WALKING FREE FROM THE LONG SHADOWS CAST BY SMALL PEOPLE












“The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking the next step,
while the dull win the race with eyes closed.”

― Bethany Brookbank,

When I realize that my leg has gangrene, what do I do? I cut off the infected part of my leg so that the rest of my body is saved. But, then, what do I do when I realize that my life is getting infected due to the presence of some negative people around me… Why do I dilly-dally from amputating the infected people from my life?

The people I choose to surround myself with can either boost my energy or they can drain it.
A dear friend of mine constantly advises me to be wise in choosing who I want to surround myself with…  “Negative people are leeches… they suck our energy,” he keeps reminding me, “When we recognize that… yes, that’s the time to cut off from the caustic people in our lives.”

Who are these caustic people? Are they significant people in our lives… our spouses, children, family members or friends? Or, are they people not so significant for us… our neighbors, office colleagues, community members or strangers? Caustic people can hail from both sides of the court…

Well, to cut off significant people from our lives, when they perennially suck our energy, is not that easy… but not impossible either. On the other hand, to cut off insignificant people, when they perennially deplete our energy, is not only easy, but it is, also, critical.

The New Year - 2017 - is approaching. Do I have some conscious choices to make?

Yes, I do have a couple of choices to make. On top of the list is this: to cut off myself from some energy suckers… I have already decided who they are!

It is not going to be a negative note to start on one’s New Year. On the contrary, it is a very positive note… It is a great service we can ever do to ourselves… A very kind, self-nurturing and self-empowering act.

Fennel Hudson had said, “Walk free from the long shadows cast by small people.”

That’s what I am going to do in 2017…

GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Nicole Gubin O'Ryan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi...
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How ...
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...