Joyce has been married for six years and has a cute little daughter. She plays with her little girl, dresses her up, talks to her and watches her grow. Her husband also enjoys his daughter,  teaching her things that little girls need to know, and his next project is to teach her how to ride the bike.  A very tricky balancing act, but many have done that and she too will learn.

Joyce has a good job that test her talents in sells, negotiation, and marketing. It is a very challenging field and whether she is in China, India, or the US. the rewards and failures are all the same. Her husband’s job is also demanding, calling for him to make sacrifices, like long hours at work and sometimes unreasonable demands by his supervisors. But he will endure it.

After 6 years, the spark of their relationship has now dimmed. Instead of loving looks and touches to each other, their communication  has become quite strained. Their talks now become demands and expectations that are hard to meet, picking up the girl, cooking, cleaning house, and lots social and family demands. The balancing act of riding the bicycle is much easier than the balancing act of keeping the relationship together. 

So now little hints of riff takes place, a casual look at another man, another woman. The grass is always greener on the other side. So while the adage is not always true, because once there, the grass turns brown.

Couples need to rebalance their relationship and examine why they got together in the first place, and discover the joy of renewal. Every day an agreement to meet the challenges of the day,  and every year renew the reasons for getting together.

If not married or committed, imagine what that person is going to look  like and how he/she will behave in 50  years. Awesome image ,indeed,  but necessary to sustain and build a relationship.

Moral: Stop,  look, and listen to your mind before you let your heart go.

When one leaf touch another leaf, it makes a very soothing sound, almost indistinguishable. Yet when many leaves are moved by the wind, the sound is different, quite threatening. If one would listen closely and focus on the sound of a strong wind sweeping through the branches of a tree, the sound is very faint and very erie.

The same kind of sound can be heard when a tornado sweeps down on the plains. It is a concerted whoosing sound that sounds like a large train was running amuck across the land, much like the wind when it sweeps  through a tree.

One leaf falling in the forest makes an inaudible sound, but the swirl of a tornado is very deafening and very destructive.

As one voice cries out into the night for the tragedies in China’s earthquake, or screams about the way our world is getting warmer due to the neglect of human responsibilites, one voice is like a leaf falling in the forest. Yet when all the voices come together to shout the horrors of neglect, then the sound from the tornadoe is a force that bears consideration. By merely speaking, the problems that we see are brought not only to our mind,  but to the mind of others. 

One leaf, one voice is all part of the grand scheme of the universe, and neglect and apathy does not serve to solve problems.