Dear Friends

Are you a doodler? Do you find that you have a tendency to pick up a pen or pencil and make little drawings or shapes when you are talking on the phone or when your mind is wandering? Doodles are sketches or drawings made while a person's attention is occupied elsewhere. Believe it or not, these scribbles, shapes or drawings can actually be reflective of what is going on in your subconscious mind.

Let me give you an example. Recently, I was talking with my dear friend Bernard about a small problem he was trying to resolve. During our conversation, he was doodling on a stray piece of paper, and as my eyes followed the shape of his little drawings, I realized that his drawings were actually providing an answer to his problem.

I pointed this out to him and, after examining his doodles, he agreed with me. He was very entertained by the prospect that his mind had provided an answer and said it was the cheapest and most pleasant therapy he had ever experienced.

It is well documented, Friends, that much of our creative ex-pression comes to us from our subconscious, and doodling is simply a manifestation of that creative ex-pression. Doodling allows the subconscious mind to communicate through pictorial symbols, many of which have universal meanings, such as circles, spirals, crosses, flowers, etc.

It stands to reason that if this symbolic communication can occur through doodling, then if we wanted to, you could choose to make contact with your subconscious mind through some directed meditative doodling. If you are up for trying this, let yourself doodle on notepaper while you are mentally engaged in another activity, such as talking on the phone or watching television. Remember that it only really works when you are not consciously directing your scribbling actions. Afterwards, take some time to inspect your doodles for words and picture clues that might hold the solution to your problem or a helpful insight.

So, Friends, the next time you find yourself at a loss over a situation, give this technique a try. You just might find that your subconscious mind holds an answer.

As an avid gardener, I make it a point to enjoy the fruits of spring. So, when I take a break from my daily routine, I often opt for a walk in a nearby park. I love to take in the fragrances and spectacular colors of the flowers and vines in bloom. However, during a walk earlier this week, my attention was drawn to a different sort of little one along the path, a young boy.

He looked to be about four and was holding a ice-cream rcup he had picked from the edge of the path. His mum was scolding him a bit about park etiquette, and when she bent down to get eye-to-eye with him, he presented her with the slightly crushed ice-cream cup..

The mum took the flower and hugged the little boy tightly. Then they hopped up, she took his hand, and they skipped down the path together. It was a touching scene, Friends,, that brought back memories of my own childhood and of my mum.

I remember my mum scolding my brother or myself one moment and then hugging us the next. She was constantly tending to us in some fashion, coming to school to bring a lunch or homework paper that had been left behind. She always seemed to be prepared, ready with a plaster when one of us had a skinned knee, or armed with a nightlight when we were scared of the monsters in the closet.

Of course, my mum, like most mothers, was not perfect, but there was no denying her nurturing spirit and her willingness to put our needs above her own. She did what she could to teach us to be responsible and productive in our endeavors.

Motherhood is a little different today. Today's mothers balance a more hectic lifestyle. These contemporary mums manage to get their children to school and other activities, to have dinner on the table, help with homework, get kids bathed and ready for bed, read the bedtime stories, check the closet for monsters and close the day with a playful tuck-in and goodnight kiss. And plenty of them have jobs outside the home as well!

Friends,, the next time you see a mum struggling with an infant, a toddler, a grocery bag, or a shop door, I hope you will take a moment to stop and help her out and let her know what an important job she is doing. Now as May is the month to honor mothers, I hope you'll join in sending love and support to all mothers, both present and past!

What's your hurry? Actually, a friend of mine found out the hard way the other day. She was rushing to catch a bus and fell on a slippery patch on the road. Her feet flew out from under her and she landed on her right wrist. It was broken, and as she is right-handed, it makes it difficult to do the most ordinary things that most of us take for granted.

But she said the minor accident seemed to be a kind of "wake-up" call for her. Now that she has to pay more attention to her movements, she also is getting into a slower, more natural rhythm in her life. She also said that she hadn't realized until then how stressed she had been feeling.

Well, Friends,, I think that applies to a lot of us -- and the fact that we can be contributing to our own stress levels by pushing ourselves to rush even when it's not actually necessary. Too often that leads to a continual state of "hurry up," no matter what we are doing.

I'd like to propose making a little experiment. For one day, try noticing your movements how fast are you are moving as you turn, stoop, walk, pick something up, eat or dress. See if you can become more aware of each action as you perform it. And notice your breathing as well. Are you breathing quickly or shallowly, or more slowly or deeply? It's a good way to catch yourself in the act, so to speak, and keep stress from building up by slowing down just a bit.

So, Friends, here's to going with the flow!

The following mail I have received from one of my friends. Please go through and forward

Hello friends.........


Kindly forward it to as many as people, its very important.

This is a real incident that happened in a local hospital in Bangalore ,
India .. A 4 year old girl was admitted due to leg fracture. As it was an
open fracture, she had to undergo an operation to stitch the protruding
bone back in place. Though it was quite a minor operation, she was
hooked on to life support system, as a part of the process. The doctors had
to input some data prior to the operation to suit different
conditions. Thereafter, the operation proceeded. Half way through the process, the
life support system suddenly went dead.

The culprit: - Some one was using his/her hand-phone outside the
operation theatre. And the frequency had affected the system. They tried to
track the fellow but to no avail. The little girl, young and innocent
as she was dead soon after.

'Be compassionate! Do not use your hand phone /mobiles especially at
any hospitals or within the Aircraft or any places where you are told
not to use it... You might not be caught in the act, but you might
have killed someone without knowing'. Sometimes it's a matter of Life &
Death....!!!!

Please pass this to as many, since most of us are just not aware of the
seriousness of this issue.

Please Don't Delete. Please Send this to all your contacts and help
save a life.

A tiny mail can save a life.


Last Word: So friends pls.....pls.....pls...avoid using your mobile phones in hospitals...
sometime its a matter of life & death.

Just to cheer-up ..... here's an award winning joke...

N'Joy...

What do you do when you find yourself "stuck"? You know, whenever you're working toward a goal or making a change in your life, there always seems to come a time when you hit a plateau or you feel like you're not moving forward. When that happens, I know from experience that it's easy to get discouraged. That's why I was so interested to come across a technique that you can use to help you get over that and back on track.

I was reading about the results of a study done at Ohio State University by assistant professor of psychology Lisa Libby. It showed that when people were asked to visualize an event from their past and judge their progress since then, those who were told to visualize things from a third-person point of view that is, to visualize it as if you were watching a movie, as an observer judged themselves less harshly and saw the progress that was made.

But those who were told to visualize "through their own eyes" -- in the first-person -- were more critical of themselves and couldn't separate their emotions from the event. Friends,, that really says a lot about how our emotions can sometimes keep us from accurately judging any progress we make.

It's like that old saying about seeing ourselves as others see us. When you can imagine watching yourself as the star of your own movie, you'll have a better chance of judging your "performance" fairly. And you're more likely to appreciate your own efforts, which will make it easier to continue on your path.

After all, Friends,, you are the star in your own life.

Dear Friends,

Are you getting your daily requirements? Just like those recommended vitamin quotas for physical health, you could say that there are also "requirements" for our emotional health every day. With recent studies showing that negative emotions can actually affect our health and even our life span, it just seems to me to emphasize how important it is to become aware of our interactions with others on a daily basis, and keep them as positive as possible.

As a matter of fact, experts in the field of positive psychology have found that the frequency of small, positive acts is critical to our overall happiness. Maybe you might think that you don't really deal with that many people each day. But if you start to think about it, you could be surprised, Friends,.

Whenever you travel anywhere, you're dealing with others. Whenever you buy something or a service, when you need information, when you need to make a complaint, when you need technical assistance, when you have financial transactions there are so many times a day that we actually have contact with others, whether in person or on the phone. And this is not counting interacting with loved ones or co-workers.

Turning these encounters into positive ones can be very simple. Sometimes just a smile is all that is needed, or simply acknowledging someone's presence, according them the respect you yourself would expect. A "thank you" can work wonders. And, perhaps not surprisingly, when you approach others from a positive point of view, you become more open and more positive as well. Any negative emotions won't have a chance!

I was having a good cleaning out of my closets the other day. That's one of those chores you really have to be in the mood for, I think. But once you're done, it's such a satisfying feeling to be rid of old, unwanted, or forgotten "stuff" and to have more space. It's very liberating.

And that got me thinking, Friends,. It's not only physical possessions that can "clutter" our lives, but also the emotional baggage we may carry around with us and just can't seem to let go of or get rid of. Maybe it's old regrets about a former relationship, or a loss or disappointment of some kind, feelings of insecurity, or fear of failure. This type of emotional "clutter" can weigh us down and prevent us from growing.

So, I put together a little exercise for "decluttering" those old emotions and feelings we all experience and maybe are just holding onto for too long. First, just sit down and put into words the emotional clutter you want to be free of. Write it down on a piece of paper. Then, choose a symbol or image that represents your old feeling and draw it on the paper, or paste a picture from a magazine or catalog that illustrates it. Then, take the piece of paper and make a ceremony of disposing of it. You could bury it in the ground, put it in a shredder, or burn it in a safe place.

Whatever way you choose to dispose of the paper, just before you do, say aloud the following: "I am ready to release my feelings about." and then fill in with your own words. After the paper is gone, simply say, "Good-bye. I am now free." Now, doing this once may not totally release all the old feelings, depending on their strength. But you can repeat the process as often as you want, Friends,.

And it's a good idea to help things along by having something to replace the old feelings your new goals or hopes. Write them down on a piece of paper and add a picture or symbol of them. Put this piece of paper where you will see it every day. So, in time, you'll have that liberating feeling of emotional freedom.

_{WISH YOU ALL}

_{A VERY HAPPY SREE RAMA NAVAMI}

_{MAY LORD SHREE RAMA SHOWER ALL HIS BLESSINGS ON US}

_{TO LEAD A VERY HEALTHY & CHEERFUL LIFE}

_{With best wishes}

_{ASHWINI RAI & FAMILY}

Want to improve your life in many different ways? Well, get some sleep! Actually, why we (and practically all other creatures) sleep remains a mystery that science still hasn't been able to solve. But what isn't mysterious is that we need sleep to function well both mentally and physically.

Friends, I'm sure you know that feeling when you have to face the day having slept poorly or for too few hours. You feel groggy, can't think straight, and your reflexes are slow. You feel cranky and out of sorts. But if you get into the habit of not getting enough sleep, it has a bad effect on your immune system and your mental health as well. Going for long periods without enough sleep can lead to bad moods, anger, and depression.

That's because when you sleep, your body is renewing itself, your muscle tissue is rebuilt and restored, growth hormone is secreted, and your mental energy is restored. Studies have recently found that sleeping plays a key role in solidifying learning and memory.

I know that sometimes it can be difficult to get to sleep, so here are a few tips I've collected. What really helps is to have a relaxing bedtime routine. Try to establish a set time for going to bed and for waking up, and stick to it as much as possible, even on the weekends. This will help set your body's clock for sleep. A little light exercise, but not too close to bedtime, can help you unwind.

Be sure to keep your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark. And use the bedroom only for sleeping don't put a desk in there, for example. A warm cup of milk or relaxing herbal tea like chamomile can help. (Be sure to avoid caffeine and alcohol.) Playing soothing music can also help you stifle a "chattering mind" and signal relaxation.

So, Friends, to get the most out of life, sleep on it!