Bác Thư về Động Hoa Vàng,
-
Ta về giũ áo mây trôi,
Gối trăng đánh giấc bên dồi dạ lan.
Rằng xưa có gã từ quan,
Lên non tìm động hoa vàng ngủ say.
Ta đi chăm lại đôi hàng đào tơ.
-
Lên nguồn xả gội phong sương,
Chuyện xưa gởi lại bên đường phù vân.
Ra đi nguyền kiểp hóa thân,
Thoát thai bướm nhỏ nghỉ chân vườn đào
DON'T WAIT UP!
A boat is docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented a Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
A boat is docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented a Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long,"
answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his
needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your
time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta
with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play
the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help
you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will
bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of
trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the
processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.You can then leave this little village and
move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge
enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the
businessman.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American,
laughing."When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make
millions!"
"Millions? Really?
And after that?"
"After that you'll
be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children,
catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your
friends!"
HAPPINESS
Sadly, many of us continually postpone our happiness
indefinitely. It's not that we consciously set out to do so, but that we keep convincing
ourselves, "Someday I'll be happy." We tell ourselves we'll be happy when our bills are paid,
when we get out of school, get our first job, a promotion.
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get
married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough,
we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to
deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that
our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer
car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right
now. If not Nihon? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to
yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite
quotes comes from Alfred D'Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was
about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be
gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid.
Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my
life".
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to
happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more
because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time, and remember
that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow
is a mystery.
Today is a GIFT.
That's why it's called the PRESENT!
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to
school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your
kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you
get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until
your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until you are off
welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until 'your song' comes on, until you've had a drink,
until you're sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no
better time then right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
To sum it all up - go make your own happiness and stop waiting
for something or someone to make you happy. You have to do it! Happiness is in the mind!
Compiled & posted by NV Nghiem
