Hearts On Fire - 101 Stories explaining life on a daily basis (HeartSpeak series - 1) - Have a peep into the book

Joji Valli

A story becomes so intimate to your heart when it touches your heart. I mean, when it makes fire in your heart. Hearts On Fire sets fire in your heart as you read and personalize it. HeartSpeaks series will enhance you and inspire you to live a life of happiness peace, unity and love. Thus, making this world a better place for each of us to live with the realization -- 'life is too short'.

1. Acceptance

A farmer had a beautiful horse that he loved very much.
One day the horse ran away and the farmer had no idea about its whereabouts. Some of his neighbors in the evening gathered to sympathize with him over his bad luck. He said, “It is perfect and fine.”
The next morning the horse came back with other six sturdy wild horses, and the neighbors spoke highly of his good fortune. He said, “It is perfect and fine.”
Incidentally, his son tried to saddle and rides one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his hand.
As usual the neighbors flocked to express sympathy for the bad luck.
The farmer in his normal tone said, “It is perfect and fine.”
A few days later conscription officials came to the village to recruit young men to the army. Due to his disability the farmer’s son was discarded.
Again, the neighbors approached the farmer to say how fortunate everything turned out. He said, “It is perfect and fine.”

Whatever happens — Accept it. It is very difficult to accept certain events that happen in our lives. Accept with awareness. If we accept blindly it is not acceptance. If we are looking for solutions in life the first step is acceptance. Once we accept a problem, we no more brood over it instead look for solutions. So the faster we get into acceptance mode will reduce the consequences and gravity of the problem. What is important is how soon am I able to bounce back when something happens. We should be like rubber balls when it comes to acceptance. When you throw the rubber ball to the floor, it instantaneously bounces back. The faster you bounce back the easier life becomes that is the bottom-line. If you are able to accept you move on. If not you are stuck with the situations or problems.
If you want to relax, acceptance is the way. Acceptance is the gateway to happiness. Accepting life, as it reveals itself is the only antidote to problems in our lives.
Resistance is persistence and anything that we resist persists in life. Sometimes rejection comes before acceptance and it makes us aware of acceptance.

“Our entire life consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are.” — Jean Anouith
“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” — Brendan Francis

63. Monotony

The Master asked his disciple, “What is God?”
The disciple just bowed and remained silent. The Master blessed him and said, “Good. I am happy.”
The next day, the Master asked the disciple the same question again, “What is God?”
The disciple made a deep and profound bow, closed his eyes and remained silent.
The Master hit him hard on the head and said, “You fool!”
The disciple was perplexed and asked, “But what has happened? Yesterday you were so happy with the answer. And it is the same — even better than yesterday!”
And the Master said, “That is where your mistake is: the past is past, the present is present. You are simply repeating a ready made formula. Now you are not being spontaneous, not being true, not being creative or responsible. How can the same answer be right today?”

Monotony brings lethargy in life. As human beings we often come to this situation of monotony. We at times feel, the same life same routine. No change at all. Nothing is interesting. And we keep murmuring around that nothing is happening in our lives.
Creativity ceases and enthusiasm is marred. The explorative and innovative mind gets rusted within us. There is no variation or change in life. We get adjusted to the same patterns in life, the same kind of activities, and the same life style, which stagnates growth. When we are able to break out of monotony, that very moment brings a milestone in our life — joy and happiness break the barriers and energy flows all around, and begins to spread the fragrance of liveliness.
Often we hear people saying, I am bored to death with the monotony of my life. Interestingly, those people never ask the question why? Or look into their own life to see what is happening. Instead keep grumbling.
If you feel monotony in your life, it is always good to check what kind of things do you like? What kind of activities do you do? Do something to make your life interesting. Join a new club. Exercise to increase your good endorphins to help you feel good about your everyday life. Read self help books. There are so many things to do. Reach out and take hold of all life has to offer. Don't set your limits low. Explore your hobbies. Open your heart. Don't let anything hold you back.

“People, chained by monotony, afraid to think, clinging to certainties... they live like ants.”  — Bela Lugosi

93. Totality

Once a man came to a famous artist and asked, “Which is
your best painting?”
The artist was immersed in his creation of an abstract piece of art. He said, “This one is the best.”
The man paid a huge sum and added the invaluable piece to his collection.
A few months later, the man visited the artist again. As usual the artist was painting something else. The man asked, “Which is your best painting?”
The artist said, “This one.”
The man said, “It is not fair. Just a few months ago you showed me a piece of art and said it was your best creation and I purchased it. And now you tell me this is your best creation. It is not right.”
The artist said, “Whatsoever I am doing at the moment is the best. It is always here and now, it is never then.”

Do what you love and love what you do. Whatsoever you are doing, do it wholly, completely and perfectly — do it with mastery and skill. Do everything with totality. How can you do everything with totality when you are not interested in a certain person or work? When you do things half-heartedly totality cannot be achieved. You are not fully there to give the best. You are just pretending that you are there. Like the thread which hangs many precious pearls, you can adorn yourself with pearls around as you are total. You become the thread which hangs the pearls. When you are total within what comes to you is only pearls. So every action of yours becomes total. You will love what you do and will only do what you love. That is the totality of life where happiness, peace and love always be your companions.
Let every action inspire love, commitment and involvement leading to totality of action. When you do it totally you are not worried about the results. When you make a child out of love whatsoever may be the deficiencies you would never abandon the child. A deep contentment arises because you have put your heart and soul into it. So each and every action is the best of the moment. There is no question of comparison. Totality makes you to look at life beyond comparison.
Are you operating from the totality of yourself? Do you worry about the results of your actions?

“Man is not the sum of what he has but the totality of what he does not yet have, of what he might have.” 
— Jean-Paul Sartre

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“Life is a choiceless choice. World is so large, definitely you have a special place in the world. Find your place.” — JojiValli