Living

There is a very good salesperson who I became friends with only because we walk in the mall a lot and my husband and I became familiar with her. She is actually a project adviser for a department store and is very friendly. She says that she is friendly not because she wants to get business but because life is short and she feels good at the end of the day if she makes someone feel good or if she brings a smile on someone's face. Needless to say, we talk a lot. One day she told me about a lady who was embarrassed about her daughter who was eight years old and was still carrying a teddy bear around. After talking to that lady for ten minutes, she was able to convince her that there is no need for an apology as not all children are the same when it comes to security. She actually complimented the little girl for taking such good care of her teddy. 

I remember talking to a five year old about her umbrella with Hello Kitty all over on it. Then her mom told me that she has a Hello Kitty doll in her room and she loves her. I told her that I am sure she takes good care of her Hello Kitty. Also she must miss her while she is in school and is working hard.  A couple of weeks later her mother stopped by and told that there was a significant change in her daughter.  Her daughter is listening to her when it comes to doing homework and is even eating her lunch in school. She then thanked me for showing love to something her daughter really loves.

 I used to be skeptical of toy industry utilizing and exploiting children's love for certain toys and the licensing of merchandise with different logos, but I came to a conclusion that having one or two things of their choice  actually helps nurture positive and caring attitude in children. 

 I know some adults who never out grew the love of their favorite toy and they are the ones who most appreciate the gifts you give them for Birthdays and Holidays. 

Be there

Lots of people say that life is a gift and they are right. Not everybody knows that for some people each day of their life seems like a burden. Also for some people their overall life is fine (or may seem to be fine) until they come to a junction of crossroads when they do not understand which way to go. Only survivors of an attempted suicide may discuss what lead them down that road. Sometimes it is too late and we all wonder about what it was that forced someone to commit the unimaginable. It will be really nice if each one of us has someone we can talk to in case of a difficult situation. I pray for the day when all parents know the hardships of their children no matter how old they are. It will be really nice to know if your coworkers are going through hard times emotionally or a student of yours seems to be hurting so you can say a few reassuring words to them. The National Suicide Prevention week is about to end. Yesterday was World Suicide Prevention Day so let us give this problem a thought and not forget that the rest of the year is as important to remember to be kind to those who seem to be going through a turmoil. It is not easy to read people's minds and especially if people are too proud or shy and lonely they may not be comfortable with talking to you, but as they begin to feel that you can be trusted and are helpful, they may talk to you. We are not counselors and not everyone can afford one and a lot of times the need is not recognized for a long time. A very young coworker of mine was lucky enough to help out her brother-in-law who was hurting from his parent's divorce. However, I was not as lucky to save a friend of mine who did not want to go through the everyday agony of watching her parents fight. In college I took it for granted that suicide is a sin and did not realize that some people are hurting too much to think straight. So let us all get to know people around us and let people get to know us.

School Days !

Before I took this new job working as a vendor I wondered how I would do because working at my previous position as an auditor was kind of different. My old job gave me a lot of confidence and I thought that I might get a little nervous with the new job. Turns out that I am not at all nervous with my new job either. The thing is at age sixty five, most people are quite confident at their jobs. However things are different with younger people. I see a lot of young people who are shy. A lot of young people are nervous and will not look you in the eye. A lot of young people are stressed out with the thought of their supervisor watching them. Then you have a handful of the feisty type who will not do their job and still have the guts to flirt with the supervisor and get away with extra long breaks.  My heart goes out for the shy, hardworking young people who lack confidence even to ask for a break and never get appreciated. Then I wonder what could have happened in their early life that made them too shy to ask for their rights even. When I was younger some people asked me about how I became a people person and why I am not shy. My boss at my previous job (who has double MBA) asked me for tips to be confident. I do not have an answer as I have never studied human psychology. The only answer I might come up with is the fact that my parents loved all of us and told us that we are no less than anyone and as long as we are honest and hardworking we do not have to be afraid of anyone. As my parents were always feeling bad about not giving us what my uncles and aunties could give their children, they had decided to give us the best care any parent could ever give. They gave us a lot of love and told us that we are no less than anyone and even without the best things to wear they said that we looked very smart because we were. I remember my father said that we were his wealth and we were his treasure. When I went to school I remembered his words during class and those words made me feel good about myself. His words always helped me feel good and it reflected in my behavior. I think to each of us our children are a treasure but we forget to tell them that. In America people give their children a lot of nice things but that does not mean that we should not give them words to boost their confidence. Letting them know how much we love them and how much they can count on us to be able to tell us everything they want to tell us will give them a sense of safety and that can translate into confidence. Some people think that going to a progressive private school made us socially confident, I still think that the loving words from my parents were the key factor.

What do we do?

One of the young men who works in the store (that I often visit on assignments) came back after being hospitalized for a week. I asked his mom about his hospitalization and she said that he was hospitalized for burns on his chest and his arms and neck. I asked for the details and it turns out that the fire was an accident that happened in his kitchen. He had just finished cooking and wanted to get rid of the smell in the kitchen and tried to use an air freshener. The spray was jammed and it would not spray so he tossed that spray can in the garbage. Then he realized that putting an aerosol can full of liquid in the garbage is not good for the environment.  So he took a screw driver and tried to puncture a hole in the can so he could throw the liquid out before he threw the can in the garbage. As soon as he made the hole in the can it created a spontaneous combustion and before he could think his chest was on fire and so were his hands and neck. He put the fire out with the fire extinguisher that was hanging right by the door and luckily for his family his wife was not hurt and neither of his two kids were hurt. As the mom was telling this incident a lot of people who heard it, seemed to be amused at the simplicity of the young man. Some even snickered as they walked away. In his defense his mom said that her son is an environmentalist. One very sensitive young girl simply said "It was sooo not worth it" 

I simply told his mom that I like to use natural air fresheners and his mom asked me if my husband ever uses an aerosol air freshener .

I told her "All the time".  

Wishes coming true

This is the last week of the month of Ramadan.  Muslims throughout the world fast every day for a whole month from sunrise to sunset. We give food and clothes and money to the needy and to family and friends.  We believe that our wishes come true.  When we were children my siblings and I asked for simple things like toys, books, and fancy clothes and shoes. As I grew up and understood what life is all about, my wishes became complicated. Most of my adult friends said that they don't wish for too many things for themselves either. The good thing is that this Ramadan a couple of my wishes came true. I have always wished that human beings should be free from slavery and this month there is one less sign of slavery.  I have always wished that our prophet be respected by people of other faiths too because we respect other religions and prophets of other faiths as well. This month as I was surfing the internet I came across two Hindu singers who sang in the praise of our prophet with love and respect that can be heard in their voices and in the melody itself. 

 Like Yvette Nicole Brown reminded me I learned that our wishes do come true eventually.

Nothing but Rainbows

Regardless of what anyone thinks a marriage is or should be, today goes in history. June 26, 2015 will be recorded as the day when right to marriage equality is protected under constitution. I think the White House looks prettier this way.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in the world. May you have good health, happiness, and good things in life. 

I hope that all fathers get an insight to use discretion while giving gifts to their children.

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