 It was a hot summer day. A bit too hot for my liking, I admit. I was walking towards a bus station with a heavy backpack pressing on my shoulder and another bag in my hand. Just 100 meters more to go and I would be there. On my right side, there was a construction site. The air was humid, and I felt all sticky with sweat and dust. I remembered that I had packed some wet tissues that will help me refresh a bit when I’d take my seat on the bus.
With a slow pace, I continued walking. I kept telling myself ‘Just a few more minutes and I will be comfortable again’. It would be useless calling a cab for such a short distance. I looked around and there was no one I could ask for help with my luggage. It was then when I noticed a little girl trying to get my attention. “Miss,” she said. My first thought was that she was going to ask for money. She looked about seven or eight years old, dressed in dirty worn off clothes, and had greasy, dusty, tangled long brown hair. Her sparkling chocolate eyes were the spotlight of her outside characteristics. Her overall first appearance could easily mislead one, given that such fake image is commonly used for generating immediate sympathy towards roadside help-seekers and prompting one to extend help. Still, I stopped and decided to listen to what she had to say, and was even prepared to give her a few bucks. ‘Just an innocent child with unhealthy, poor living conditions,’ I thought. “Can you please help me?” she asked pointing out towards a bicycle next to her. I must have been quiet for a bit while she continued talking. “I need you to hold hard on this back wheel,” and it was then when I actually noticed how dusty it was. ‘I’m not touching that,’ I told myself. The bicycle seemed to have known better days. “It is too dirty,” I decided to speak up my thoughts. I really not wanted additional filth on my already sweaty hands. “Don’t worry, there is the water for that,” she said in a serious tone. That made me smile instantly as I realized she was right. I might have been still surprised by her request though. I was expecting her to beg for money when in reality she only wanted my help with fixing her bicycle. She was trying to pull the seat up as it was too low for her height. “My little sister rode it last, and I can’t bring it up,” she explained while pulling hard to lift it while I was pushing down the bicycle. Seeing how hard it was for her, and the seat not budging I suggested that we switch places. In order to do that I had to put my bag on the bench next to the bicycle. I needed both of my hands to do the task. While using my strength to lift the seat I was keeping an eye on my bag and belongings within. You never know what kind of trick this could be; getting my attention on the bike while some other person could come and steal my belongings. Looking back in retrospect, I am not proud of my such thoughts. Unfortunately, it is only a kind of reflex as I’ve experienced many times in my life or heard other people’s stories of such happenings. “That will be enough,” she said when the attained height of the seat seemed satisfactory to her. “There you have,” I said wiping off the sweat from my forehead with the back side of my hand. I grabbed my bag and I was ready to move on. “What’s your name?” she asked in her sweet young voice. “Nico, what’s yours?” “I’m Emilia,” she answered with an innocent expression. “Thank you, Nico, for your help,” she said while hopping on her bike. Off she rode. We smiled and waved at each other one more time, and I continued walking. I saw her crossing the street on my left side and then I didn't look anymore. “Goodbye, Nico!” I heard a voice from a distance. “Goodbye, Emilia,” I yelled. I waved back and smiled. I knew she wouldn't be able to see my face from the distance but the scene really touched my heart. It felt good to help, I was glad I didn't fall entirely into the trap of the bad past experiences. I was definitely more dusty and sweaty but as Emilia said: “There is nothing that water wouldn’t clean.” And water we are blessed with. Today I’m thankful for the water and to all the people out there who will always prove that appearances are misleading, most of the times. My apologies to the little girl, and to those I will misjudge in future. I know I will. I promise though that they can still count on my help while making me realize over and over again that my bad experiences were only the exceptions.
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 "I really enjoyed reading this book. And, I suspect all fans of the Self-Improvement genre will love having a nibble on this one also! LESSONS in LIFE: Achieving a better you through self-reflection, is a very well written life improvement book. This book is intelligent, wise and packed to the rafters with practical common-sense advice. It becomes very obvious as you read through this page turner that the author is imparting her wisdom and understanding as to what happiness and success really means. It’s an excellent guide for putting things into perspective.
Profound thoughts are explained here in the simplest of terms. That's all I can say about this book. It is difficult to write a more objective review because the impact the author will have on you will make you see life and its problems in a wise and practical way. The book should NOT be read - it should be absorbed and reflected upon. This book has helped me clarify my thinking, process my feelings, and make better decisions. If you are you ready to stop drifting and design a life you love, this read with help you on your journey. The author has put her heart in the pages of this book and will encourage and give hope to the reader. So many wonderful and courageous people share their experiences through books, and I thank this author for sharing hers. The overall tone was simply imparting knowledge, personal experience and wisdom in a gentle and generous way. Her words will help to better equip you to interpret and handle life in a whole new way, which in turn will bring peace, love and joy into your life. If you are looking for inspiration and encouragement in the face of serious issues, this would come highly recommended from me. No matter what your situation is today, this book will put you on the right path to better things. I’ve been around the block a few times myself and even I found this read to be very insightful. This wonderful new book will show you how to properly tune into life and the simple rules you must follow to achieve this. This by far is one of the best Self-Improvement books I’ve read in a long time. The author must be commended for her time and effort for producing such an insightful book. Also, the writing style is friendly which makes for an enjoyable read. LESSONS in LIFE is a wonderful read that will leave you feeling like a better person for having read it. It's an impressive work for author Nico J. Genes and I'll certainly be looking forward to reading more from her in the future. I would highly recommend this perceptive and intuitive read. A well-deserved five stars from me. Read review HERE  Life teaches us lessons continuously. Do we pay attention and acknowledge what we learn? Do we strive to improve ourselves, hence our life, relationships and by this positively influence everyone around us? Life's an ongoing process. We should decidedly stop for a moment and reflect upon any major situation that happened. Could we do it differently? What did we learn from it? Should we change something in order to have a different outcome next time? Do you want to change your life, but don't know where to begin? Are you in a relationship but you aren't happy? Do you feel lonely? Can you imagine what your life would be like if you discovered what made you feel fully alive? Are you stuck in a job you don't love? What's stopping you from having the life that you thrive for?
Life's a roller-coaster. Let's make it a genuine fun by finding and offering only the good within us. As odd as it sounds, it takes an effort to be a good person. It demands self-awareness. It requires perseverance. It takes keeping an open-minded over things and an acceptance of everything that it's different even if you don't manage to fully understand. Though at times it requires something as simple as only a honest smile. Be good! Do good! Smile! Find the better version of yourself!  “I can’t take it anymore.
I feel awful. I think I am going crazy. There is no help for me. My life has no meaning.”  “We are looking for short stories and poems that celebrate the triumph of the human spirit, that raise up the humanity of man and we want you to be part of this amazing project. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to the AMAR Foundation. AMAR is an award-winning charity that works in the Middle East to help millions rebuild their lives in countries scarred by war. We couldn't think of a more worthy recipient of the money from a book dedicated to the core values of friendship, love and tolerance.”
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Acknowledgement corner:
www.writerightassistant.com 
Poetry corner: "In hope of a world, that does not celebrate the fake & the cold In hope of a world where true emotions can be uphold In hope of a world where truth is told In hope of the world where sugar coated abuses are not sold In hope of a world that does not force you to fit in & fold In hope of a world where tears are allowed to unfold You are not told to fake happy when your heart can no longer hold In the hope of a world that doesn’t go numb & cold, While faking positivity & not being bold In hope of that world where you & I can be true to our core We are not judged for being human And not expected to be a bot, running on a computer code Let the beauty of true emotions and the warmth of real unfold Sweet, sour, bitter, happy, sad, high, low, cold Sincere bonds and true connects Let us not turn the world into a fake emotion(less) zone" by Vanashree Yadav |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from normalityrelief, Steve A Johnson, torstenbehrens, Dean Hochman, Black_Room, liveoncelivewild, tribbles1971, allmikesphotos, Photographing Travis
