This is an encrypted love letter :-).
This is a letter that could have been written by Romeo to Juliet. Like the story, the girl's father has no sympathy for him and rejected their marriage plans.
Romeo, who knew that the father would read his letter, made it very special.
After reading this letter, read it again, but this time skip one line each time.
Read the first line, skip the second, read the third, skip the next, and so on, until the end.
Surprise!
Here's the letter:
The great love I have declared I have for you
is gone, and I find my dislike for you
increases every day. When I see you
I do not even like your appearance.
The one thing I want to do is to
look the other way. I never wanted to
marry you. Our last conversation
was very dull and in no way has
made me anxious to see you again.
You only think of yourself.
If we were married, I know that I would find
life very difficult, and I would have no
pleasure in living with you. I have a heart
to give, but it is not a heart
I want to give to you. No one is more
demanding or selfish than you, and less
able to care for me and be of help.
I sincerely want you to understand that
I speak the truth. You will do me a favor
if you consider this the end. Do not try
to answer this. Your letters are full of
things that do not interest me. You have no
true concern for me. Good bye. Believe me
I do not care for you. Please do not think
I am still your loving friend.
Please leave a message/comment if you so wish. Have a great weekend!
In high school, my class had a great teacher who made History fun by telling ancient stories and relating them to the present time. One day, she mentioned that history could be defined as "his story", as in, "man's story". One thing led to another and before we knew it, we had a discussion about what the world would be like if it would have been "her story" instead. Overall, the class agreed that it would be a gentler world because women are generally more sensitive. We also agreed that history repeats itself because we keep doing the same things. By the way, that's the same as insanity, which can also be defined as "doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome".
In the years since, I often wondered about Her Story and I realized that it is a different approach, but it has nothing to do with gender. It has to do with nurturing, which is generally considered a feminine attribute, but is truly universal. All sentient beings inherently understand the importance of being nurtured. The taking part of nurturing is perfectly clear to everyone. The giving part is not always as clear.
The value of Life
The value of a human being is not how much they're worth, but rather, how much life is worth to them.
Life has the same value for every living thing that it has for you. Consider that even a spider, that you step on without a second thought, had probably already built an intricate wonder of nature in its lifetime with the same care that you build your own life.
Sadly, the value of life is not deemed important. However this statement makes you feel, it's not new. "There's nothing new under the sun" means that anything you can imagine has already been thought about at some point. Consider how Christians were fed to starving lions for entertainment, about 2000 years ago. The Coliseum was full as humans watched other humans being torn apart and eaten by hungry beasts. Isn't that incredible? And yet, it's true.
In fact, humans have done and continue to do horrific atrocities to one another. Nothing has really changed. We say that we are evolved and civilized now, but actions speak louder than words.
People abuse and kill one other senselessly and gruesomely. Such cruelty and horror! How can any of it be justified? Doesn't pain feel the same for everyone? We want peace but we build weapons. We want communication, but we are afraid to open up to even our family and closest friends. We want to be able to breathe without wearing a mask, but do everything to ensure that one day we will have to. We poison nature and destroy animals to suit our purposes, thinking that we are superior and have the right to. Greed rules, power trips abound, everything is taken for granted. Is this what an evolved and civilized society does?
In the past, it took centuries for civilizations to disappear due to self-destruction. With today's technology, we can all be obliterated in a matter of seconds. However this time, it goes beyond just us. Now, we can destroy the planet altogether, so that there is no future for anyone anymore. Think about it.
Yet as scary as some aspects of our times are, we live in the most exciting and promising time ever.
"Oh, to be alive in such an age when miracles are everywhere and every inch of common air throbs a tremendous prophecy of greater marvels yet to be."
Walt Whitman, the great American poet and philosopher, wrote that a century before we went to space. Can you imagine what he would say today?
Make it so
Every one of us, male and female, can make the world better for everyone by choosing to be nurturing. By choosing to be a good force in the world.
Every time that you think, do, or say something, stop for a moment to feel what it would be like if it happened to you. Once you know how it feels, adjust your thinking accordingly. Think, wish and send out only what you want in YOUR life. If what you're thinking isn't FOR good, change your thinking. Do it for your own good.
There's not enough love in the world because too many of us don't love ourselves to begin with. If we really did love ourselves, we would do absolutely no harm, because everything we think and do is an open invitation for it to come back to us when we least expect it.
Knowing that, it's important to be aware of our thoughts. Knowing that, we can wish no harm to anyone or anything, ever. But wishing no harm is not enough.
Wishing only well, regardless of the situation, is the ultimate. It's being aware that you are responsible for the consequences of your true intentions, and being able to live with them.
If you can honestly and comfortably do that, you are a part of a gentler chapter of life, called Her Story.
Wishing Only Well,
Carmen Colombo
2001
There was a monk who was very impatient. You may wonder, why would a monk be impatient? Don't they become monks so that they don't have to deal with the world? Yes, that's true. So imagine how impatient this monk was...
The more he tried, the more impatient he became, so he decided that he must get away altogether, to learn to be patient. So he built himself a little home deep in the woods, far away from civilization.
Years later, a man was traveling in those woods and met him. The man was amazed to find anyone living so far away from the rest of the world, so he asked the monk why he was there all by himself.
The monk said that he was there to learn to be patient.
The traveler asked how long he had been there, and the monk replied: seven ( 7 ) years.
Stunned, the traveler asked, "If there is no one around to bother you, how will you know when you are patient?"
Annoyed, the monk replied, "Get away from me, I have no time for you."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Every time that I feel myself getting impatient, I picture the monk and I laugh out loud.
This is yet another example of how to control our so-called "uncontrollable" emotions. By associating a funny story with an undesirable emotion, I give myself an opening - a chance to stop for a moment and look at what I'm doing. And most of the time, I realize that what's getting me all ruffled is so insignificant!
I realize that it must be strange for anyone dealing with me at that point. One minute we could be arguing, and about to tear each other apart, and the next I'm laughing. I suppose I would wonder about such a person's state of mental sanity too. But think about it - what better way to break the tension?
How many people get into arguments that literally break up relationships - over petty stuff! One word leads to another and before they know it, it's ten years later and they have no idea of why they lost touch. If they backtrack, they realize that it all started over something so insignificant that they're too embarrassed to admit or disclose it.
So, even at the risk of looking ridiculous, the next time that you are about to lose your sovereignty over your mind and your body, remember the monk!
While you're laughing, explain why. The next thing you know, you'll both be laughing, and then - you'll both be able to really talk and listen.
Wishing Only Well,
Carmen Colombo
There were two things that I hated most in my childhood. DOLLS and DRESSES!!! Funny how both begin with the letter 'd' :-)- perhaps to remind me of the feelings I had then whenever I saw either items:
DREAD
DIRE STRAITS
DISMAY
DISTRESS
DISQUIETUDE
DEPRESSION
DISTASTE
DESPAIR etc etc...
I would never accept any dolls and would only wear dresses for two occasions : weddings and the first day of Chinese New Year. Even then, I would cringe in HORROR when I saw the lacy, prickly dresses which my mother had painstakingly sewn for me so lovingly. I guess some of us are born with a different taste for clothes. I suppose God knows how I feel and gave me two boys because if I had had any daughters, I would probably have turned them into the tomboy that I was in my childhood - climbing up jambu trees, playing with spiders, guns, trains etc. What can one expect? I grew up with my male cousins...Thus, I could never understand why my friends' daughters were so taken with BARBIE DOLLS or Cabbage Patch Dolls. Geez - I can live with Paddington Bears or Winnie the Pooh but Barbie???? So how did it all begin?
TIME MAGAZINE REPORTS:
In 1956, Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman, was vacationing in Switzerland when she came across Bild Lilli, a doll that, unlike popular baby dolls at the time, had long, shapely legs and wore heavy makeup. Lilli, in fact, was based on a prostitute in a postwar German cartoon, but Handler was inspired. She bought three Lilli dolls, returned to California and in 1959 created the world's first Barbie doll.
That issue of TIME reports that Mattel's iconic doll is getting a marketing makeover, led by a pink-tastic Shanghai concept store. You can read more about it here if you do not subscribe to TIME.
Can you imagine that during a time when many countries in the world have slipped into recession/slump, one company is spending so much time and money on a DOLL?????
On March 6th, the company intends to open a 38 000 sq. ft. HOUSE OF BARBIE (!!!!*faint!!!). To coil in horror, please read the description of the store at this link and perhaps you may also palpitate to discover that Vera Wang has designed a USD$15 000 human-sized Barbie wedding dress to be sold exclusively at the Shanghai store.
I recall in the 1990s, I gave my Sociology students a research project on how Barbie dolls may have indirectly caused anorexia nervosa in many teenagers(note the small waistline of Barbie dolls). Of course, I must admit that as a kid, I was a die-hard "I dream of Jeannie" fan...Barbie was loosely based on the character...but that is as close as I can get to Barbie dolls.
Give me seven stones, kites, tops or bears anytime...Why is it that in modern society, we have lost so much of our heritage in terms of traditional childhood games etc? As we celebrate modernization, may we not forget our roots when our kids get exposed to such alienating forms of 'entertainment' e.g. PSP games, Nintendo Wii and so on. Maybe then, Botox will not be a catch-phrase for Barbie lovers :-).
The following are purported to be actual comments made by NYC teachers on their report cards as part of their final narratives. All teachers were reprimanded, but these are great!
1. Since my last report, your child has hit rock bottom, and has since started to dig.
2. I would not allow this student to breed.
3. Your child has delusions of adequacy.
4. Your child is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
5. Your son sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.
6. The student has a "full six-pack" but lacks the plastic thingy to hold it all together.
7. This child has been working with glue too much.
8. When your daughter's IQ reaches 50, she should sell.
9. The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.
10. If this student is any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week.
11. It's impossible to believe the sperm that created this child beat out 1,000,000 others.
This quiz has no score or interpretation. It's from a college Humanities class and its purpose is to help you look at your life.
Notice how you may have different answers at different times throughout your life. 
1. If you were with your family in a boat that capsized far from shore and there was only one life preserver, would you...
a) save your spouse
b) save your child
c) save yourself
2. If you were stranded on a desert island, which would you rather have with you?
a) the complete works of Shakespeare
b) the Bible
c) a world history
3. Which of these would be most difficult for you to accept?
a) the death of a spouse
b) the death of a parent
c) your own death
4. How would you break off a three-year relationship with someone you've been dating steadily?
a) by telephone
b) by mail
c) in person
5. Which would concern you more as you grow older?
a) overweight
b) illness
c) declining vision
6. Which would be hardest to give up?
a) political freedom
b) economic freedom
c) religious freedom
7. During a protest, where would you most likely be found?
a) in the midst of it
b) in the restaurant, watching
c) at home
8. How would you rather spend a Saturday evening?
a) at a nightclub
b) at home with the family
c) at a party at a friend's house
d) at a party at your own home
9. Which best describes the way you handle money?
a) spend freely
b) always looking for bargains
c) budget carefully
10. Your friend has written a book which you think is terrible. If s/he asks for your opinion, what would you say?
a) the whole truth
b) what they want to hear
c) as much as you think they can handle
11. Which is the most beautiful sight to you?
a) a sunset
b) a person giving blood
c) a baby taking its first steps
12. Which is most important?
a) to work hard for the future
b) to love others
c) to know yourself
13. Which would you prefer to marry?
a) a rich person
b) a happy person
c) a famous person
14. If you were born with a great gift, which would you prefer?
a) a beautiful voice
b) artistic ability
c) skill with hands
To My Friends Who Are...MARRIED
Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry", not "where are you' but "I'm right here", not "how could you" but "I understand", not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are."
To My Friends Who Are...ENGAGED
The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together but how good you are for each other.
To My Friends Who Are...NOT SO SINGLE
Love isn't about becoming somebody else's "perfect person." It's about finding someone who helps you become the best person you can be.
To My Friends Who Are...HEARTBROKEN
Heartbreaks last as long as you want and cut deep as you allow them to go. The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks but to learn from them.
To My Friends Who Are...NAIVE
How to be in love: Fall but don't stumble, be consistent but not too persistent, share and never be unfair, understand and try not to demand, and get hurt but never keep the pain.
To My Friends Who Are...SEARCHING
True love cannot be found where it does not truly exist, nor can it be hidden where it truly does. Love is magic. The more we hide it, the more it shows; the more you suppress it, the more it grows.
To My Friends Who Are...PLAYBOY/GIRL TYPE
Never say I love if you don't care. Never talk about feelings if they aren't there. Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart. Never look in the eye when what you do is lie. The cruelest thing a guy can do to a girl is to let her fall in love when he doesn't intend to catch her fall.
To My Friends Who Are...POSSESSIVE
It breaks your heart to see the one you love happy with someone else but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.
To My Friends Who Are...AFRAID TO CONFESS
Love hurts when you break up with someone. It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you. But love hurts the most when the person you love has no idea how you feel.
To My Friends Who Are...STILL HOLDING ON
A sad thing about life is that when you meet someone who means a lot to you, only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be and we just have to let go.
To My Friends Who Are...SINGLE
Love is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you just let it fly, it would come to you when you least expect it. Love can make you happy but often times it hurts, but love's only special when you give it to someone who is worth it. So take your time and choose the best!
Three things never return:
the past, the neglected opportunity, and the spoken word.
Author Unknown
