Through the eyes of a child

Some days I am tempted
To whine about the lateness of the bus
Or the crowd filled train
But yesterday
On a crowded train
I saw a little girl
Laughing and smiling with her dad
Then suddenly I realized
That a ride on a crowded train
Can be beautiful
If only I saw
The journey
Through the eyes of a child

Imadon @ 2007

Monday shopping

Today I went shopping
One pair of pants
Two pairs of socks
And a jacket
For the "homeless" girl
I saw this morning sleeping outside my window

imadon

Sunshine on a cold summer night

Love has a way of opening hearts
Cementing bonds even when lovers are apart
When love is true
And meant only for you
Its power you will feel
And you will know in your hear it is real

Imadon @ 2007

Homeless in the North

Today was the closest I have ever been to a "homeless" man. In the comfort of my home I was unaware that he was outside sleeping. I woke up to find him sleeping on the sidewalk outside my home. I say "him" because I can only assume it was a man. The sad thing is that I never saw his face. Just his body lying next to his Safeway cart, all curled up in a bundle and apparently sleeping.

For a moment I wondered if I should call the police, or the medics to check his vital signs. The irony is that city services are so overloaded and hospitals so crowded that he probably has a better chance living on the streets. Maybe I will never seem him again, and if I did I would probably not recognize his face. The old way of recognizing a person by facial features would not apply.

And then I wonder how we got to the stage, where a "person" without a face and four thousand more like him could be homeless in the fastest growing city in North America.

Good guy vs Bad guy

We have developed standards to redefine what is good and what is bad. For example - people who smoke are the bad guys, people who don't are the good guys. Likewise we may see the homeless as the bad guys, and those who live in large glass houses as the good guys; people who are married the good guys,wheras people who live common-law as the "bad" guys; and the list could go on and on.

Looking at the bible, we may realize that "good" is not the key to salvation. God did not send his son to save the "good" people on earth, he sent his son to save the sinners. There is a false sense of security in being the "good" guy who is better than the "bad" guy, and elevating goodness to a new "religion".

Don't waste time being the "good" guy who is better than some "bad" guy; instead spend your valuable time seeking true inner peace.


"There are two types of people in this world, good and bad. The good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more."

Woody Allen

The shadows of my past

In the distance
I could see the shadows of my past
And was tempted to reach for them
And tempted to touch them
I thought of the good times in the past
And I thought of the bad
It was not because they were good
Or because they were bad
But at a moment in time
I needed to get away from them
And they needed for me to leave

imadon @ 2007

Health Jamaican Style - meals

Meals are an opportunity to relax and fellowship. Try to eat around the dinner table for a change instead of in front of the TV or computer. If possible even invite friends over. This is much better than going out and going dutch. At home you can make a meal with a bit of love.

Health Jamaican Style - Cleansing the body

We eat a lot of foods. But do we cleanse the body. Soups and other foods can help to cleanse the body, wash it out so to speak. Remember it is what goes in the body that can defile it. So periodically we should cleanse it. Just as we sometimes wash our car or clothes.

Health Jamaican Style - Sleep

You will probably know a few people who brag how little sleep they need. But do you know any older people who do? Most older folks I know said they usually get 7 to 8 hours sleep per day. We do so much with out bodies, so maybe we should also give it rest and time to rejuvenate. The time spent watching TV or being online could be used to rest our bodies some of the time.

Health Jamaican style - cooking

Do you ever ask yourself why you cook food? Is it just because it will taste better cooked?
How about cooking healthy, and by that I don't mean only cooking healthy foods. How we cook is also important as to what we cook. When meat and fish are cooked at high temperature carcinogens - cancer causing products - can be formed. Marinating meats and fish is a way to counteract this. Marinating also makes the food taste better and makes it more tender.
For more information search for "marinating food" on google.

My morning walk with a homeless man

In the distance I could hear
The rattling sounds of bottles
Rubbing against each other
And the clunking sound
A shopping cart makes as it moves along the sidewalk
Aided by a homeless man pushing it
Destined to God knows where
But as I got closer to the cart
I was torn between looking away
And looking at the man behind the cart
Pushing away as if his life depended on it
The sort of pushing that people do
When they are trying to get on the
Train to get to work on time
But as I was about to pass him by
I looked up at him
He smiled, I smiled
Then he said good morning

Imadon @2007

Health Jamaican Style - Of good friends and not so good friends

Unknown to us there is probably someone out there who does not have us in his/her good books. A great Chinese general once said " keep your friends close and your enemies closer". By having a decent relationship with your "enemies", you will know how they think about you and this may reduce any tension between them and you. Remember it is all about you feeling at ease and relaxed in this big world. The less "enemies" you have the better you will enjoy your life.

Health Jamaican Style - time for friends

Maybe we have become enslaved by technology at the cost of maintaining good old personal friendships. Instead of playing with your latest toy whether it be Ipod or DVD movie, take time out and contact one of your friends. Even meet them in person for a chit chat. Invite them over for some tea or a healthy snack.

Spend more time with your friends in person this year.

Health Jamaican Style - Washing of hands

On a given day you can touch a lot of door handles and bus seats and the like. Always wash hands before you eat because if germs get into your body they will defile it.

Health Jamaican Style - the Body

If you view your body as a temple, then the only thing that can defile it is what you put in it. That includes junk food and toxic relationships that you let kill you slowly year in and year out.

Dreaming of the past year

And you tend to wonder
What of dreams for the new year
Changes may cause you fear
Now that the excitement of the new year
Is waning
For the old life you may be craving
But it is only when you stop the confusion
And realise that living a good life
Need not be an illusion
That you too will see
What others before you had seen
That you too can fulfil your dreams
Even ones crafted in housing schemes

imadon @ 2007

Health Jamaican Style - Water

Water is life, but do we ever drink enough of it. Probably not, so drink a lot of water maybe even instead of your favorite pop.

Health Jamaican Style - Eating out

Eating out is quick and sometimes may be cheaper depending on where you live. But do you know what is in that gravy or what oils were used to cook that chicken or what type of flour were used in your favorite donut.

Taking lunch to work may not be so "cool" but you know what is in your lunch. Try to take your own lunch as often as possible.

We tend to eat out late at night then head home and crash in bed. Try to allow a few hours between eating and sleeping.

Don't put milk in your tea.

Health Jamaican Style - water and you

Water is important to the body, so drink at least 6-8 glasses a day.
Reduce your intake or cut out as many "white" foods in your diet as you can - white sugar, white flour, white bread.

Resolutions and revolutions

Every year we think of things to do to make our lives better and those of the people we love.
This year Cherrygarden will add a new direction -total well being. So far we have focussed on emotional well being, but in 2007 we will add physical and spiritual well being.

So lets start with a goal to improve our total well being by 07/07/07.

Realising your dreams

What would you like to achieve? Personal growth, weight change, better health, financial growth or a home of your own? Maybe these are goals hanging over from last year's wish list and the year before that and the year before that.

What could possibly be preventing you from unfolding all your possibilities, realising your dreams and achieving your goals ? Your greatest enemy could be your mind - false beliefs, irrational thoughts and negative self-talk. Here are some common ones:

1 You jump to conclusions a lot. You think that you will fail even when there is no evidence to support this belief. Buying a house is on your list but even before doing the necessary financial research, you think that you might lose your job and then your mortgage will fall through or interest rates might shoot up out of your reach and you will lose the house. This is catastrophic thinking, thinking of the worst possible outcome. This kind of thinking will certainly prevent you from even getting started on the path of unfolding your dreams.

2Focusing on minor flaws - You can't get started because you are missing the bigger picture as you are too preoccupied with failure and deprivation.

3 Overgeneralisation - So you think that you will not succeed because your friend did not succeed in his endeavour even though you are different and have different dreams and "nutten naw gwaan".

4Magnification/minimisation - Insignificant things are blown out of proportion, minor mistakes create crisis, while you minimise the important and successful things in your life. This way of thinking is a comfortable cushion to explain away failure.

5 Personalisation - You relate every event to yourself even if they are not remotely connected to you. So every thing is "all because of my terrible performance".

6Labelling/mislabelling yourself - So you have failed at some endeavour in the past but you don't have to continue labelling yourself a failure. How about stop focusing on the mistakes of the past and using them to define your present?

7 Thinking in an all-or-nothing way - For you, things are either black or white; good or bad. Give yourself a break, see some grey sometimes, you are human, imperfect and will make mistakes. Forget the 'musts' in your life - " I must always succeed."

This year, how about stop playing these mind games? Change the way you are thinking and stop sabotaging your dreams. Create the space to become a winner in 2007.

source - Jamaica Gleaner

Food for thought - 7/07/07

Seven is God's number for perfection. This number is used in the Bible about 600 times. The very word perfect has 7 letters. In the bible we find such terms as the 7 spirits of God, the 7 churches, the 7 candlesticks, the 7 stars, the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets.

JAMAICA has 7x2 parishes and the 7th largest natural harbour in the world.

In Amos 3: 3-6 God asked 7 questions. There is no other place in the bible where God asks 7 consecutive questions. He concluded in the 7th verse with a divine principle. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants, the prophets."

Mona Lisa 2007

After Xmas
And the New Year
I am left thinking
That something is lacking
In the name of Just is
We hacked away at Saddam
And it may be that it is only Lisa
Who can shed some light on us
And with her beauty
Save us from waiting for a new year
To rekindle the beauty deep in our eyes
For how can we seek Just is
When we should be celebrating the birth of Jes us

imadon @2007