In 1997, Pamela Redmond Satran wrote a list for Glamour Magazine. Having already passed her thirtieth birthday,her goal was to tell younger women about “the things I really wished I’d had and known by that important milestone.” It not only resonated, it became a phenomenon. To this day,the now bestselling author’s list continues to make its way across the web, via sites, inboxes, and social feeds, experiencing recurring surges of viral popularity. Yet, up until very recently, in typical not-giving-credit-where-credit-is-due internet form, it was most often shared with either no attribution to Pamela or tagged as someone else’s work, including “Maya Angelou’s Best Poem Ever.”
Here are 15 interesting points from that list …
1)”A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to…
……..
2)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she’s content to leave behind….
3)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
………..
4)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…
………..
5)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a feeling of control over her destiny…
6)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself..
7)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship…
8)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…
9)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
10)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect..but its over…
11)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…
12)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…
13)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…
14)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…
15)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…
So much for the creativity passed on without credit.
And here is a dedication to Every Woman out there…Enjoy 💖👍💖
An interesting article for those who believe that all we see is all that exists.
It stimulates our lateral thinking :
To something that is beyond!!
This lovely parable is from “Your Sacred Self” by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”
“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”
The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”
The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”
The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”
The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”
“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”
The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”
The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”
Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”
To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”
*May be this is one of the best explanations to the concept of ‘GOD/Source’!*
Your superficial imperfections cannot break your spirit
For your spirit is alive and kicking,
With much to do and make a mark.
Every moment is too precious to waste.
Add some self-love and spirit
While you converse with your mirror.
For its high time, indeed;
Make that mirror work for you.
Use it well to help yourself.
Turn yourself into a confident you.
Present yourself in the best possible light.
Believe in who you truly are and what you can do.
There is much power that is awaiting you.
So, meet and greet your reflection with faith!
Savvy
Many of us may have had a love-hate relationship with mirrors at different periods of our lives. It is, however, the extremes of behaviour that one must bring awareness into. The mirror becomes a narcissistic tool of overt admiration bordering on self-indulgence. Then there are those for whom the mirror becomes a bane of their existence; it depresses them every time they catch their reflection.
Befriend the Mirror
Life is full of changes, and it certainly takes a whole lot of self-understanding to come to a place of comfort with your changing self in various points of life.
There is utter confidence in the brashness of youth; mellow musings find their way a few decades later, and then, we are overcome with resigned indifference bordering on self-negligence. Acceptance of the changing self than denial makes you befriend yourself as you are.
That is the game-changer. For then, you reflect the power of what is truly within.
Gentleness is not a weakness.
Infact it requires much mustering of strength.
The one who has seen pain enough
Has two paths before him laid
One of revenge and hate for that which he endured
Or a path of understanding that gentleness is the way
Through winds of misfortune and misgivings
The path of the heart leads to awakenings in awareness.
Of feeling the suffering in empathy for fellow beings.
What we endure today may have been endured by someone before
So why not create a path of compassion
Knowing change begins with you.
An interesting read on the value of positive words as reminders.
*Your password can change your life….. lovely read*
How a Password Changed a Life…….
I was having an average morning until I sat down in front of my office computer .
“your password has expired”, a server message flashed on my screen, with instructions for changing it…
In my company we have to change passwords monthly..
I was deeply depressed after my recent divorce. Disbelief over what she had done to me was what I thought all day long ….
I remembered a tip I’d heard from my former boss. He’d said, “I’m going to use a password that is going to change my life”.
I couldn’t focus on getting things done in my current mood.. My password reminded me that I shouldn’t let myself be a victim of my recent breakup and that I was strong enough to do something about it.
I made my password – Forgive@her. I had to type this password several times every day, each time my computer would lock. Each time I came back from lunch I wrote forgive her.
The simple action changed the way I looked at my ex-wife.. That constant reminder of reconciliation led me to accept the way things happened and helped me deal with my depression..
By the time the server prompted me to change my password following month, I felt free.
The next time I had to change my password I thought about the next thing that I had to get done. My password became Quit@smoking4ever .
It motivated me to follow my goal and I was able to quit smoking.
One month later, my password became Save4trip@europe, and in three months I was able to visit Europe.
Reminders helped me materialize my goals and kept me motivated and excited, it’s sometimes difficult to come up with your next goal
Keeping at it brings great results.
After a few months my password was –
lifeis#beautiful !!! Life going to change again…
*Moral of the Story is Your Internal Talk Matters, what you tell yourself conditions you to think in that direction and you are able to witness realtime RESULTS.*
Reading this made me think more on the power of words.
There is immense power in positive affirmation.
As much as in manifestations through sincere intention.
Daily repetitions of chantings in prayer
And grace in words of gratitude.
So much for self suggestions towards well being.
The words we think ,read, speak or write all have immense power to change our ways.
We are given the gift of life
In this gift are many gifts
That are necessary to thrive as humans.
Though we may not think much of them.
Each gift is interlinked to the other
We are meant to sense at different times
We are meant to share with one another
Our gifts are meant to refine our beings.
One such gift is an ability for compassion
Without it we cease to be humane
Deeply intertwined with loving kindness
A share of compassion can lift our spirits.
How beautiful a world we would be
When each life lives with compassion
For the world beyond around and within
Knowing the preciousness of life itself.
The beauty of compassion
Is in its flow
Emnating from the depth of ones soul
Reaching out in a boundless bond
Caring sharing
Helping healing
Sensing feeling
Loving and living
Compassion connects and how!
Extend a helping hand and bring the Gift of Compassion in life and living.
This Now’ is a just a flicker
In the vast endless space.
A fleeting moment,
That travels backwards in Time.
Never to return on its one-way path.
Never blink your eyes, lest you miss
The beauty of the Moment.
Some moments well captured in this time frame.
Stays afresh like the etching on a rock.
A single moment, so potent
To change the course of your life.
A bliss or curse depends on the Awakening Awareness of its Transcience.
Seek an understanding mind
Make no effort to stagnate,
As flowing is its innate Nature.
Senses wandering free
Unmindful of the other
Thoughts floating like clouds
Unconnected actions of body n mind
Aimless moments, effortless wastage
Unaware of the flow of Time.
Like sand seeping through the fingers
‘This Now’ dissolving in the past,
Creating a formless future, at what cost?
Potent moments become futile.
Detachment is different from disconnection.
Awareness is not aligned to alienation.
Make an effort to be consciously present
Not to miss a moment of breath,
‘Be in the Now’ to witness the magic of Life.
Anjana
Sharing my mothers reflections here on the value of the moments. She wrote this after reflecting on my earlier poem
Savvy Raj 
You must be logged in to post a comment.