See the Trees

By William Lambert

I lived in Alabama on a half-acre lot blessed with huge oak trees that were 40 feet in diameter. They were HUGE! The house was laid out in such a manner that every bedroom faced the backyard and each bedroom had a large picture window. The view was breathtaking. I enjoyed just looking at the trees. In the fall, I would identify a particular leaf that was falling and watched it for what seemed liked 5 minutes before it fell to earth.

One day, I invited this married couple over to enjoy the view from the bedroom window. I took them into the bedroom and excitedly pointed to the trees out of the window and exclaimed, "Just look!"

After about 20 seconds there was no comment from the couple. I, however, noticed a big frown on the woman's face.

I said, "What's wrong?" She was reluctant to reply.

I insisted and again said, "What's wrong?"

She relented and said, "Don't you see those fingerprints on the glass?"

I turned and looked and there were what seemed to be fifty or more fingerprints on the glass. I ran for the Windex to clean the glass. The lady "Oh, I didn't mean for you to clean it now."

The morale here is this: That lady never saw the trees. Even when I tried to point them out, she missed it! As for me, I didn't see the fingerprints. I was looking through the glass and not at it.

When the fingerprints were pointed out to me, I saw them and removed them. The lady never saw the trees. She focused on the fingerprints and never got passed them.

Life is very much like that. There are things in life that are good and things that are bad. You choose which things you want to focus on. I focus on the trees.

What are you focusing on?

Confessions

I don’t know how to react when someone I know in my every day life makes a remark about something I’ve written on my blog.

It just feels pretty weird.

If given a choice, I would rather much prefer if they had posted a comment here instead. At least that gives me a chance to ponder and figure out some intelligent response in return.

But in real life, we can’t always have our cake and eat it too, can we?

For me, my blog is just an avenue for me to vent and keep my sanity intact.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad.” – Salvador Dali

Psycho,

When love & hate collide

“When divided we stand, baby, united we fall”

I never thought it was possible to love someone so much and also hate him with such passion all at once.

On certain days, we can’t even see eye-to-eye. I guess both of us are too stubborn and refuse to give in each time we are in a heated argument.

I don’t see why I should be the one apologizing when I didn’t do anything wrong in the first place – well, at least that’s what I thought of 2 out of the 3 arguments that we’ve had recently.

And even if I did, until today, I can’t see the reason why he should raise his voice at me. I’m 28 years old, for heaven’s sake, not his 3-year-old daughter! Even my mom doesn’t talk to me in such a manner.

I know I’m extremely stubborn and I won't deny that. I’ve always believed that if I’m right, I need to stand up for myself because if I don’t, nobody else will. If you are looking for a doormat, I’m sorry but you won’t find it here.

On top of that, I’m a carrot person and the stick method doesn’t work on me at all. Maybe he hasn’t realized this yet.

Or maybe he prefers to apply the stick method just because it has worked for him in the past.

I love him dearly but perhaps at the end of the day, I still love myself more.

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.” – Oscar Wilde in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’

Just as I am,

Remember the time

Sometimes when I look back at my past, I would smile thinking of how smitten I was towards a certain person.

You know the feeling that he was meant to be ‘The One’?

I think it was those feelings that kept me going throughout those years with him - through all the heartache and tears. Read the rest of the story here:

http://mellys03.blog.friendster.com/2007/03/the-story-of-a-girl-and-a-leopard/

At least I know now that we can’t rely on our hearts alone when it comes to relationships.

Rationality should be a keyword in all of our dictionaries.

If being together with him/ her doesn’t make you happy today, what makes you think that things will change tomorrow?

But sometimes the truth is indeed hard to swallow.

If two people are meant to spend their lifetimes together, it will happen eventually. No pushing or shoving required.

If it’s not intended to be, no matter how much effort one party puts in, at the end of the day, both sides will end up being miserable. So, what’s the point?

Are there things that you’ve regretted in any past relationships?

Definitely. But I've made my choice and am now walking down the path I’ve picked. And there seems to be no U-turn in sight. Maybe this is where and who I'm destined to be with – as of now.

After all, who are we to say that we know for certain what is going to happen tomorrow?

Considering the fact that we are no fortune tellers, well, at least I'm not anyway.

“You need the serenity to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change the things you can and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Viebuhr

No turning back,

Smacking my lips

“Two minutes on the lips, two years on the hips.”

Bah, who gives a s**t about the diameters of my thunder thighs?

If I get hit by a bus whilst crossing the road and died tomorrow, there will be no Maccas waiting for me when I crossed over – if there is such a thing as ‘the other side’. And should there ever be one, I hope that Melinda Gordon will point me to the right path. Mmm… she is indeed one hot momma.

One thing’s for sure, the worms will be having a feast.

Nah, I think I’d prefer to be cremated. The thought of worms squirming all over my cold, lifeless body repulses me. And to think that I can’t flick them away with my fingers… Eww.

Life is too short.

Even to think about life beyond death.

On a totally different note, how difficult is it to park within the confines of your own parking bay? Even a handful of bus drivers know how to park their vehicles properly so I can't understand why these fools can't learn to be more considerate. Watch out, because one day, you may just lose one of your side mirrors, thanks to either your brilliant parking skills or your tactlessness; or if you're lucky enough, both.

Oops, I forgot. Since they are idiots, they might never learn. Well, not in this lifetime anyway.

Come to think of it now, I actually feel sorry for these sods.

Running to the gym,

Green with envy

Came across this earlier today:

“Don't compare your life with others. You have no idea of the highways they have traveled during their lives.” – Author Unknown

We perpetually assume that the grass is always greener on the other side. But is this usually the case?

The truth may be that this ‘other side’ that you are able to see from the point where you are currently standing may be just a tip of a gargantuan iceberg.

Everybody has their own story and what you see may not necessarily be what you get.

The green-eyed monster,

Sweat like a pig

I hate wiping people’s sweat off the equipment.

It’s disgusting.

To think that I actually brought my towel to the gym to wipe my OWN sweat off my body and the equipment that I'VE used. Now, after wiping someone’s sweat off the bench, I am restricted to wiping only the equipment from that moment onwards.

Which makes me end up looking like a cleaner who works there.

Maybe since I’m at it, I might as well clean the toilet bowls too.

Gross.

Perhaps the person has forgotten to bring his towel from home today and did not intentionally leave his bodily fluids there.

“There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life – reciprocity.” – Confucius

To err is human,