WHEN THINGS GET UNDER YOUR SKIN...

Posted by Unknown On Saturday, March 6, 2010 34 comments
When life gets challenging, reading inspirational poems, stories or self-help books can be helpful. In the light of current circumstances, I thought we should take another look at "Lessons from an Oyster" which is so appropriate for our situation. When problems come our way, I believe the way we handle it will make a difference to the path that we take. If we dwell in negativism and start blaming others in a mud-slinging match, we will get nowhere. At the same time, rotting in denial or self-doubt is destructive as well. I blogged about facing life's challenges in my previous post called You'll Be a Man...Do check it out if you have not read it. Enough said. Here is "Lessons from an Oyster" which I am re-posting. I hope you find it meaningful. Do leave a comment if you wish to share your thoughts. Thanks! Have a nice day.




LESSONS FROM AN OYSTER

There once was an oyster
Whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand
Had got into his shell.

It was only a grain,
but it gave him great pain.
For oysters have feelings
Although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate
the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him
To such a deplorable state?

Did he curse at the government,
Cry for election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?

'No,' he said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it,
I shall try to improve it.

Now the years have rolled around,
As the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate
Destiny stew.

And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral,
for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do
With a morsel of sand?

What couldn't we do
If we'd only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.

-Author Unknown-


34 comments to WHEN THINGS GET UNDER YOUR SKIN...

  1. says:

    QQ Never drop your vigilance, whether you are winning or losing; and remember, courage can win out over all!

  1. says:

    QQ A very inspirational poem indeed!

  1. says:

    Anonymous The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.

  1. says:

    Anonymous Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated.
    Even a stone from the bottom of a river can be used to produce fire. Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not continued for billions of years-nor will they linger forever. The sun will definitely rise. In fact, its ascent has already begun.

    ~~ Daisaku Ikeda

  1. says:

    A Arthur Wow! this is a great inspirational poem..and that is how pearls are formed.

    For every curse there is a blessing and for every evil there is good.

    Thank you

  1. says:

    Anonymous We are not on a witch hunt or out to get T, Z or M. We are just out to establish the truth.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear QQ

    Definitely we need courage all the more during such challenging times. Thanks, dear QQ, for your constant dose of steadfast courage. I appreciate your encouragement, motivation and inspiration.

    Take care and have a nice day!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Anonymous Dear A Arthur,

    For every evil curse, there is a cure, and belief in your own power to overcome it may be the vital key.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear QQ

    Indeed it is very inspirational and always comforts and inspires me...

    Glad you like it :-).

    God bless and have a lovely weekend.

    Shalom

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 10.40am

    How true! We often forget that in our personal lives. Thanks for the timely reminder.

    God bless you!

    Keep in touch and have a lovely day!

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 10.56am

    Are you the same person who drops the wonderful inspirational sayings of Daisaku Ikeda in my blog? Thank you so much for your kindness and willingness to share.

    I believe hardship, suffering and obstacles in life make us stronger, wiser and better people.

    Take care and God bless you and yours.

    Have a great day!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Arthur

    Lovely to hear from you again!! How I have missed your comments and wisdom. Glad you like this poem. You are most welcome and it is always a pleasure to share.

    Indeed there is always the good side to problems.

    Take care and may God bless you and yours in every circumstance that you face.

    Have a lovely day!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 11.05 am

    I am with you in this. I have no intention to do any finger-pointing and hope you understand. More importantly, I hope that we will unite together as one voice to seek to uphold truth and justice.

    Personally, I find some statements from leaders or lack of statements in some cases, most worrying as these may cause more destruction.

    At this point of time when it appears that we are treading on eggshells, we have to be patient and yet firm in our stand over important issues that concern us collectively.

    Thank you for your steadfast quest for truth which will set us free one day.

    Take care and God bless your sincere heart and life.

    Keep in touch! Have a nice day.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 11.10am

    God bless you for your encouraging and inspiring message for Arthur.

    Take care. May you continue to breathe inspiration and hope into the lives of those around you.

    God bless you and yours always.

    Best wishes

  1. says:

    Anonymous Sitting back gets you nowhere! We have to take responsibility for our actions.

  1. says:

    Penangite It's truly right that it is futile to berate ourselves over failures, but it is equally futile to always shift the blame to others instead of analyzing our actions and identifying what we need to do to improve our results.

    Let's acknowledge that none of us is perfect.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 11.39am

    Very true! I believe we need to sit, reflect, examine, resolve to overcome weaknesses and then do whatever is necessary to effect change - be it for ourselves or for the collective good.

    Thank you for your reminder that we cannot be armchair critics. This is something that I constantly emphasize, especially in sopo posts. We have to go out there and make a difference.

    Take care and God bless you!

    Have a lovely weekend.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Penangite No one can be truer to us than our good selves, especially in times of trouble.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Penangite

    I agree with you!! We have to look at ourselves first...and have a realistic perspective of the landscape we see and move to actively resolve the situation to the best of our abilities. Putting the blame on others without taking action does not improve the situation at all.

    Thanks for sharing your wisdom and broadening the scope of the poem.

    God bless you and yours always.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Penangite @ 12.53 pm

    I agree with your statement. It is so important to be in touch with ourselves and to be true to ourselves.

    Thanks for swinging by again to share your thoughts. Take care and enjoy the weekend.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    semuanya OK kot "Everything proceeds as if of its own accord… This can… tempt us to… let things take their course… Such indifference is the root of all evil." - the I Ching

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Semuanya OK Kot

    Thanks for the gentle reminder of the folly of indifference.

    During such times, we have to gird our loins and be on guard, ever ready to act.

    Take care and may you continue to inspire us with your elegant comments.

    Have a lovely weekend.

    Best wishes

  1. says:

    Anonymous It's never safe to be nostalgic about something until we're certain it can't come back!

  1. says:

    Kenneth Pride is never everlasting! The only way to put an end to conceit or arrogance is to speak out - to speak out with words of truth!
    Without a spirit of rectitude, there is nothing!

  1. says:

    Hafiz b Shukor My Chinese friends told me that "where there is crisis, there is opportunity".

    How true!!

    No wonder many of them would rather look for opportunities than dwell on negativism.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 2.27 pm

    Many thanks for that word of caution.It is always safer to be on guard than to revel and rot in complacency.

    Take care and God bless you for your timely reminder!

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Hafiz b Shukor PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali was confident that the party’s lawmakers would not resign.

    -- Malaysian Insider

    Syabas!

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Kenneth

    Excellent exhortation, Kenneth! Thanks a lot for that to be honest in what we think, say and do.

    God bless you and yours always.

    Enjoy the weekend.

    Cheers

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Saudara Hafiz

    Many thanks for sharing that wonderful update! Well done to PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali and PAS members for that stand!

    Take care and have a lovely afternoon!

    Salam

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear saudara Hafiz

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I believe many, regardless of race, have experienced the folly of negativism.

    With every crisis, there is an opportunity for growth and change. Without rain, we would never appreciate sunshine...

    May you continue to be a constant source of wisdom, inspiration and motivation in my blog and to those around you.

    Take care and may the Almighty bless you and yours always.

    Salam

  1. says:

    Anonymous If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.

    -- Morris West

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear Anon @ 3.47pm

    Wow!! That is so beautiful!!!!

    Thanks for sharing this inspiring statement. God bless you. Have a great weekend.

    Best wishes

  1. says:

    ahoo It is never too late to do what needed to be done. Time and tide waits for no men. Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction !

    There is no perfect timing in life. Nothing will be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it. (Cardinal Newman).

    The poem is just so apt for the current Pakatan dilemma. Instead of lamenting over their wrongs in selection process which is history, just get on with the task ahead. They may have some setbacks in current battle but the war at large is far more important to be ignored.

    At least by now those irritants had been removed and with such experiences in hand, the future looks bright for this newly minted Pakatan. Have a lovely weekend !

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear ahoo

    I am deeply touched by the outpouring of wisdom that you have sincerely shared with us here.

    Indeed you are a blessing to my blog, my readers and myself.

    Thank you for your willingness to share and to bless others with your wise thoughts and learned observations, not forgetting your sensitivity to the nuances of this poem and why I posted it.

    May the Lord continue to guide and bless you in this the way you encourage and bless those around you and in cyberspace.

    Take care and God bless! Have a lovely weekend!

    Shalom

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