MindWindow

  THE PRIVILEGE OF MAKING DECISIONS. Very often, we come to think, when a decision taken in the best interests does not bring the desired results, we are not good at making decisions, that we cannot hit a desired target even if it is huge and just a couple of feet away. Don’t berate yourself; don’t put yourself into an “I’m not good at making decisions because they are all wrong” corner. We have all made decisions that have not brought the desired results. We cannot stop living at that point; we have to go on and continue to make choices and decisions. Earlier today, I was talking with one of my "senior" students and, as she was going on about some negative issues happening, she said, "These are due to all my bad decisions along the way." I just looked at her and said, "You know, there are no good or bad decisions, just decisions." What do I mean by this? Whenever we make a decision, we make it based on the situation at the time, the information ...

  THINKING OUT LOUD At fifteen, everything I had known -every person, every routine, every piece of the life I understood- suddenly turned into memory. Today, sixty-four years later, at the prime age of almost eighty, those early memories blend with all the others collected along the way. Fifty countries visited. Four that became home. Another four that could have been. Laughter. Tears. Joy. Sadness. Friends made, Friends lost. Three marriages. Money gained, Money lost. Successes. Failures. It has been a long, steep, often difficult learning curve -yet always a fascinating one. What I have learned, alongside the simple truth that people are people everywhere and that we mostly differ in the spices we cook with, is that perspective shifts with time. Appreciation deepens. What mattered once no longer carries the same weight, and what once felt trivial now feels essential. Information changes. Thinking evolves. And looking back, I find my thoughts drifting t...

This post will mark a new beginning.  It's been close to 3 years since the last post, and I aim to correct that! Many things have happened since then.  A major push on my <www.facebook.com/englishnowclasses> page, which is nearing 28,000 followers in several countries. An increase in the number of students. This issue has taken a lot of my time.  I say so gratefully! Some health problems, now overcome. So, I am ready to ROAR! and will be posting new material every week. Some are stories, some are memories, some are reflections, some are short notes, some longer posts... a little bit of everything. I hope you accompany me on the new version of this blog; we will both enjoy the ride! Back Soon! RJA

According to the Oxford Dictionary, hate (verb) / hatred (noun) mean: 1.       To feel ( to hate ) intense or passionate dislike ( hatred ) for something or someone.   - “I HATE … ( PUT YOUR FAVORITE HATE SUBJECT HERE ) !!!” How often do we hear someone who, at the peak of frustration, utters that famed and abused expression? The direct object of their feelings could be a pet that just did the unthinkable on their living room floor, a phone that fails to communicate immediately, or another person who wronged them beyond expectation or reason. And, of course, for no reason.   What does the feeling of hate do to a person? Let’s be honest. 60-70% of the time we hear that expression ( and if truth be told, most of us let it escape sometimes ), is the result of a momentary frustration and it rarely goes beyond that moment. Yet, I have met people who physically and emotionally change at the mention of someone or something they profess to hate, and ac...

On a balmy summer Caribbean afternoon, one of those sunny afternoons that begged for nothing to do… after all,  school was out until “next” year, the morning obligations … like going to the swimming pool to practice our competition strokes, or biking on an ice cream hunting “adventure” with our friends were over and done with, and lunch out of the way…   It’s early in the afternoon and after downing a midday meal which -by today’s standards- would have been considered “somewhat” unhealthy, there I was sitting lazily on the cool living room floor, by the front window with a book in hand, waiting for an expected visitor to pass by. After all, what else is there to do for an eight-year-old in a non-electronic era? - “BARQUILLAS... BARQUILLEROOO!! …” A shout that was followed by a sharp whistle, coming from someone we all loved to see, and who came by during the summertime when he knew we were all out of school, and lying in wait for his anticipated, delightful offerings. ...

  Robert L. Frost was an American poet born in San Francisco in 1874. He died in Boston, in 1963. During the celebration of his 80th birthday, Frost was asked by journalist Ray Joseph: “What is the most important thing you have learned about life?” And, with the acumen of those 80 years and without a pause, Robert Frost answered:                                                 “IT GOES ON” MY TAKE: I have known about this quote for a while and thought it would be relatively simple to sit and weave some thoughts regarding its meaning. After all, it is short and sweet, right? Well, as it turns out, it has been one of the more difficult quotes to unravel and then put back unto the paper. Think of it. That life goes on is an accepted truth; we know th...