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It was while watching one of my favourite Wallace & Gromit films: A matter of Loaf and Death; that it occurred to me a few things. One indeed, that I felt like Gromit, in that everyone around me was giggling, happy and in love. My parents just celebrating their 27^th wedding anniversary (I'm truly quite happy for them); two of my dear girlfriend's getting married the following month of July; and well through the walls of my new place there sure was a lot of giggling or could that be 'thumping sounds' happening on the other end! Oh bother! The second thing that occurred to me was that in life we always want MORE. Never are we satisfied with where we're at and what we've got. We always want MORE. Be it material things, new gadgets, a dog, a child, or money. Surely human beings don't tend to be content in the least; there is always just that one more thing we can have that will give us that extra oomph!; that extra bit of happiness we earnestly crave! We can safely say though that after achieving what it is that we want, the elation wears off quite quickly…it doesn't take long till you tire of that gadget, or the Apple corporation invents the new and improved version of what you already have. I suppose the only thing that won't ever tire, that should always be exciting is your mate, your friend, your true love…for 'every bread surely has a cheese!' I just suppose I may be a tad too cheesy for any bread at all! Oh Crumbs! J

Try to focus on what it is that you have already. Your family; parents (even if they live far away and you rarely see them); a job, even if it isn't the dream job; your health, your strength, friends that entertain you or make you laugh, no mariachi bands playing outside your window (amen to that), sunshine, great sneakers, a snazzy car, suitors…even if they…hey you're liked! Focus on these things and what it is that you desire will be sent, and your already good fortune will be multiplied, you must be grateful for where you're at. Wherever you go, there you are, and it is exactly where you're supposed to be. So if it's in a dark hole, stay there! Hahah j/k But seriously, embrace and accept wherever it is that you are. If you're going through some sort of struggle, inner or outer, your mind racing with thoughts a mile a minute because of it; calm yourself, breathe, put on a lovely tune, or some good ole' Wallace & Gromit, it'll be sure to put a smile on your face and enlighten you to realize that whatever it is you're going through is only for a moment in time, opposed to the grander scheme of things. Seasons in life, seasons of emotions, friends that visit for seasons too; and love…well, it is the greatest thing, so don't dismiss it, embrace it too, with all its squalid brilliance! Just remember it takes two to tango, and if the other person very well doesn't care to take your hand and dance with you…then they most likely won't like to accompany you on the dance of life either! Be patient with yourselves and where you're at. Be patient with your heart and the timing of the Universe.

Awaken and become aware that with life there are always miracles waiting to happen! The impossible is always possible, and what may be up now, treasure it, because it just may be down tomorrow. And people that are sensationally dreadful to you, and they say things that prick your heart and soul, know that they indeed may be jealous, un-aware and actually quite likely hurting themselves and because of lack of education or morals or upbringing they act out and do things they one day most certainly will regret. Let them be! Let it be! Keep smiling; keep doing the right things, showing kindness and you'll be sure to ace the test!

For yes darlings, this is only a test, and death, which is also a part of life, is the final. The final test, the moment you are able to review your life on earth, and the moment you return from whence you came. And how exciting would that be as well. Enjoy it for now, the good, the bad, the cheesy…because tomorrow just may be your lucky day! Live with that hope and expectation! J

Bless-up!

Jair

Every Bread have a Cheese

This is a saying from Trinidad & Tobago which means simply; that 'no matter how unattractive one is, there is someone, somewhere who will find that one beautiful. There is a matching partner for everyone, no matter how weird'. Seriously, I see it every day on the aircraft at work, couples happy and in love and together, squeezing hands through the turbulence. What a lovely sandwich eh? J

Sometimes in life we let our thoughts get the best of us; we suffer and succumb to that inner turmoil; of wondering and pondering on why, what, how come and when. We have no peace of mind and our emotions bring us down to zero. We feel hopeless and sad and as though what is the use of this life without that one thing that brought us added joy. Unfortunately most times, it is the thing that great prophets tell us to do the most; to simply, just love one another. But there are many different types of love. There is the love of our country, parents and children, of friends, of co-workers or classmates, and then there is the BIG one; of lovers, of boyfriend and girlfriend, or husband and wife, or boyfriend and boyfriend and wife and wife…these types of relationships with love tend to be a bit trickier.

I find even forgiving and having compassion for an enemy easier at times, than totally putting your heart on the line to love another who may accept it now and trash it later. The love I am speaking of is one that is forever, one that is true, and one that is unconditional, like a friendship on ecstasy! I marvel at my dear friends who put up with my reminiscing and constant re-visiting of something I have no control over whatsoever. How frustrating it is to know that even after giving your all, you lose grasp of something you were so sure was going to blossom into a future of great magnitude.

One must remember that it is important to be the master of your thoughts; without this practice we may continuously make our lives, literally, a living hell. The late and great John Lennon sang, 'Let it Be' and the infamous Bob Marley sang of three little birds that visited his window sill singing, "Don't Worry About a Thing!" As strong as I think I am, I am still on a journey of growth and healing and I find prayer and meditation quite useful in giving me the calm and positive vibe I need. I sometimes sit with a question, or most times as life is quite a ride, a pleading of sorts. I asked recently, "What do you want from me!?" And sure enough the answer came, "I want you to trust me!"

I didn't identify completely with this before, but after doing more reading, prayer, and meditation, it became much clearer on what it is my lesson was about. Countless times I have witnessed miracles, and I am aware of its magnificence, and promised myself at those moments that I shouldn't have doubt or negative thoughts again, because of this bizarre brilliance known to us by the name 'Miracle'. However, as brisk and immense as it came, as quick did I forget and begin brooding again. I realized that Trust meant that I should trust that everything would be alright. How many times have we worried and paced and stressed over situations and in the end everything turned out for the best?

The Universe/Supreme Being/God wanted me to not only trust myself, my opinions and my greatness, but to know that whatever I was going through was only a small hurdle in the much, much bigger scheme of things/life, that whatever I was going through was only a test and certainly not the final. We need to surrender more and let go of things which we ultimately have little control over. Meditation helps us still the mind and in this purification process, truth and trust are revealed to us, time and time again, we must trust, and do so with grace. There is more to this journey than we are even aware of, and when we have trust we eliminate all doubt and anxiety. When we trust, surrender and let go, then we finally begin to know…the truth.

It is easier said than done though, we all know this; the ego is so strong in most of us; our humanistic and petty behaviours take control usually and put us in a definite slump. But we have to shake it off; we have to keep positive, we have to let go.

My grandmother often says: "Bless everything!" & "Do your best and let God do the rest!" and how right she is in what she says. Once you do the right thing with a good heart, then you have nothing to worry about. Don't look for rewards; they will come but when the time is right. Sometimes in life, the timing is not right, but after people go through further lessons, jump through hurdles or close chapters to books, then they are able to see things differently. They surrender and let go of things and see things in a whole different perspective that they were blind to before. Sometimes people need to get into unhealthy situations to redeem themselves and heal their lives. We are all on different levels, learning, and moving towards hopefully a better us! J

I cannot melt my cheese, or burn my bread, because when you have such a special sandwich and you know it and feel it and get a small but splendid taste of it, you know it's your favourite sandwich no matter what other baguettes, scones or burritos one tosses your way. So you place your bread and cheese in the fridge and you wait. Don't get me wrong; you shouldn't just sit there waiting and hoping that your bread or cheese will wise-up, but you put it in there, knowing that you'll resolve or have it before its expiration date. In the mean time, you could travel down to the supermarket, or the local shop, and try other delicacies that vendors may offer you. When you let go/surrender/trust that everything will be alright, so many doors open for you; beautiful, exotic, friendly and tasty doors that invite you into a whole new world of flavor.

Remember, you cannot force anything in life, sometimes when you try too hard, you end up just getting a nervous breakdown; and you also cannot force somebody to love you. Would you want them, if they still had unresolved issues that they preferred to deal with anyway? Maybe one day the timing will be right and you'll get what you've been trying so hard to attain, or maybe one day that person you adore will realize how untainted your thoughtfulness and kindness and devotion was; that all you truly wanted was to love and be loved. Surround yourself with what you love, learn new songs on your steel-pan (drum), finish taking those French language lessons, buy the new SIMS game for your computer, tighten those scripts that you soon will be able to produce, master those belly-dance moves, or take that trip you've always wanted to Turkey, Cuba, Chile or Egypt! J

I finally am learning to trust…not by taking sweets from strangers – [haha] (although I do quite enjoy white and milk chocolate); but trusting in my higher-self, my Creator, and in the Universe that I am a child of purity, light and beauty and I deserve someone that can identify, share and grow in that radiance with me. I am not saying I still don't yearn to have my bread and cheese with a lovely glass of wine, but we must try this 'trust' thing, because we never know how many people are falling in love with our spirits and our smiles! J

Remember, happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in stranger's gardens. – Douglas Jerrold