bringing love of the game to the game of life
October 2008 
Don't Have the Strength To Blow Bubbles?
Posted on Jul 19th, 2007
by 
Praveer
Praveer
Empowerment Can Move Mountains, Even If You Don't Believe You Have the Strength To Blow Bubbles.
Trust this guy.
Like Oscar Pistorios, I have an artificial leg - got it when I was seventeen. At first, it was a nightmare and it looked like I would never be able to walk, it was so alien!
That was a decision that I hung on to, and naturally...I couldn't walk!
A couple of weeks later, when I was sick of not being able to walk, I tried on another thought, and said, "Get honest here, I don't know what really would happen if I did actually put in my best?" And, "Do I really believe I can't do it?"
Two weeks later, I was walking, cycling, excercising, and travelling independently to other cities.
If I hadn't done that, life would have been undescribably different. I'm so glad I didn't take the easy way out, which was to sit back at home and not take chances.
Which brings me to a deeper subject - empowerment.
Why would anyone choose to be disempowered. By anything, or anyone? By time or money or lack of education, or too many rules and regulations?
If you are empowered, you suddenly have a lot of work to do because you have the power to do it. If you are unempowered, you are less dominated by the opportunities in front of you. In other words, you have an excuse not to do the work. You have a way out. You have the security of being able to do what you have always done and get away.
For any of my friends who are struggling with something important in their lives - and if you're human, you struggle - of all the alternatives in front of you, the only one that makes any sense in the game of life is the one that empowers you.
Even if it looks like the most difficult thing in the world to accomplish.
I promise.
Trust this guy.
Oscar Pistorius
Like Oscar Pistorios, I have an artificial leg - got it when I was seventeen. At first, it was a nightmare and it looked like I would never be able to walk, it was so alien!
That was a decision that I hung on to, and naturally...I couldn't walk!
A couple of weeks later, when I was sick of not being able to walk, I tried on another thought, and said, "Get honest here, I don't know what really would happen if I did actually put in my best?" And, "Do I really believe I can't do it?"
Two weeks later, I was walking, cycling, excercising, and travelling independently to other cities.
If I hadn't done that, life would have been undescribably different. I'm so glad I didn't take the easy way out, which was to sit back at home and not take chances.
Which brings me to a deeper subject - empowerment.
Why would anyone choose to be disempowered. By anything, or anyone? By time or money or lack of education, or too many rules and regulations?
If you are empowered, you suddenly have a lot of work to do because you have the power to do it. If you are unempowered, you are less dominated by the opportunities in front of you. In other words, you have an excuse not to do the work. You have a way out. You have the security of being able to do what you have always done and get away.
For any of my friends who are struggling with something important in their lives - and if you're human, you struggle - of all the alternatives in front of you, the only one that makes any sense in the game of life is the one that empowers you.
Even if it looks like the most difficult thing in the world to accomplish.
I promise.
Access: Public
Praveer:
Your postings are always timely and insightful. You know what? You brought tears to my eyes. I am so lucky to have you in my life dear one. Thank you. You have told me some things today that were uplifting and personal. And I love you for it.
Sending love your way…
Aley
Aley, my dear friend, your blog is a constant source of inspiration and cues for action in daily life. Thank you for being in my life too and I love you dearly.
~ praveer
thanks for this, Praveer. As you say, we all have our struggles… and we all need the occasional infusion of hope and inspiration.
Bewick ~ thanks for being here.
not Bewick. Bewick is Bewick.
I'm so embarrased!
Sorry Nalukataq !
I guess all my buddies sound alike to me - awesome people!
(Besides, Bewick is much easier to spell. No actually Donny is.)
Okay - Donny.
Deep regards.
No apology needed. We are all one. And there are worse to be confused with than Bewick. (though he's going to Hell, you know, have you seen these horrible things he's written about the poor, humble evangelists and the jesus jumpers and that sort?)
Very powerful … very inspirational …
Hi Praveer!!!
My name is Keith, by the way …
: )
Well, I suppose I'd better make my howdy do's. Howdy Mr. Praveer. Yes what Donny said about me is true, and by what I can see on today's blog, I believe he will be joining me! ;-)
Has the rain subsided?
Yeap, Bewick. We're like Thelma & Louise driving off into the abyss, straight to Hell. I hear the company's better there anyway.
Peace, Praveer and all
Donny
Et tu, Keith. :-)
I make one teeny tiny slip up, and Cheech and Chong jump down my back! Okay, Thelma and Louise, as their screams echo down the abyss on their way to … Wait, wait. Thelma and Louise never went to hell. They always ended up at the diner, over a cup of coffee.
Oh, what the heck, I might as well say it.
P r a v e e r is much easier to remember and spell anyway. At least in India, it is. Well, okay, in New Delhi, it is? My family will stand by me as I assert this …some of them at least.
Donny, I know Bewick is going to Hell. I read his blog. He's been a drummer for far to long. Only thing is he may not know that in India you have a rather large variety to choose from - , three flavors of Muslim, two of Jain, a couple of Sikh varieties, the chocolate-vanilla-strawberry options from Christianity, and more. I'm still leafing through the infinitely varied ones in the Hindu catalog. My grand pappy was a preacher man - real fire and brimstone, and he did tell me a thing or two about the one that I am due for, so if anyone has good ideas here, do let me know!
Thank you all for dropping by! And yes, Bewick, alas, the rain clouds are drifting away. Did you get some of them in your neck of the woods?
Praveer;
I am glad to see you have kept your humor in the face of all these heathens!! LOL
How about we all meet in Fiji? I hear that might be paradise!!!!
Yes, Praveer, mehi tu …
Know anyone locally by the name of Sreenavasulu? We have an acquaintance here by that name. Took me a while to wrap my tongue around it, but I eventually did. The last name? We won't go there.
Cheech and Chong are good that way, you know.
Humor is a very good thing …
Sreenavasulu, Keith? Ya got me. Now that's a tough name for a North Indian to pronounce - that's a resoundingly good South Indian name, and spelled easily there. My deep respects to Sreeni. And yes, it's wise not to get into the last name part….I have good friends with tough names from South India and none of us go there, unless you're on Kovalllipattipuram Beach and your Maitre D's name happens to be Srinivasaram Chinnasawminathan (Sam to his close friends).
Heathens in Fiji, Aley? Sounds like a dream come true - The Pacific Islands are a childhood dream of mine, excacerbated by reading stuff like Captain Blood, or Gaugain's biography, and of course National Geographic. My passport's out of date - I'll have it sorted out in a jiff! And we'll shop around for scuba gear, floaters, a good glass bottomed boat, outrageous sunglasses and other gear, and of course rum. I don't drink, but it's the done thing - you have to have some on board in case an exhausted mermaid drifts by or sumpin'.
Cheech!! Where are you??? We're planning a trip to Fiji … You might be left out!!!
Sorry, I've been unavoidably detained. It seems an exhausted mermaid showed up in my neighbor's duckpond and I was fresh out of rum. So i run to the liquor store and come back with a perfectly decent bottle of Bacardi, and she turns up her nose like I'd just offered dogfood to a housecat. She wants me to pop over to Kovalllipattipuram Beach, look up some mairtre d. named Srinivasaram Chinnasawminathan and bring back the rum he recommends. Now this was one cute mermaid, so to make a long story short, I empty my bank account fly out to south India (stopped in at Praveer's but it turns out there's more than one Praveer in India and this one was, shall we say, less than gracious) I find Sam on the beach, buy the rum, fly home and found out the mermaid's shacked up with some man-hater named Deloris. I'm broke. Count me out on Fiji.
Donny…Donny - didn't you ever read “How to make friends and influence mermaids?”
For starters, she was what you call an INFP personality type (introvert-intuitive-feeling-perceptive), left-handed, plays the violin by ear (though she reads music), has perfect pitch (most mermaids do, you know), and loves the colour purple.
And if you told her your name was Nalukataq, which any self respecting, well brought up young mermaid knows is a venerable feast given by a brave, succesful and philothr…philoph…(I've lost the word…getting old…something thranic) she woulda swooned. But you probably said 'Donny'.
And a coupla those beautiful pomes that you have on you blog wouldn't have hurt either.
Anyway, what's done is done.
Plenty more mermaids where the fish come from. Join us anyway - ever hear of working your way on a ship, Swabby? Ya gets rum rations … and a can of spinach, too!
And thanks Keith, if not for you, we would never have known Nalukataq's adventure!
Hi Praveer,
You were dead-on about the mermaid. I am impressed. She was actually ambidextrous, not left-handed, and it was in fact the violin that sirenized me. Okay. So I've determined that, money or no money, I'm going to Fiji. But I just got back from Wal-Mart with the glass-bottom boat I bought on sale. I'm sitting here on my floor with all the parts scattered around me, near to tears. I've posted the instructions on my blog. Maybe someone who reads this can help me.
http://nalukataq.zaadz.com/blog/2007/8/how_to_assemble_your_glass-bottom_boat
All right … Where's Chong when you need him? Look's like Cheech's boat was a flop.
We gotta help this guy get to Fiji …
Wonderful postage and notations, Praveer, all.
John
You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. We are the bears.
Heh, welcome Big John! Glad someone's going assimilate this! Coming to Fiji? Bears and all? Sure could use a little guitar on the way…
Well well well… I am amused:-)
Praveer… 'tis an inspiring blog entry… (hope this guy can get to the Olympics… cause the obvious thing is… these are these guys legs after all! not some unfair device! I doubt anyone will be having their lower legs amputated to take advantage of this “device”.)
As far as Cheech and Chong and Fuji and the Mermaidian Fantasy world!… I needed a good chuckle today guys… Thank you!
I'll join you all there come October… This is the time of year where there is no better place to be than Maine… and since I am already here… I think I will stay here.
I'm so glad you liked your visit, Catherine.
I liked the Oscar Pistorious story, too. But I have to say this as a feller who has a prosthesis - my artificial limb never gets tired, while the 'real' one does, frequently, and the wrong time. The 'artificial' one will never get arthritis, gout, a twisted ankle, or any of those little hazards while I'm running, mountain climbing, walking in the rain and all those other other dreaded things. At most, I'll get a rusted knee, and that's easily taken care of with a drop of oil. It is definitely an advantage.
What I love about the story is Oscar's willingness to step out into the unknown, into risk and uncertainty, and the ability to be with it, stay with it till wherever it takes him, win, lose or draw. That's a champion's heart and worth showcasing anywhere in a world where disabiliies - hidden or open -are literally a dime a dozen, and where people are their disabilities rather than themselves, Who They Really Are.
Bravo, Praveer!
It is a popular illusion - that it’s easier to stay small and unmoving - or unmoved by deeper, true passions. It’s so much more work to resist truth, to hold back life.
I am so glad you took the path you took - and ran into the world bringing gifts!
yes
yes
yes!
And, yes, yes, yes! It's very hard to be small and 'put up with' and 'tolerate' a small, comfortable life.
Thank you so much, Laurie.