“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.”

This is a real story but the names used here has no connection with reality ;)
Raj and Nimmi just got married and they were setting up their home with love.
After all those party and celebrations, it was time to set home – where Raj and Nimmi were going to live together. Both had good selections and choices too.
If one wanted to paint the room in pink the other wanted to paint it in Red. But what you do if both have one room to stay as their bedroom :)!
Anyway both had a compromise and they settled for a maroon paint in their bedroom ;)
Weekend came and both went for early shopping.
As soon they parked their car and were walking towards the shop, Nimmi found a wallet lying down. Nimmi, quickly took it and started looking around where as Raj is very unusual to do this as he doesn’t want to mind with others business and doesn’t want anyone else to indulge in his business.
Nimmi said to Raj, ‘Look! Someone lost their wallet and we should hand over this so that it reaches to the right person’.
Raj, the moment he saw this he got very angry and he said to Nimmi, ‘what’s the need to pick that’. You should have left it out there; we don’t know whose it is and why bother with all these things’.
Nimmi, didn’t like this at all, as her intention is to make sure this wallet reaches to the right person. She took the wallet and walked into the shop thinking, she will find the person. Raj, with his usual tensed face, said,’ don’t worry we will hand this over to the lost and found section’.
Both with that intention, walked into the store.

As they both started looking around both forgot about this wallet and they started looking around for things for their house. Raj spent a lot of money for sure as he had lot of stuff to carry in his car.
Nimmi and Raj both drove back home with the thought that day is still young and they will be able to fix all the furniture and paint in their rooms.
They were half-way through to home when Nimmi remembered about the wallet. She said, Raj! What about this wallet?
The moment Raj looked at the wallet he got angry again, saying why you had to pick this. You should have left this there itself. Nimmi, without listening to Raj, started looking into the wallet. She was trying to find if there is any way to contact the person or at least the address where she can mail it or so.
It was a wallet of a lady who was travelling and she was almost 70 years old. Nimmi felt, the lady must be very much worried about her wallet. Even though there wasn’t any money in the wallet, it had couple of credit cards and health care insurance cards.

Raj, said let’s give this to cops and let them handle. Suddenly, Raj thought no! Then the cop will ask why didn’t you guys give it to the shop itself? All these queries and doubts kept him worried. He decided and conveyed his verdict to Nimmi that we are going to throw it in garbage and we will think this incident never took place in our life.

Nimmi, at this moment was only thinking about the lady – what she must be going through! What if she needs some medical attention and all her stuff is in this wallet? All these kept her bothering and she felt like so much under pressure and tension and above all Raj’s decision to throw it in the garbage – made her scarred and restless.
Anyway either way, both were disturbed. Raj, somehow tried his best to change the topic and create a peaceful moment. It didn’t help Nimmi, she was still in thoughts and with a worried face.
Suddenly Raj asked what is it that you want? What will make you happy? Will you be happy if we return this to the same shop? And Nimmi’s response with a big smile was ‘Yes’ in the manner of a nod.
They both decided to drive back all the way and straight they went to the shop. They found couple of helpers of the shop was at the counter where Nimmi went and said we found this wallet in the parking lot. The guys first said ‘Thank you so much’ and the other guy immediately called the lady to confirm her about her lost wallet.
Nimmi felt as if tons of load was on her head and now its so light.

“As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it”. ~ M.K. Gandhi

Can you imagine how much that lady was worried and still had hope that someone will return it?
When I came to know about this incident, I was only thinking about the lady as I have experienced this in my life and boy! Its really horrible, specially when you have all your confidential matters are stocked in your wallet. Luckily, in my time there was someone like Nimmi, who drove to my house with the help of the address on my driving license and gave it back.

My suggestion to people is please don’t think like Raj because you don’t know what Nimmi did by giving it back instead of thinking all the trouble and consequences on self – think about the person who has actually lost their belongings.

Now, I want to share my belongings with you all and that is for this light of festival – Diwali:

May this light of happiness,

light up your life

May this Diwali be the most sparkling and lightening

The sights and sounds filling up your heart with joy and happiness

Wishing you and your family a very Happy and SAFE Diwali

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.”

It’s been only two months being in this neighborhood but I feel as if I have been here for a long time. When I moved to this neighborhood, I didn’t know how the neighbors would be…but as the days pass on I get to know them more closely and find that they are so caring.

Tim is the guy who came up to us saying don’t worry about your lawn, I will cut them for you and then we never had to think about our lawn. Frank and Tim these are the neighbors who live in front of our house and I always see them …it was strange when I didn’t see them for 2-3 days and when I asked Frank who is the father, he said his son Tim is not well and was admitted to the hospital.

Last Sunday we heard he left all of us for his heavenly journey. It was very sad, as I feel he had the charm to get close to people with his helping nature and his great ideas. One would never know when he will go for hunting and bring deer, wild boar, turkey and if nothing then at least fish from fishing. He was a hard working and helping hand for everyone in the neighborhood. The worst thing was that Tim had moved with his father after his mom’s death to support his father and now he himself has left his father alone, what a tragedy.

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death” ~ Albert Einstein

But the way neighbors are taking care of him is amazing. Wednesday was the service which I attended and I could feel the loss so badly that it literally made me cry. How long do you need to know a person to be close? I learnt that here in two months time.
Friday my neighbor Curtis had a campfire in his backyard which was for Frank specially and we all had a really good time. It was a good time to know the neighbors more closely.

Next morning it was a tree plantation, which was donated by us, all neighbors in remembrance of Tim and planted at the backyard of Frank’s house. All of a sudden I felt I know my neighbors for many years.
Saturday night we had karaoke at our place and then after dinner for the neighbors, we all wanted Frank to have a good time and as good neighbors weekend was the only time that we could spend most with Frank.
Everyday everyone from the neighborhood will have a check with Frank – just to make him know that we all are there for him.

Life can be so different if my neighbors were strangers to each other.

“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.”

“Fie, fie, you counterfeit. You puppet, you!”

These days even though I am busy somehow I am keeping a good track on the election debates between the Presidential Candidates and the VP Candidates.

Not that I am interested in American Politics, but as the elections are coming in Canada too and I happily casted my Vote to my candidate Mary Minna from Liberal Party, I felt like comparing between US and Canada elections and the candidates.

Nothing much I have to say about Obama and John as I felt the dashing Obama was nervous or tired during the debate time.
But with regards to the VP Candidates debate, where when I heard Sarah Palin….I literally felt it was a show- you know where you can learn by heart some of the speeches and you come and give a solo act performance and based on that people say – wow! What a performance? What a way she used the word ‘you betcha’ and all the time her ‘soccer mom’ comment – I really don’t know what Americans think about her but hey….talking as if she know what a common man needs doesn’t satisfy that she can handle the Country matter and solve things as what she did in Alaska.
I felt she had nothing to add with regards to the financial melt down and the nuclear drew!

“Don't show off every day, or you'll stop surprising people. There must always be some novelty left over. The person who displays a little more of it each day keeps up expectations, and no one ever discovers the limits of his talent.” ~ Baltasar Gracian

In stead I felt Senator Biden was much capable, knowledgeable about the situation and felt that he has that intelligence to find a solution.

I hope Americans don’t make mistake again in electing the right one ….

“The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it.” ~ Elaine Agather