What a wonderful world

When Bob Thiele wrote the song “What a wonderful world” sung by Louis Armstrong and recorded in 1967, I think he saw something many of us have come to miss in life. Modern day life is so busy and demands so much of our time and effort, most things pass us by because we do not have time for them anymore, wonderful as they are. I captured the image herein of the approaching sacred night skyline while on a road trip and I realised the beauty surrounding me that I could miss easily. Without pre-emptying the song, please go through these lyrics and tell me if it is not a wonderful world.

I see trees of green, red roses, too
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white,
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky,
Are also on the faces of people going by.
I see friends shaking hands, sayin', "How do you do?"
They're really sayin', "I love you."

I hear babies cryin'. I watch them grow.
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world



Lyrics adapted from Louis Armstrong

Communication in silence

Does silence communicate? Is silence used as a passive yet potent form of communication? Whether it be conveying heartfelt adoration or seething anger, my silence cannot mean I am not saying anything. I am always saying something, whether by deed or lack thereof, body movement or lack thereof, eye contact or lack thereof. Hours spent without any spoken words, can be the most effective communication of endearment Communication is within unwritten precepts of community, developed over time. It is within the depth of relationship and interaction developed over time. The deeper the relation, the easier the move from verbal to non-verbal communication. Undeveloped communication questions silence in often antagonizing ways, while nurtured communication accommodates silence in a way that cultivates dialogue. A smile is silent, but it can communicate more than ten words may say. A laugh does not need to arise from an uttered joke, but can resonate from silence. Lack of communication in itself is communication in some instances. And if used by one, may be understood by those to which it is directed. Truly and clearly, silence does not mean the absence of communication.

Image here 

LIFE UNLIMITED

Progeria is a rare genetic disorder originating from a Greek word which means premature old age and whose symptoms are aging at an early age. About 250 children in the world have this condition and they typically live up to teen years or early twenties. I came across Sampson "Sam" Gordon Berns in my readings and found out that he was born with this condition. And while Sam sadly died in January 2014 at age 17, he lived a full life uninhibited by his condition. He built entire Lego towns, earned middle-school awards, played in his high-school marching band, went to the prom as well as dreamt of going to MIT in hopes of becoming an inventor. Sam had a disease that could have defined how he lived his life and also killed his passion for life at an early age, but he decided to go against the odds. The disease could not crush his passion to live and to be happy. Happiness remains a hallmark of the life he lived as seen from what he said on TEDx. I want to inspire you to not be inhibited by any “rare conditions” in any form in your life. Maybe you don’t even have any rare condition, but you continuously limit yourself. Sam said something that can inspire you. He said “I am ok with what I cannot ultimately do, for there is so much more I CAN do”. Of all the things you cannot do, there are more things you CAN do, so focus on those. You CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Live the life you want and be the person you want to be. Be unstoppable and LIVE UNLIMITED.

Being extra-ordinary

Extraordinary means very unusual, remarkable, exceptional, unbelievable and phenomenal. It describes something or someone not encountered in everyday life, the so-called “out of the ordinary”. Helen Keller, born in 1880 in America, contracted an illness at the age of 19 months, which could have been scarlet fever or meningitis, and which left her deaf and blind. She however got a tutor, Anne Sullivan to assist her through a half decade long friendship. This is where her thirst for learning and becoming more started. She learnt to read Braille and reading lips through movement and vibration as someone speaks and also ended up learning to even speak verbally to the extent of giving speeches. Anne played a huge role in Helen becoming who she became, but it took Helen’s interest and effort to achieve this. Helen became the first deaf and blind person in the world to earn a bachelor degree in arts, wrote 12 published books and several articles and became a world famous speaker and author. Helen Keller was extraordinary with many honors awarded to her and this did not happen passively. She worked for all that she achieved. It takes extraordinary effort to become extraordinary. How much effort will you put in your life to be where you want to be?

Image here