BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON ?

• Keep your face in the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. - Helen Keller

• If you can’t convince them, confuse them. - Harry S. Truman

• Why is the word 'Abbreviation' so long? - Anonymous

• Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other who never forgets them. - Ogden Nash

• Women marry men hoping they will change. Men marry women hoping they will not. So each is inevitably disappointed. - Albert Einstein

• To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all. - Helen Rowland

• Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell. - Joan Crawford

• Invisible tears are the hardest to wipe away.  Just let it out, my friend. - Terri Guillemets

• A break up is like a broken mirror. It is better to leave it broken than hurt yourself to fix it.

• Moving on is simple, it’s what you leave behind that makes it so difficult. - Anonymous

• If someone you love hurts you, cry a river, build a bridge, and get over it. - Anonymous

• We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.”- Joseph Campbell

• Some think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go.” - Sylvia Robinson

• Every breath is an opportunity to receive and let go. I receive love and I let go of pain.” – Brenda MacIntyre

• “Every exit is an entry somewhere.” -Tom Stoppard

• “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

JEJAK YANG TERTINGGAL DI WAJAH SEMALAM

Dan...yang tertinggal di kamar hatiku hanyalah secebis kenangan semalam. Detik semalam telah pergi, namun memori itu masih tersisa, mengapung di layar mata dengan maksud yang mengisi pada ruangnya. Aku berjalan kadang menongkah arus. Walau cuba sedaya mengikut arus, namun hati terkadang degil, enggan mengikut derap kaki yang kadang tersadung resah.

Malam taram temaram. Namun sang purnama tak henti menyuluh wajah seorang aku, seakan mahu menyerahkan dirinya bersimpuh di ribaan.

Ada obor mahu menyuluh jalan, namun langkah aku jadi pincang.

Ada peta masih di tangan, namun kabur pandangan seakan menyekat tujuan.

Ada tangan seakan mahu membimbing, namun apakan masih mampu saat tanganku amat letih untuk disambut?

Di pinggiran waktu, aku meladeni ruang yang tersisa. Pada bahu masa,aku sandarkan lelah yang menyinggah. Di pesisir detik, aku melingkari jalanan yang seakan makin sempit di penghujungnya. Lantas,pada putaran saat, aku jadi letai. Akhirannya apakah masih tersisa kekuatan?

Mudah sekali menutur bicara atau melakar kata. Saat tiba pada praktiknya sering menggugah rasa.

SELAMAT TIBA ...

... DI HUJUNG DUNIA.

Dia tersenyum mengalukan kehadiran seorang aku. Ikhlas tak menagih balasan, tapi aku semacam terpanggil untuk senyum kembali. Senyum itu kan sedekah yang paling mudah. Paling murah tanpa modal.

“Hidupkah, matikah. Itu bukan persoalan. Cukupkah bekalan, itu wajar dipersoal.” Dia berbicara, aku mendengar.

Berusaha untuk kehidupan dunia seakan hidup untuk selamanya. Hatta, andai kiamat bakal berlaku dalam tiga detik mendatang sedang di tangan punya biji benih pun harus ditanam.

Berusaha untuk kehidupan akhirat seakan bakal dijemput menghadap-Nya keesokan hari. Seperti yang diceritakan Ummul Mukminun Aisyah r.a, bahawa Baginda Rasul saw saat azan dilaungkan, “Maka baginda berpaling menghayati panggilan kemenangan seolah-olah tidak pernah mengenali aku.”

“Dunia ialah jambatan ke dunia akhir. Tapi, dunia bukan matlamat, hanya sekadar batu loncatan. Perhentian selepas alam roh sebelum ke alam barzakh.”

Aku mendengar. Sungguh-sungguh mendengar.

Bukannya sekadar memuji mereka yang berselisih dengan mentari saat jam 7am sudah di pejabat dan pulang saat sang suria sudah menyerahkan takhta siang kepada rembulan jam 7pm.

Haruslah jua mencari keberkatan bersunyian mengadu kepada Tuhan sepertiga malam. Seumpama ulama yang membahagi detik malam untuk merintih dan mengadu kepada Tuhan selayaknya sebagai hamba, bukan tuan di bumi.

Bayu membelai dan kata-katanya lembut membelai nuraniku seakan pengembara di Sahara yang bertemu oasis setelah sekian lama kehausan.

Aku mencarinya sekadar memenuhi naluri mendesak seorang insan. Aku perlukan seseorang untuk menenangkan resah yang menghuni kamar hati.

Jalanan tak pernah sunyi dari kerikil yang menikam dan aku acapkali rebah saat teruji. Dia tak pernah gagal mengembalikan kekuatan diriku yang goyah. Dan aku perlu melepaskan diri dari kepungan penjara yang merampas ketenangan ini.

Apa lagi yang berbaki. Aku hilang kepercayaan terhadap diri saat lamaranku terhadap seorang wanita yang kukira mampu menjadi sayap kiri perjuangan metah ditolak.

Kegagalan bukan bererti Tuhan sudah meninggalkan dirimu. Dia mempunyai rencana yang lebih baik. Kerana saat Tuhan boleh diramal, maka Dia bukan lagi Tuhan.

Itu jawabnya saat aku mempersoal kenapa solat istikharahku tak terjawab. Tuhan takkan pernah meninggalkan hamba-Nya sendiri. Mungkin ada sisi lain yang perlu diperbaiki. Mungkin terlepas pandang.

Hidup ini bukan domino. Jatuh sesudah tewas itu biasa. Namun berterusan rebah itu bukan lagi kebiasaan. Seumpama di puncak tak pernah tergelincir itu bukanlah kebiasaan. Mungkin ada saat-saat kejatuhan yang tak pernah berselisih di depan matamu. Dan pemimpin tirani tak pernah akan tenang. 

Kau lihat bagaimana Mubarak dipaksa jatuh sesudah Tunisia. Sekarang Bahrain pula bergolak. Mengekorinya Yemen dan negara-negara arab yang ditadbir pemimpin kuku besi, mengaut untung negara ke kantung sendiri.

Begin with the end of mind. Kata Stephan Covey.

Ranjau mengisi pesisir kehidupan aku meniti kedewasaan usia. Aku semacam terperangkap dalam rumah tanpa jendela sedang pintu terkunci dari luar.

Dan.

Malam pun menamatkan khidmatnya. Fajar menyingsing di kaki langit. Membenarkan titah Tuhan tanpa mungkir. Hari mengalir tenang. 

Aku hanya mampu berdoa.

Doa akan dijawab dengan pelbagai cara. Mungkin diberikan apa yang dipinta, diberikan yang lebih baik atau mungkin ditangguhkan ke Hari Akhir. Kerja Tuhan, siapakan dapat menduga?

MEREALISASI TAKDIR

Hidup ialah jalan sehala

Yang tak punya U turn

Dan nasib ialah permainan takdir

Yang kadang kejam menghukum

Atau lembut membelai

Kita ialah bidak catur

Atas papan fana dunia

Dibentuk dan diukir

Antara nikmat dan hikmah ujian

Jalan berliku disuluh hidayah

Kita redahi dengan tabah

Membunuh segala prasangka

Menghidupkan segala harapan

Kita ialah pelakon watak

Skrip yang dibekalkan Pencipta

Kadang mimpi dalam jaga

Atau jaga dalam lena

Baginda bersabda, "Tanyakan pada hatimu sendiri! Kebaikan adalah sesuatu yang membuat jiwamu tenang dan hatimu tenteram, sedangkan dosa adalah sesuatu yang menimbulkan keraguan dalam jiwa dan rasa gundah dalam dada, meski telah berulang kali manusia memberi fatwa kepadamu."

(Hadis riwayat Imam Ahmad)

BETWEEN CARROT, EGG & COFFEE BEAN

HAPPINESS IS VOVAGE,NOT A DESTINATION

We convince ourselves that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another.

Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough, and that all will be well when they are older.

Then we are frustrated because they reach adolescence and we must deal with them. Surely we’ll be happier when they grow out of the teen years.

We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire.

The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now.

If not, then when? 

Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.

For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start. Real life.

But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start.

I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life.

That point of view helped me see that there isn’t any road to happiness.

Happiness IS the road.

So, enjoy every moment.

Stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, 

waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy.

Happiness is a voyage, not a destination.

 There is no better time to be happy than… NOW!

Live and enjoy the moment.

-Author unknown

Now, think and try to answer these questions: 

1 – Name the 5 richest people in the world.

2 – Name the last 5 Miss Universe winners.

3 – Name the last 10 Nobel Prize winners.

4 – Name the last 10 winners of the Best Actor Oscar.

Can’t do it? Rather difficult, isn’t it?

Don’t worry, nobody remembers that.

Applause dies away!

Trophies gather dust!

Winners are soon forgotten.

Now answer these questions:

1 – Name 3 teachers who contributed to your education.

2 – Name 3 friends who helped you in your hour of need.

3 – Think of a few people who made you feel special.

4 – Name 5 people that you like to spend time with.

More manageable? It’s easier, isn’t it?

The people who mean something to your life are not rated “the best”, don’t have the most money, haven’t won the greatest prizes…

They are the ones who care about you, take care of you, those who, no matter what, stay close by.

Think about it for a moment.

Life is very short!

And you, in which list are you? Don’t know? 

Let me give you a hand.

You are not among the most “famous”, but among those to whom I remember to send this message…

Some time ago, at the Seattle Olympics, nine athletes, all mentally or physically challenged, were standing on the start line for the 100 m race.

The gun fired and the race began. Not everyone was running, but everyone wanted to participate and win.

 

They ran in threes, a boy tripped and fell, did a few somersaults and started crying.

The other eight heard him crying.

They slowed down and looked behind them.

They stopped and came back… All of them…

A girl with Down’s Syndrome sat down next to him, hugged him and asked, “Feeling better now?”

Then, all nine walked shoulder to shoulder to the finish line.

The whole crowd stood up and applauded. And the applause lasted a very long time…

People who witnessed this still talk about it.

Why?

Because deep down inside us, we all know that the most important thing in life is much more than winning for ourselves.

The most important thing in this life is to help others to win. Even if that means slowing down and changing our own race.

If you send this email, perhaps we will succeed in changing our heart, perhaps someone else’s heart, as well…

A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one.”

A BUTTERFLY’S LESSON

One day, a small opening appeared on a cocoon. 
A man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole

Then, it seems to stop making any  progress. 
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could  
and it could not go any further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly:  
he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. 
But it had a withered body, it was tiny and had shrivelled 

wings.

The man continued to watch because 

he expected that, at any moment,

the wings would open, enlarge and expand, 

to be able to support the butterfly’s body, and become firm.

Neither happened! 

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and shrivelled wings. 

It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and his goodwill 
did not understand was that the restricting cocoon 
and the struggle required for the butterfly 
to get through the tiny opening, were 
God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the
 butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready 
for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
If God allowed us

to go through our life  without any obstacles,

i

t would  cripple us. We would not be as strong 

as we could have been. Never been able to fly.

I asked for Strength...
And God gave me  difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom...
And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity...
And God gave me a Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage…..
And God gave me obstacles to overcome.

I asked for Love...
And God gave me Troubled  people to help.

I asked for Favours...

And God gave me  Opportunities.            

“I received nothing I wanted...

But I received everything I needed."

Live life without fear,

confront all obstacles

and evince that you can overcome them.