Kind Words

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"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the taste and good for your health." (Proverbs 16:24)

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." (Mother Teresa)

"Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes." (Anonymous)

Those are just some of the quotes about Kind Words.  The importance of speaking kind words transcends time.  It was already recognized from the Bible days up to contemporary times.  We can not underestimate the power of a kind word.  It can bring back life to a dreary existence or put a smile on the lips of an overstressed corporate animal.  A kind word radiates positivism where there is negativism.  A lot of things can happen through the passage of time but the effects of a kind word cannot be underrated.

How much does it take to speak kind words?  The good news is it doesn't cost much nor does it entail a lot from us.  We can start by saying "Please" when requesting for a favor, "Thanks" when something favorable has been done to us.  When words are not sufficient, a smile can do wonders.  We cannot go wrong when we give back something good.  We receive a better one in return and the gesture goes a long, long way.

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My Bucket List

"A life list is a set of goals that you set for yourself covering all the different areas of your life. It's meant to ensure that you decide who you want to be, and what you want to do and have in life, and that you take the necessary action to accomplish these things." -- Marelisa Fabrega

A month ago, I read the posting of one of my Facebook friends asking us what our bucket list is.  Her posting is a reaction to the grief that she is feeling for not telling her cancer-stricken sister how much she loved her  when she visited her two months before the latter died.  This got me thinking.  Why not make a list?  Why create one in the first place?  Having one will make us maximize every moment of our existence.  It will remind us of what is/are important instead of wasting time in futile activities.

I am making my bucket list or life list not because I am dying or afflicted with a life-threatening disease but I just want to enumerate the things that I really want to do.   I would like to share how I did mine.

As much as possible, refrain from putting qualifiers to your to-dos like if you can afford it or you are healthy enough to do it.  What is important is you were able to name the things that mean much to you.  Once you have them, start planning and take the necessary steps to achieve your wish list.  My list could be similar from what you have in terms of number of things to be achieved or the nature of the list itself but it takes a unique form when it comes on how to attain it.  

For starters, these are the things that I would like to do.  The list is not yet final and I will add new dreams from time to time.  Here goes:

1. I would like to visit all the famed Philippine tourist spots.  I don't want to be a stranger in my own land.
2. Make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2012.
3. I want to tour Europe and have my fill of Italian and Spanish cuisines.
4. Ride the gondola at Venice.
5. I want to scale the Great Wall of China.
6. I want to ride a cruise ship.
7. I want to set up a profitable blog.
8. I want to have a restaurant serving timeless recipes.
9. Study voice lessons so I can reach all the high notes singing my favorite songs in a karaoke bar.  (I can dream, can't I?  Lol.)
10. Lose 50 pounds before 2016.

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