life in two ways: treat every person with dignity irrespective of background or external gadgets and they also gave me a lot of confidence to talk to anyone in any position/place by being Who I am. 

 

How fortunate I am to have been able to meet my aunt, Smt. Siddhidaben after decades and express my gratitude to her. 

 

More about her organization. 
https://www.shreemanavsevasangh.org/

Travel Tips-Don’t Leave Home Without These Things

 

Point to Ponder: Things don’t go wrong during most travels but in case they do, what level of risk can you afford in a foreign place?

 

Story Line: While traveling, Don’t leave home without these three things. 

1. A small box of first aid kit and some essential medicines in case of emergency. It has rescued me once in a small town in Japan and got me through the night until I found help next morning but my box has helped more of fellow travelers. 
2. A printed copy of essential documents like passport, tickets, visa, medical related and itinerary. Know of two friends whose bag, purse were stolen during travel and passports, credit cards were lost. One had printed copy of documents and the other didn’t. What followed were Stories of Triumph vs Tragedy. 
3. Travel Insurance: it has come to rescue many times for us: during volcanic eruption in Bali, when my partner got injured and six of us were stranded for 15 days in Helsinki and one more time when I had to cancel a trip to Turkey. We have also witnessed first hand what happened to visitors who didn’t have insurance and stranded in Bali, also one family who couldn’t travel to Malaysia out of Fiji because of forests fires smoke over Indonesia. 

 

Reflection:  In the year 2003 My work colleague, and I were traveling to Asia for business. Our first stop was South Korea. While there, he noticed that I was carrying a box of first aid kit which also contained many different kinds of medicines. He looked at me and said “ You are a sickly man; carrying many medicines”  I told him that I carried them for precautions, in case of emergency and needed it only once through all my travels. But many a times they have been useful to fellow travelers. I emphasized that he should understand as a teacher of Prevention and Think Different type classes. 

 

Unfortunately he didn’t give up and kept making fun of me on the trip until…One day we visited Suzhou in China, and he dined at a place famous for dumplings. 

 

Next morning we were scheduled to leave for Singapore. At 1:00AM, the phone in my room kept ringing while I was fast asleep. Annoyed I picked up and there was a very weak, more or less crying voice, “Do you have that Cipro? When I asked the reason he said “ I am very sick; I have high temperature and diarrhea. We need to travel tomorrow morning plus if I have a fever they will put me in Quarantine in Singapore” I asked him “Do you have a prescription for Cipro? He begged to give him medicines. I said “OK I have some non-prescription medicines that will help you with fever and stomach upset. Once we get to Singapore you visit Doctor” 

 

Well, the rescue passage the “Sickly man” always carried helped him get to Singapore”

That afternoon, He returned from Doctor’s office with four different prescription medicines. But the ordeal had not yet ended. 

 

At midnight I got a call from him “Anand I am feeling giddy. I am very giddy” 

Pardon my poor English, I said, but what does giddy mean? Stop making fun of me, he replied. “I am feeling terrible” 

Further inquiry revealed that he had taken all those medicines without food. 

To our misfortune the hotel didn’t have midnight food service but the receptionist was kind enough to go to kitchen and made some warm food and drinks for him. 

 

Next time we were traveling, I noticed that he was carrying one white box with him. Just to be a gentleman, I did not ask him what was inside. Seems he was Thinking Different. 😊

 

Here are two short videos with humor for Travel Tips. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6F3HYW5epUo?feature=share

 

https://twilightexplorers.com/danger-how-to-prepare-and-stay-healthy-while-traveling/ 😊

 

Here are two short videos with humor for Travel Tips. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6F3HYW5epUo?feature=share

 

https://twilightexplorers.com/danger-how-to-prepare-and-stay-healthy-while-traveling/

What is it between Me and The Monkeys?

Point to Ponder: “Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town.” George Carlin

Story Line: Yesterday was our third day in Ahmedabad, India- the place I was born and spent first seventeen years of my life. It’s been long nineteen years since our last visit. 

The sun had disappeared and darkness had sat in. I was on phone talking to a friend while walking down a small street. 
Suddenly something big bumped into my back and shook me up. A second later I saw two big monkeys running away. A moment later I felt pain on my left hip and noticed my shirt was ripped up. Digging further I realized that even my trouser and underpants were torn and felt some burning pain on my skin. 

The Monkey was off my back but what followed was many calls and then emergency visit to closest clinic followed by Tetanus and Rabies shots. It became a long evening. 
The experience will stay in my memory for the lifetime but it brought back memories of my previous encounter with a monkey. 
I was resting with my eyes closed under a tree in the Monkey  forest in Ubud, Bali. Suddenly I felt someone jumped on my chest. When my eyes opened it was a baby monkey and it was trying to touch my nipple and wanting to satisfy its hunger. I immediately pushed him farther but still didn’t want to miss photo opportunity. 
The baby, realizing its bad manners, hugged me and lied down in my lap. Atleast this monkey showed some manners and after a short nap, wished me good bye. 

Ubud Bali Encounter. 

Originally I had planned to write the reflection from our last week’s experience in Singapore titled: Singapore, the country that doesn’t rest innovating. ( now future reflection)
But I changed the topic after this Monkey experience because for ever I will wonder: What is it between Me and the Monkeys? Any ideas Welcome from the readers. 😊

Reflection: The current experience made me realize that I should have taken atleast tetanus shot, that was overdue, before I left for the trip. But carrying a small emergency bag with some essential medicines and first aid items became big asset to clean wounds before i could get professional help. 

 

 

Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints.

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.)

Take only Memories, Leave only Footprints.

 

 

 

How will you measure your life?

Point to Ponder: 

Be the Reason Someone Believes in Good People

Story Line: Yours

Reflection: How will you measure your life?

 Happy Martin Luther King’s Day 

 

The Power of Belief

Preah Ko-Cambodia 3/28/2016

 

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. 

The Fourth Quarter of Life-John Helin

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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/

Happy New Year to All  

 

Fill your life with experiences…

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 that  President was removed by Peru’s senate for corruption)  Lower Left: Cooking healthy vegetarian 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. A  little 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 a three-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 Colca Canyon, 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. 

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.*

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.

 

*Quote from Aristotle