WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 23

Thanks to Scoil Naomh Padraig school for the image.

The Dalai Lama’s Outlook on Life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules, so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

5 MINUTES WITH - TERESA MCLAUGHLIN

Teresa McLaughlin lives in Drumfad, Linsfort. Along with her husband Peter and her family, she is running their new company Inishowen Quad Safari. The business started just five weeks ago and is proving to be a massive attraction for tourists and locals alike. There are three tracks depending on your level of experience, ranging from a level surface for the novice, to humps, hollows, trenches and lots of water for the more advanced rider. Open all year, Inishowen Quad Safari is a must for all thrill seekers. They do individual tuition or groups. You can find out more on 087 664 6346

What music do you like?
I like most Country and Western music. I listen to Steven Lynch on Highland radio in the afternoon; he plays both Irish and American Country music.

What would you never throw away?
I don’t very often throw clothes away. I have “Maybe” pile and a “Dump” pile of clothes in the bedroom. Neither of them get thrown away very often….

What book are you reading?
Ugly by Constance Briscoe. It’s a true story about a girl who was abused by her mother. When she was thirteen her mother walked out leaving her with nothing. It is a story of how she survived her terrible start in life.

What was your favourite childhood game?
We used to make our own hopscotch squares on the road and I always enjoyed skipping as well.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
The girls wanted to see Sex in the City but we ended up going to see Prom Night instead. The tag line is: It's Midnight Everyone's Ready To Go Home...But Someone Has Other Plans… You can probably guess it’s a bit of a horror…It’s more fun watching these films with an audience in the cinema.

What is your idea of a good night out?
A good meal and a dance. The last time I went out was to the Laurentic, the new bar that has opened in Linsfort. The food and meal were excellent and the band playing got everyone moving.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
I was in the front of our car with my father driving and I was keeping a sheep calm by holding it in the back seat as we drove home. My dad drove around a corner and the front passenger door flew open. I fell out of the car…. It was my pride that suffered the most…. The sheep was all right though…

Have you a favourite TV programme?
I really enjoy Casualty. For some reason I enjoy the realism.

How do you relax?
I enjoy a long soak in the bath.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
A hairdresser. I don’t know why, I just fancied it.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
One of my daughters is in San Francisco so I try to get there as often as possible.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
The fine singer, Charlie Landsborough and actor John Wayne. My cooking isn’t the best though so I would probably take them out to a restaurant…

Favourite animal?
Toby, our one year old Jack Russell. We have had him since Christmas and he is totally spoilt.

What couldn’t you live without?
I couldn’t live without tea….

Biggest fear?
I am not that keen on snakes, but as there aren’t any in the wild in Ireland I don’t think that is much of a problem.

The world’s most irritating invention?
Alarm clocks. We have one that has different sounding ignition noises from John Deere tractors. On the hour, every hour, it would chime up with the sound of an old classic engine being stared. It has ended up in the shed.

What is your idea of a good night in?
Watching a film and having a Chinese meal.

World’s most useful invention?
The car. It is a must for people living in rural areas.

Personal philosophy?
Mother knows best.