Nice story to share...
-
Something worth sharing........
Pack Of Biscuits
One night there was a woman at the airport who had to wait for several
hours
before catching her
next flight. While she waited she bought a book and a pack of biscuits to
spend
the time.
She looked for a place to sit and waited. She was deep into her book, when
suddenly she realized that there was a young man sitting next to her who
was
stretching his and, with no concern whatsoever, and grabbing the pack of
cookies
lying between them. He started to eat them one by one.
Not wanting to make a fuss about it she decided to ignore him. The woman,
slightly bothered, ate the cookies and watched the clock, while the young
and
shameless thief of biscuits was also finishing them. The woman started to
get
really angry at this point and thought "If I wasn't such a good and
educated
person, I would have given this daring man a black eye by now."
Every time she ate a biscuit, he had one too. The dialogue between their
eyes
continued and when only one biscuit was left, she wondered what was he
going to
do. Softly and with a nervous smile, the young man grabbed the last biscuit
and
broke it in two. He offered one half to the woman while he ate the other
half.
Briskly she took the biscuit and thought, "What an insolent man! How
uneducated!
He didn't even thank me!" She had never met anybody so fresh and sighed
relieved
to hear her flight announced. She grabbed her bags and went towards the
boarding
gate refusing to look back to where that insolent thief was seated.
After boarding the plane and nicely seated, she looked for her book which
was
nearly finished by now. While looking into her bag she was totally
surprised to
find her pack of biscuits nearly intact. If my biscuits are here, she
thought
feeling terribly, those others were his and he tried to share them with me.
Too late to apologize to the young man, she realized with pain, that it was
her
who had been insolent, uneducated and a thief, and not him. How many times
in
our lives, had we known with certainty that something happened in a certain
way,
only to discover later that it wasn't true? How many times has our lack of
trust within us made us judge other people unfairly with our conceited
ideas,
often far away from reality.
That is why we have to think twice before we judge others. Let's always
give
others the benefit of the doubt before we think badly of them. Author
Unknown -
There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest...... perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize? The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace. -
A farmer's donkey
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
So he invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first,the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieten down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.
With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it
off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!
Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up! -
Triple Filter
In ancient Greece, scholar and intellectual, Dr. Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said,
"Do you know what I just heard about one of your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Dr. Socrates
replied. "Before telling me anything IÂ’d like you to pass a little test. ItÂ’s called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?" asked the man.
"ThatÂ’s right," Dr. Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what youÂ’re going to say. ThatÂ’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and wanted to tell it to you."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”
"No, on the contrary, it is bad."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but youÂ’re not certain itÂ’s true. You may still pass the test though, because thereÂ’s one filter left: the filter of usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really." Replied the man.
"Well," concluded Dr. Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, and nor even useful to me, why tell it to me at all."
A Passing Thought:
An arrow which has left the bow and killed an innocent soul,
and a spoken-word which has come out of your mouth and hurt someoneÂ’s heart,
both can never be recalled.
So before you speak, please use the triple filter.
------------------
~CloneMe~
It won't rain all the time.
The sky won't fall forever.
And though the night seems long,
your tears won't fall forever.
[This message has been edited by ^3rdWatch (edited 30 May 2002).] -
Water, Water Everywhere,
And Nary A Drop To Drink
Several years ago we experienced a very dry spell in our area. One day we came home and our well pump was continuously running, but pumping no water.
As hundreds of other wells in our area, our well had finally gone dry also. We made arrangements for a water tank to be plumbed into the house, which also required me hauling water from the local water company to fill the tank.
This usually meant at least 2 trips to town every week hauling water. For over two and a half years I made these bi-weekly water runs, it was a real pain, specially in winter.
One day I got totally fed up with taking all that time, and constantly having to worry about whether there was enough water in the holding tank for the wife to wash clothes.
We decided to drill a new well. What that meant was we also had to dig a ditch from where the old water line went into the house to the new well.
When I originally purchased our farm, the owner had told me where the well was. Since that time we had built a big porch across the front of the house, which also happened to be right over where the owner had told us the well was.
Since I had always "Assumed" the well was under the porch, I had never bothered to dig it up when it went dry.
So putting number 1 son to work digging the ditch for the new well; lo and behold, he ran into where the old well really was! It wasn't under the porch as I had assumed for all those years.
Upon removal of the well cap, we found water just about 10 feet down from the surface. We put a new pump in and discovered the well we thought was dry, was making over 22 gallons a minute! And if you know anything about
water wells, that is a whole lot of water!!!
For over 2 years I had been hauling water because: I was operating under a false assumption of where our well really was.
For over 2 years, I was sitting on top of a well that had enough water to provide half our town with service.
That water was there all the time, all I would have needed to do was put forth a little effort and find it.
If I only had.......
* Put forth the effort
* Done something about my situation immediately
* Looked instead of taking someone else's word for it -
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT - AGAIN AND AGAIN
There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.
He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same.
When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
[This message has been edited by topazz (edited 31 May 2002).] -
From the very begining, the gal's family objected strongly on her dating with
this guy. Saying that it has to got to do with family background & that the gal will have to suffer for the rest of her life if she were to be with him.
Due to family"s pressure, the couple quarrel very often. Though the gal luv the guy deeply, but she always ask him: "How deep is yr luv for me?" As the guy is not good with his words, this often cause the gal to be very upset.
With that & the family's pressure, the gal often vent her anger on him. As for him, he only endure it in silence.
After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated & decided to further his
studies overseas. Before leaving, he proposed to the gal: "I'm not very
good with words. But all I know is that I luv u. If u allow me, I will take
care of u for the rest of my life. As for
your family, I'll try my best to
talk them round. Will you marry me?"
The gal agreed & with the guy's determination, the family finally gave in & agreed to let them get married.
So before he leave, they got engaged. The gal went out to the working society, while the guy was in overseas, continuing his studies. They sent their luv thru emails & phone calls, though it's hard, but both
never thought of giving up.
One day, while the gal was on her way to work, she was knocked down by a car that lost control. When she woke up, she saw her parents beside her bed. She realised that she was badly injured. Seeing her mum
crying, she wanted to comfort her. But she realized that all that could come out of her mouth was juz a sign. she has lost her voice. The doctors says that the impact on her brain has caused her to lose her voice. Listening to her parents' comfort, but with nothing coming out from her, she broke down.
During the stay in hospital, besides silence cry, it's still juz silence cry that accompanied her.
Upon reaching home, everything seems to be the same. Except for the ringing tone of the phone which pierced into her heart everytime it rang. She does not wish to let the guy know & not wanting to be a burden to him, she wrote a letter to him saying that she does not wish to wait any longer. With
that, she sent the ring back to him. In return, the guy sent millions & millions of reply, countless of phonecalls all the gal could do, besides crying is still crying.
The parents decided to move away, hoping that she could eventually forget everything & be happy. With a new environment, the gal learn sign language & started a new life. Telling herself everyday that she must
forget the guy. One day, her fren came & told her that he's back. She asked her fren not to let him know what happened to her. Since then, there wasn't any more news of him.
A year has passed & her fren came with an envelope, containing a invitation card for the guy's wedding. The gal was shattered. When she open the letter, she saw her name in it instead. When she was about to ask her
fren what's going on, she saw the guy standing in front of her.
He used sign language telling her "I've spent a year's time to learn sign language. Juz to let u know that I've not forgotten our promise. Let me have the chance to be your voice. I luv u." With that, he slipped
the ring back into her finger. The gal finally smiled.
"The spaces between our fingers were created so that... another person's fingers could fill them in." -
A little story to start another good week.
Her hair was up in a ponytail
Her favourite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
And she couldn't wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her, That she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand, If she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid;
She knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
Of why he wasn't there today.
But still her mother worried,
For her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
She tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school,
Eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
A dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back, For everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their seats.
One by one the teacher called,
A student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
As seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
Every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
For a man who wasn't there.
"Where's her daddy at?"
She heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
Another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to waste his day."
The words did not offend her,
As she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
Slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
Came words incredibly unique.
"My Daddy couldn't be here,
Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories
He taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
And taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes,
And ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him,
I'm not standing here alone.
"Cause my daddy's always with me,
Even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
He'll be forever in my heart"
With that, her little hand reached up,
And lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love
Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
But its message clear and loud.
"I love my daddy very much,
He's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
But heaven's just too far.
You see he was a fireman
And died just this past year
When airplanes hit the towers
And taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
It's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
And saw him there that day.
And to her mother's amazement,
She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them,
Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him at her side.
"I know you're with me Daddy,"
To the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
Of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love of her shining bright star.
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too far
They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
An hour to appreciate them, a day to love them,
But then an entire life to forget them. -
Coffee Bean
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life an how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second, she placed eggs, and
in the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," her daughter replied.
She brought her daughter closer and asked her to feel the carrots. The daughter noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, the daughter observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked her daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. Then the daughter asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained, "Each of these objects has faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. They changed the water."
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I once have a fluid spirit, but after death, breakup, financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. When things are at their worst, do I get better and change the situation around me?
How do you handle adversity? When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level?
What gives you the greatest opportunity for long term happiness? That is your highest choice.
May you be blessed and bless others
By Always making your Highest Choice -
The story of Woodcutter
Once upon a time, there was a very strong woodcutter. He asked for a job from a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the work conditions.
For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.
The first day, the woodcutter brought down 18 trees. The boss was very much impressed and said, "Congratulation, Go on that way!" Very motivated by the words of boss, the woodcutter tried even harder, but he only could bring down 10 trees.
Day after day, he was bringing down less and less trees. "I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought to himself. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.
When was the last time you sharpen your axe?" the boss. "Sharpen? I have no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees."
The moral of the story:
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to sharpen the axe. In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp? There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to read etc.
We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don't take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. So start from today, think about the ways by which you could do your job more effectively and add a lot of value to it.
May you be happy always! -
Must be positive!!!
***********************
Think positive or negative.
This is nice - finding positive out of every negative -
which we don't always manage to do.
I am thankful....
For the husband who snores all night, because he is at home asleep
with me and not with someone else.
For my teenage daughter who is complaining about doing dishes,
because that means she is at home & not on the streets.
For the taxes that I pay, because it means that I am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party, because it means that I have
been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have
enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.
For a floor that needs mopping, and windows that need cleaning,
because it means I have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.
For the noise I have to bear from my neighbours, because it means
that I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes
to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it
means I have been capable of working hard.
For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it
means that I am alive.
AND FINALLY.......for too much e-mail, because it means I have
friends who are thinking of me. -
~~ The Strength Of A Man ~~
The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.
It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you.
The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.
It is in the gentle words he whispers.
The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It's how good a buddy he is with his or "your" children.
The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It's in how he is respected at home.
The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.
It's in how tender he touches.
The strength of a man isn't in the hair on his chest.
It's in his heart... that lies within his chest.
The strength of a man isn't in how many women he's loved.
It's in how true he can be to the ONE woman he's trying to love.
The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It's in the burdens he can carry.
The strength of a man isn't in how much food he eats from your table.
It's in the effort he puts forth when you are unable.
-Author Unknown -
Wah BM...you trying to hint that the strength of the man actually is talking about you is it?
-
Wise Words.
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire.
He told his employer/contractor of his plans to leave the house building business
and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family.
He would miss the pay cheque, but he needed to retire.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if
he could build just one more house as a personal favour.
The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work.
He resorted to a shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials.
It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house.
He handed the front door key to the carpenter.
"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
The carpenter was shocked! What a shame!
If he had only known he was building his own house,
he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us.
We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building.
Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built.
If we could do it over, we'd do it much differently.
But we cannot go back.
You are the carpenter.
Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall.
"Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone has said.
Your attitudes and the choices you make today,
build the "house" you live in tomorrow.
Build wisely!
Remember...
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody is watching.
Pass this on to someone you like. I did! -
[color=brown]The Pretty Lady
[color=brown]Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were traveling together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the river. There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river.
The big monk offered to carry the pretty lady across the river on his back. The lady accepted. The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk. "How can big disciple brother carry a lady when we are supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?" thought the little monk. But he kept quiet.
The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her. All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all kinds of accusations about the big monk in his head. This got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. And the big monk had no inclination to explain his situation. Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk.
"How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty? All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite."
The big monk looked surprised and said, "I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?"
[color=brown][ This very old Chinese zen story reflects the thinking of many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause us to be bitter or jealous. But like the little monk, we are not willing to let them go away. We keep on carrying the baggage of the "pretty lady" with us. We let them keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, make us bitter and cause us a lot of agony. Why? Simply because we are not willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the "pretty lady".
We should let go of the pretty lady immediately after crossing the river,immediately after the unpleasant event is over. This will immediately remove all our agonies. There is no need to be further hurt by the unpleasant event after it is over. It is just that simple. ] -
[color=green]The Frogs
A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, "There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs – millions of them. They all croak all night long and they are about to make me crazy!" So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.
The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs.
The restaurant owner said, "Well... where are all the frogs?"
The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!"
[ Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever lay in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. ] -
[color=indigo]The Turtles
A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. Turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place for their outing.
During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last! For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell.
He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left. Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years... six years... then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich.
At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, "SEE! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."
[ Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't do anything ourselves.] -
Balance of life
Something to think about..........
Mary and Susan were friends for years. They grew up together and attended the same schools. They were now both in their 40's, and both had great careers. They both had a similar upbringing – same education, same family values, similar support and financial position. But there was one main difference. Mary never seemed to have enough time. She watched her life long friend Susan. She had similar responsibilities and interests. Susan had a career, she had three children, she had her hobbies, one of which included golf. Over lunch, Susan was telling Mary about the golf game that she played last weekend.
"Susan, where do you find the time to play golf?" asked Mary. "I never seem to have the time, now with the children older and doing there own thing I thought I would have time to play golf like we did when we were in college."
Susan looked at Mary and laughed, "Mary, we both have the same hours in a day. You do have the time to play golf!"
With a sigh Mary replied, "That's easy for you to say. I never seem to have time. My work takes so much of my time. I am in the office at 7:30, I leave at 6:30 in the evening. By the time I get home and have dinner, it is 8:00! And, then I usually have a briefcase full of work. The weekends are full of more work. Just to keep up, I have to put in the hours. You know what it is like!"
"Of course, I know what it is like," Susan said. "But what would happen tomorrow if you got sick? Who would do the work?"
"Sick. Who has time to get sick! exclaimed Mary. "But if I did get sick, someone else would do the work, I suppose."
"You know something, Mary, I used to be like you. I worked night and day and of course on weekends. When I got home I was exhausted but I would push myself and read my children a bedtime story. By the time I went to bed, I would be more than exhausted. The boss I had was very demanding. She was there early in the morning, late at night, and she always worked weekends. I felt I had to do the same - I needed the job to help support my family - just as you did.
But then I had a change of bosses. The man I worked for was older and much wiser, I might add! Of course, I continued to work the hours I had been working. One day he came to my desk and passed me a card that had a quote on it which said, 'What I do today is important, because I will never have today again' - then he left.
I sat there stunned. I suddenly thought of what was important to me. While my work was important, I realized my children were more important. I also realized that time for me was important. It was 4:30, the official closing time of the office. I straightened my desk, felt a twinge of guilt about leaving, but I forced myself to leave. I was home by 5:00. My children and husband were surprised. I had a wonderful evening. It was not a chore to read that bedtime story that evening."
Mary was looking at her friend thoughtfully and then questioned Susan about the work she had left on her desk.
Susan replied, "I never thought this possible, but I actually accomplished more the next day then I had in weeks. As I was leaving the next day I stopped at my new boss's office and thanked him for the quote. He told me a story about advice his dad had given him many years ago when he was working night and day. He referred to it as 'Balance of Life'. His dad told him to keep balance in his work, in his family life and in time for himself. He explained to me, while all aspects of our life are important, without a balance, you become addicted and like all addictions you lose
- no balance with your family - you lose them
- no balance with your work - you lose your perspective and you actually lose focus on the important aspects of your job.
- no balance with yourself - you forget who you are and when you retire you have nothing! Or worse than that, if you lose your job through a company sale or downsizing you lose your identity.
He went on to tell me that who we are is NOT what we do to make a living. Who we are is a balance of our family, our work, ourselves! It truly was the best advice I ever received."
Mary took a drink of her tea and tearfully looked at her friend, "But I would never get my work done if I left at 4:30!"
Susan looked thoughtfully at her, "When you go to work on Monday, look at what you have on your desk. Make a list of everything you have to get done and beside that list write the impact of not doing it. Then focus only on the top three items that have the most impact. Do that everyday for a week. At first, you will find it difficult to leave. But, after awhile, you will find that you will have more energy, and you will be more focused in your work because you have BALANCE! There are times when we have to lose balance - a special project at work, or a family matter at home - but consciously focusing on balance keeps everything in check."
Mary smiled at her friend, "Thanks for talking with me. We have been friends for so long. Thank heavens I have balance with your friendship! You have convinced me. I will leave the work in my briefcase this weekend. On Monday, I will make the list first thing. Perhaps next weekend, I will have the time to go golfing with you!" -
A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2" diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed.
He asked his students again if the jar was full? They agreed that yes, it was.
The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life.
The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed.
The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job,your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff." "If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important.
******Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out dancing.
There will always be time to go to work, clean the
house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
******** Take care of the rocks first - the things
that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just pebbles and sand
2nd * Good Luck!! I hope it works..
* May there always be work for your hands to do;
* may your purse always hold a coin or two;
* may the sun always shine on your windowpane;
* may a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
* may the hand of a friend always be near you;
* may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
* An Irish Blessing
* The Friendship Bracelet
* O~xxxxxxx@@@@@xxxxxxx~O