How to love
' I love you enough to let you be happy in your own way.'
Love is not:
To retaliate if you are not approved.
Love is not:
To successfully control your love, to abide by your choices and fancies.
Love is:
To bring out the best - humane qualities, humility, and humour - in your love.
Love is:
To live in harmony, with your love,
Free in mind, with no compulsions or tension or greed.
To love truly after marriage, throughout the life is no joke.
It is a tough exercise.
There are not many true lovers, in marriage.
Yet they prefer to co-exist, for want of better alternative.
How to accept a gift
I gave a gift to my friend.
He thanked me.
Later,
My friend laughed at my choice with other friends.
I overheard it.
I was sad.
* Even if it was not suitable for my friend,
My friend could have accepted it,
Expressed thanks, warmth, and kept quiet.
He could have disposed off the gift suitably, later.
* Or he could have told me directly,
Why the gift wasn't appropriate for him.
I would have been satisfied.
But,
He chose to laugh at me with other friends.
I felt cut off.
It is a routine happening, all around us.
Let's not be insensitive to others' feelings.
Why do we laugh at others
We all, want to feel superior to others.
There are two ways:
(1) Do something extraordinary.
People recognise your distinction, and respect you.
It needs hard work, and perseverance.
Not so easy!
(2) If we can't work hard, and still want to be up in the eyes of society,
There is an easy way out!
Let's pull down others,
Then, relatively speaking, we are upgraded.
But,
When we laugh with others, at the poor selection of a gift,
We lower our image.
How to be grateful
Let's remember all the good acts and favours of our friends, and relations including the spouse.
But we tend to forget, friends' good deeds easily.
We do remember for years, smallest negative comments, and actions of others.
* A friend helped me.
He spent 2-3 days, of his time exclusively for me,
He helped me with money, and
Guided me on various aspects of settling down in a new job.
I thanked him
'That's why we have friends!', I thought.
Few days later, I had an informal simple dinner in his house.
I expected better food, even for an impromptu guest.
How could he do it?
I hadn't forgotten it, till date.
I will never forget it.
This is the base human nature!
God help me, and bless me:
Never to forget any good deeds done to me by my friends, relatives, including my spouse.
And remain grateful towards them, for ever.
And help me to forget the non-fulfillment of expectations, amicably.
wonderful writing and very beautiful photograpy.