Siblings:
Of
all relationships, that of siblings is the most sacred. This bond starting with
ones childhood, is worth nurturing for various reasons. Besides sharing
parents, siblings have the laughter, the tears, the fun and frolic of growing
years that make up a montage of pleasurable memories. I love remembering the
arm twisting tactics I resorted to, to make my four siblings acknowledge my
position in the pecking order! As we grew older, we had many rollicking years,
gorging on the yummies made by mother; making fun of the idiosyncrasies of
friends or relatives; finding ways to hoodwink father into letting us go for a
movie…As one by one, we slowly moved out of the nest, to get married/to study,
we have continued to keep the link. Our kids and their kids have taken the cue
and hopefully, the trend will continue. I think parents play a key role in
keeping siblings together. They should be nonpartisan and be fair in
apportioning their attention and property. Most siblings tensions arise out of
inequitable distribution of wealth and affection. Parents would do well to keep
this in mind before writing their Will. Besides, more than a legacy of brick
and mortar or bank accounts, the treasure they should leave behind is sibling
oneness. I thank my parents for their invaluable gift to the five of us.
Smile:
Gandhiji
said a person is not fully dressed till he/she wears smile. It is so easy to do
so and spread a bit of sunshine. A smile uses less facial muscles than a frown.
Yet, why do we see so many sour faces around us? The first time I went to the
US on an assignment, it was a long walk from the apartment to the studio where
I worked in Manhattan. The first day, it was uncomfortable to smile back when
strangers waved a cheery ‘Hi’ as they passed. But the bug caught me and it was
so much fun, every morning, smiling and greeting all kinds of people. By the
time I reached my work spot, I felt so light and peppy that the long hours just
slipped past. I find women are more reluctant to smile than men-especially at
other women! They are wary of each other and hesitate to smile and establish
eye contact. A smile from the eye is what really releases the good feeling-in
the one who flashes it and the one who receives. As someone put it, a smile is
a curve that straightens relationships!
Smoking:
Smokers
are injurious to health-of-non-smokers. Smoking Kills. Every year, more than
400,000 deaths are attributed to smoking. It’s banned in restaurants,
workplaces and other public areas. It’s illegal for cigarettes to be sold to
anyone under 18. Yet, smokers puff away with no concern for non smokers.
Reports state secondary smoke causes lung cancer and respiratory diseases-but
who cares, say the puffers as they light the next one-right under your nose! I
have often ticked off fellow passengers on the train/bus for smoking and only
get a glare as they take deep drags. Smokers are insensitive to the comfort of
others and shamelessly enjoy every puff as they huff like the wolf did with the
three pigs.
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