Ikhlaas (Sincerity)

I learned a lesson recently which I was reminded of today after I paid for my food and the cashier said, "Take care!" I returned the greeting, "You too" in a very soft-spoken voice to which she most likely didn't hear. It was only when I left the cafeteria that I noticed that I hadn't been sincere in my speech and just returned the greeting in an artificial and routine way.

Prophet Muhammad reminds mankind that, "Successful indeed is the person who is sincere in faith, whose heart is pure, whose speech is truthful and whose character is upright."

Lesson learned:May we all strive to be of those who are sincere in their speech and actions.

Submitted By: Omar

Patience....

Today I went to the grocery store. There was an old(er) man walking very slooooowly through the parking lot. I waited, although somewhat annoyed, for him to get out of my way. I parked, grabbed my basket and headed inside all while he was still making his way thru the doors.

I did my shopping, checked out and headed back to my car. I glanced over and saw that the man was still in the produce section, the first section of the store. "Dang", I thought. "He is hecka slow." In some ways I felt sorry for him, thinking how sad it must be to reach an age where your body doesn't move as quickly as you want it to.

As I was head home I realized that in my haste I'd forgotten about 3 items that I needed at the store.

Lesson Learned: Maybe there is something to this patience thing after all.

Keepin It Real

The other day I was watching Spike TV, and Ultimate Fighting Championship was on. At first I was repulsed. But then I realized: in a world that can be so fake, it is refreshing to see something so real as two bloody guys beating the hell out of each other.

Submited by: Nandu

Frosted Tips

I'm a California native and I spent the first 27 years of my life in the great golden state. Then I moved to Boston for 2 years. During my first winter in Beantown, I walked outside one morning, inhaled, and my nose hairs froze up.

Lesson learned: Cold weather is a mother******.

Do Your Thang!

I live near a high school. I'm fascinated every day when I drive by and look at the kids walking to and from school. The way they dress, the crazy hair styles. Most of them look a hot mess.

One day I saw two girls walking across the street. Both had on extremely tight jeans, huge hooded sweatshirts, brand new kicks and neither had a book or backpack in site. They were right next to each other, obviously together and both talking on their cell phones at 10 in the morning. I thought to myself, "Who could they be talking to? Everyone they know should be at school right now. Why aren't they somewhere soaking up knowledge? What are they gonna be when they grow up? A smart kid would be in the library studying between classes."

Then I laughed to myself and thought, "What did I look like back in the day with my crimped hair, neon sweatshirt, 50 silver bracelets, Jellies and Michael Jackson Thriller jacket? (cute is the answer to that question) What did "adults" think of me when I was ditching school, chillin and McDonald's or picking up boys in the mall? For all I know these 2 could be the valedictorians of their class!"

Lesson Learned: Having a full on conversation with yourself while driving make look a little nuts so if you're gonna judge someone, trying being positive sometime.

Play Another Slow Jam

When my fiancee and I first started dating I learned a valuable lesson about romance. In the past, much of my "game" revolved around playing slow jam classics like Prince, Sade, Stevie Wonder, etc. to set the mood. But none of that stuff worked with her b/c she never heard of half the songs I would play! At first this made me REALLY frustrated. Then I had an epiphany: why was I using other peoples' songs about love to spark romance, when I had the real thing sitting right in front of me?

Lesson learned: There's no greater composer of a love song than your own heart.

Good "OLD" Friends

My first day of junior high school I was scared to death. I was going to a school that was HUGE. I had to take a test to get in and it was in the "good" part of town. There were kids w/mohawks and leather jackets, chains and combat boots. I couldn't understand what my parents had done to me.

I arrived at my homeroom - whatever that meant. Opened the door, took a deep breath and walked in. There were about 6 tables w/6 chairs each. I looked around wondering where I should sit. To the left, under the window sat a girl. She looked nice and harmless. At that moment I decided I would sit at her table and she would be my friend for the rest of my life.

I was in her wedding. I was at her baby shower when she was pregnant with her daughter. She moved away, I moved away. Here we are, 24 years later. Now we both live in Georgia and I got an email from her this morning.

Lesson Learned: People come in and out of our lives every day. But true friendships don't happen without effort, commitment and a leap of faith.

Submitted by: Nicole

Muffin Tops

I always forget how much I enjoy people watching on the subway. It's hard to do - you look kind of weird when you start swiveling your head on the subway. But the other day I noticed a girl with not 1 but 3 muffin tops. She has one above her jeans, which is pretty normal these days, but she had two more above her way-too-tight boots. Hilarious. This cruel little thing made my day.

Submitted by: YH

Rock on

So lately I've been engaging in serious business conversations with a friend of mine. No matter how serious the emails that she sends me, she continues to sign off... "Rock on." Makes me smile every time.

Lesson learned: Rock on.

Submitted by: JG

The older the berry

Have you ever noticed how big old peoples' ears are? it's crazy. i saw john wooden (the old ucla coach) on tv the other day and his ears were hanging down to his chin! i guess ears never stop growing huh?

Lesson learned: I'm glad i stopped wearing earrings back in '97.

Me and the Bug

Here's when I knew I was a grown up. I moved away from home for the first time at 33. I didn't just move out, I moved 400 miles away to a whole other state - Arizona. One day I was sitting on the couch enjoying the breeze that was coming thru the sliding glass door. All of a sudden I realized something was crawling across my floor - it was a scorpion. As I opened my mouth to yell for my dad I realized I was all alone. It was at that moment that I realized I had to kill the scorpion all by myself.

Lesson Learned: You know you're an adult when you have to kill your own bug.

Submitted by: Nicole

Making my bed

I hardly ever made up my bed as a kid. I wasn't a bad kid, but like most kids I was often lazy about my house chores. But about 2 years ago I made a vow that whenever I returned home to visit my parents, I would make up my bed every single day. I never announced it, and I still to this day never draw attention to it, but every time I make up my bed I feel good. Call me crazy but in a way I feel like it's my way of saying "thank you" to my parents for all they've done for me.

Lesson learned: You're never too old to be a good kid.

think LITTLE!

A few years ago my dad gave me the best advice I ever got. I was busy trying to furnish my new house, and spent all of my time focused on the big things-- couches, TV’s, bookcases, appliances, etc. In the midst of everything, my dad said something to me that I will never forget, "Do you have a step stool? A tool kit? Extra light bulbs? It’s the little things that make a house." My dad’s words were more than just advice on home improvement. They were a metaphor for life. In life we tend to spend so much time worrying about the big things that we often forget how precious and important the little things are.

Lesson learned: The little things tend to be the things that matter most.