The Man With The Mustache

I saw him today!

I haven't seen him for awhile. But I saw him today. In that same seat on the bus, where I have seen him for the past 17 years. The man with the mustache.

He looked a little older, a little tired perhaps, but the same really. In a world filled with so many changes, I find it comforting when I see him, like an old shoe that is always there some place under the bed, and reappears from time to time.

Over the years, I have wondered about him, who he is, where he gets off the bus, what his name is, and what his life is like. Not once, in all those years, have we spoken or even acknowledged one another, and yet every time I see him, I wonder about his life.

I wonder in the last 17 years, if he has..........fallen in or out of love. I wonder if he wakes up at four o'clock in the morning, thinking about life. I wonder if he has children, if he lives alone, what he likes on his pizza, what he takes in his coffee, what his dreams are. I wonder if the years have been kind to him, or if they have taken their toll.

He has a serious, chiseled kind of face, which makes me think he must do a serious, kind of work, not an artist or a painter, but an engineer or a geologist.

He looks like a person who analyzes a lot, and sits in meaningful contemplation. I wonder how I would feel if he moved away, and I didn't see him on the bus anymore. I'm sure I would, after a time, wonder what happened to him, what turn in the road his life has taken.

It's funny, even though we've never met or spoken in all these years, he makes me feel a little less alone somehow, just by being there. I feel touched by him. In a way, our souls have met. For a few moments, we've shared time and space, travelled down the same road, however short, on our way to somewhere.

Isn't that all we do with people anyway, for a short while, travel down the same road, share time and space, on our way to somewhere?

The world is full of people, who make us feel less alone. I wonder if they know it? The stranger on the bus, the girl who cuts your hair, the fellow who takes your order at your favorite restaurant, the cashier at the grocery store. We all have something in common, we're all in this together.

And yet, so often, we place such little importance on these events, sometimes even walking around in a daze, oblivious to all of it, on our way to somewhere else, waiting for the bigger moments in life, you know, the ones that really matter.

And yet, these bigger moments are so few, and last for such a little while.

Perhaps if we thought of these simple times as flowers, and instead of a huge bouquet every once in a while, we picked a daisy here, a lily there, a rose somewhere else.

At the end of the day or week, we could look at the arrangement we've created, just by being present, and savor the sweetness, smell the fragrance and water the memories.

Then, at the end of our life, if we're really lucky ...we might have an entire garden, to take with us into eternity.








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The kinder and more thoughtful a person is, the more kindness they can find in other people."

Leo Tolstoy
1828-1910, Novelist and Philosopher



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"We often think of enthusiasm as caused by an external event. However, it can be generated from within, becoming an intentional action for transforming virtually anything in our lives. Enthusiasm can take the seemingly small, dull, boring, or unimportant and turn it into something new and magnificent. Learn to strengthen the muscle of your enthusiasm, letting the tiny become great, and you will reclaim your energy and passion."

Anat Baniel

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"Life is too short to waste. Dreams are fulfilled only through action, not through endless planning to take action."

David J. Schwartz
Trainer and Author

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Love The Climb

I started doing cycling at the local Good Life Fitness gym last year. If you've ever done stationary cycling you know how gruelling it can be. It's a deep pain and extremely exhausting. That little bike can dish out quite a punch. It is a great workout.

It's been over a year now. I've been cycling once per week to get into better shape for hockey. It's worked!

When I first started cycling I used to hate climbing. Climbing is when you crank up your gear shift (resistance) on the bike. You crank it so you literally have to jump out of your seat to hammer down those pedals and keep moving.

It takes every ounce of energy and effort to keep moving forward. It tests your will and your mind. Walking down a set of steps after this work out is not an option. Welcome to the climb.

I almost fell off the bike once when climbing. It was my fourth week cycling and we were running a climbing circuit. The circuit went like this: Stand up and climb for 5 seconds, down for 10 seconds, up for 5 and down for 10, and so on and so forth. As I was going up and down on one of those cycles I was spinning too fast and lost my footing - and almost lost the bike too!

Yesterday I was climbing again. When the music started and we were about to climb, I got excited!

All I could see was this massive mountain in front of me.

As I was climbing I was thinking about every challenge that has ever come my way. I was thinking about every obstacle that has ever been in my path. I was thinking about every time I've ever gotten knocked down and how I got back up.

The mountain is a metaphor for all these things. Now, when I start a climb I think to myself,

"You're mine! I'm gonna eat you up!"

And you know what, that's what happens when I leave the gym. Every time I face a new challenge, an obstacle or get knocked down, I think of the climb. I realize that there are only two options - go back where I came from or love the climb.

To the top!

Stephen Martile

Stephen Martile is an author, Life Coach, and the creator of Freedom Education.

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"What really distinguishes this generation in all countries from earlier generations - is its determination to act, its joy in action, the assurance of being able to change things by one's own efforts."

Hannah Arendt
1906-1975, Political Philosopher


Joan Laporta
Pesta Ketiga di Roma!

Gelar ke-19 Primera Division La Liga telah diraih FC Barcelona. Kekalahan Real Madrid di Villarreal sehari sebelum Barca berlaga di Mallorca (17/5) menyudahi persaingan kedua raksasa La Liga musim ini.

Joan Laporta, berharap Barcelona tampil sesuai karakternya di Roma. (Foto: AFP)

Pesta kubu The Catalans adalah keberhasilan yang diakui klub-klub anggota Primiera Division. Ucapan selamat juga datang dari kubu Real Madrid, sang juara bertahan.

Seperti apa Presiden Barcelona, Joan Laporta, menyambut keberhasilan Josep 'Pep' Guardiola dan pasukannya? Bagaimana pula pandangannya menjelang final Liga Champion di Roma pada 27 Mei? Berikut rangkuman wawancara sang presiden di Barca TV dan beberapa sumber lain.

Hanya beberapa hari setelah gelar juara Copa del Rey, Barcelona memastikan titel Primera Division. Apa komentar Anda?

Ini sejarah dan mimpi yang menjadi kenyataan. Musim ini adalah untuk kelima kalinya Barcelona meraih gelar ganda. Semoga para pendukung klub bisa menikmatinya. Saya tahu mereka langsung berpesta di Canaletes di Barcelona setelah Madrid kalah.

Ini adalah kemenangan yang harus dirayakan dengan gairah dan penuh hormat.

Siapa yang pertama kali diberi ucapan selamat?

Saya berbicara pada Josep Guardiola dan memberi dia ucapan selamat. Tapi, saya juga ingin mengucapkan selamat secara terbuka.

Kemudian, saya berbicara dengan Carles Puyol untuk menyampaikan selamat kepada seluruh pemain. Juga kepada bagian teknis tim, Txiki Begiristain dan Manel Estiarte, yang bekerja keras membawa kami sampai pada posisi saat ini.

Apa momen terpenting musim ini?

Ada dua. Pertama kekalahan di Numancia (jornada 1, skor 0-1). Kami semua tahu tak mungkin bisa selamanya meraih kemenangan. Tapi, memulai kompetisi dengan kekalahan membuat kami punya waktu memperbaikinya.

Kunci kedua adalah saat kami kalah dari Atletico Madrid di Calderon (jornada 25, skor 3-4). Itu adalah pukulan berat karena Barca praktis menguasai permainan. Tapi, kami semua tetap tenang dan yakin pada kemampuan sendiri. Saya selalu percaya pada apa yang dikerjakan Guardiola.

Apa faktor krusial dalam tim ini?

Ada beberapa. Tapi, yang terpenting adalah pelatih percaya bahwa kemampuan para pemainnya sangat baik. Hal ini membuat Anda tenang setiap minggu.

Guardiola yakin pada timnya dan apa yang bisa mereka perbuat. Dia punya wewenang penuh dalam pekerjaannya.

Bagaimana dengan sisa kompetisi?

Saya tahu para pemain ingin membuat beberapa rekor baru. Enam gol di Bernabeu musim ini lebih baik dari skor 5-0 saat kami menang di sana pada tahun 1974.

Kini, mereka mau melampaui total 107 gol dalam semusim. Gol Bakero di Kaiserslautern (gol away meloloskan Barca dari babak II Piala Champion 1992) akan disaingi oleh gol Iniesta di Stamford Bridge.

Performa tim musim ini adalah salah satu yang terbaik sepanjang sejarah Barcelona. Akan lebih baik bila kami juga memenangi gelar Liga Champion.

Sekarang soal final Liga Champion.

Ya, bukankah pertemuan Barcelona dan Manchester United adalah final impian? Ada dua gaya bermain yang berbeda namun sama-sama punya kemampuan menjadi juara.

Final nanti tak akan mudah bagi Barcelona. United punya pelatih dan pemain hebat. Tapi, inilah final yang diharapkan banyak orang.

Kami ingin berangkat ke Roma dan menjadi diri sendiri. Saya mau seluruh anggota tim tampil di final dengan keyakinan besar pada gaya bermain dan berpikir yang terbaik untuk tim.

Apalagi para pemain ingin meraih hasil treble musim ini. Pep memberi tahu saya ia punya cukup waktu mempersiapkan tim tampil di Roma. (Weshley Hutagalung)