The Need To Win

I know I have not been posting a lot lately here. However, everyday I want to write here, I just don't make it. Days are busy with Matthew, and really feel bad when I have to let him play alone. Every day I think about things I can write here, but now they are just titles and notes in my notebook. I will, I will - just like in the book The Little Engine That Could - 'I think I can, I think I can'.

Let me share something I read recently in the The Way of Chuang Tzu by Thomas Merton, a little book I once picked up at the bookstore. I can also relate.

'When an archer is shooting for nothing
He has all his skill.
If he shoots for a brass buckle
He is already nervous.
If he shoots for a prize of gold
He goes blind
Or sees two targets - 
He is out of his mind!


His skill has not changed. But the prize
Divides him. He cares.
He thinks more of winning
Than of shooting -
And the need to win
Drains him of power.'

A Quote I Can Relate

I came across Google with this Quote of the Day:

"The things we know best are the things we haven't been taught."

- by Marquis de Vauvenargues.

This is so true, and I can relate.

A Tragedy or A Blessing

I read this little story 'A Tragedy or A Blessing' a few days ago, and I would like to share it with you today. The story is from the book by Glenn Van Ekeren - 'Words for All Occasions, Quotes, Stories, Anecdotes, Poems, Fables, Proverbs and One-Liners'.

'Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.

The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks' front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.

The family's dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave - without the Clark family. The father shed tears of disappointment and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.

Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.

When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a blessing.'

I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. This brings me back many years ago when I entered first year of university. First year was a total disaster. Not to go into too much details, I had to change my educational path. There was not much of a change, but on the end I ended up taking slightly different courses than I anticipated on the first place. I was disappointed that I lost some time, but you know if my path was not altered, I would never met my loving husband - yes I met my husband in school that very next year and we both ended up graduating from the same profession, and got married. My story may not be that tragic, but still who knows what would happen if I did well and continue my education as I anticipated - however, I don't what to know, I am happy with the final result. Our paths in life get altered for reason, I believe; and unfortunately altered paths seems bad at times, but if it wasn't altered, then sometimes we find that things could have been worst, and sometimes we will never know.