The story seems pretty simple: an ordinary homeless guy, just like one of the many we see on the streets almost daily, is asking for change.
Only the man is not so ordinary and the change he asks for is not the kind of change you might think of.
To me this video is the best example of true charity. Charity that does not start with a thousand-dollar check written in the name of a philanthropic organization, but one that starts deep in the heart, with compassion and awareness of the needs of other people.
If you have just ten free minutes today, use them to watch this video!
The holiday season is a wonderful time. The air is filled with joy, anticipation, the twinkling of lights and the sounds of holiday music. And without noticing, we get into a Holiday mood, buying and wrapping gifts, spending more time with friends and focusing on the people that mean the most to us.
The only problem I see during the Holiday season is food, or to be more specific it is the QUANTITY.
Usually in the four weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year I gain a few pounds which I later have to lose. This year is going to be different!
And it can be different for you as well.
Instead of kicking off the New Year with a resolution to lose weight, why not make a Pre-resolution to stay fit and heartburn-free over the holidays?
Here are 22 Great Tips that can help us have a great time without putting on extra weight:
1. Have a smaller variety of food on the table.
The greater the number of dishes on the table, the more we and our guests will end up eating. The temptation to sample a little bit of everything is what makes us feel stuffed, sleepy and bloated before the dinner is over.
You can serve fewer dishes and still make your holiday dinner feel festive. A great way to do this is to put the same appetizers and snacks into 2-3 smaller bowls and set them on different sides of the table. If you have vegetarians for dinner you can also make similar salads in two versions: vegetarian and not.
Do you set reminders on your iPhone or PC, so that you do not forget about work meetings, medical appointments, relatives’ birthdays and other important tasks?
And what about self-help reminders that help you to stay grounded, optimistic, creative and focused throughout the day?
I have plenty of these around my house. They might not make sense to anyone except for me, but they help me to cultivate awareness and stay focused on things I would most likely forget to do.
For example, I have a note by my laptop that says, “Remember to blink”. I put it there after I read that we tend to blink less when we look at a computer screen or a TV monitor, which makes our eyes feel tired and irritated and strained. Reminding myself to take a few minutes and just blink rapidly is one of my resolutions to keep my vision from declining again.
There is also a big poster in my bathroom that says, “The poor long for riches, the rich long for heaven, but only the wise long for tranquility”. It is hard to explain why, but this quote by Swami Rama leaves me feeling peaceful and relaxed at the end of the day.
Maybe you have such reminders around your house as well?
I recently walked into my friend’s office and saw a piece of paper attached to the wall that said, “Find a way”. Chris told me that whenever he was facing a problem or had to make an important decision, staring at the blank wall in front of him, made him feel even more stuck. Having a sign there that said “Find a way” had helped him to stay focused on possible solutions and stay more productive.
This is not as strange as it may seem at a first glace.
