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Feel good about who you are

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rgurus

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Feel good about who you are




An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.




One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.




For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.




Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."




The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."




Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.




So, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!
 
Nice story, though read already! :)

But, if she was wiser, she would have reversed the direction of the pots every day and planted flower seeds on BOTH sides.
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For the next two years, having become wiser, the poor Chinese lady plans to reverse the pots and grow vegetables instead of flowers to make more money
 
May be she should create a hole in the other pot too so that she can water a larger vegetable garden! Makes better economic sense!
 
Is the Chinese Granny had been the wisest
she would have brought water in leak proof pots.
She could have created a garden in her back yard
under controlled conditions in stead of wasting and spilling
water all along her path in both directions,
 
Rgurus, Writes posts for his own enjoyments. Similarly this story is for his personal satisfaction. He does not care about others opinion.
He does not participate on any thread either.
 
“In our daily lives, we may see the people around us, but if we lack mindfulness, they are just phantoms, not real people, and we ourselves are also ghosts. Practicing mindfulness enables us to become a real person. When we are a real person, we see real people around us, and life is present in all its richness.” Dalai Lama
 
Like the elephant, we are unconscious of our own strength. When it comes to understanding the power we have to make a difference in our own lives, we might as well be asleep. If you want to make your dreams come true, wake up. Wake up to your own strength. Wake up to the role you play in your own destiny. Wake up to the power you have to choose what you think, do, and say.” ~ Keith Ellis
 
“It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse.” ~ Paulo Coelho
 
“I can focus all my energy on trying to destroy the old world, or I can spend my energy on trying to create a better one.” ~ Sevan Apollo Poetry, Good Men Project
[h=3][/h]
 
The story of an astrologer
Once upon a time very famous astrologer came to the king's court. The king of the country gave him a traditional welcome of those days and extended all hospitalities to him. The king being a very wise and learned man was always interested in testing the credibility of those who come and visit him as experts or specialists in a particular field. As was his vogue, the king wanted to test the astrologer who claimed to be an authority in astrology. If he was not satisfied, he would behead the person and that was the practice those days. (There was no ISIS then)
So one fine day seating in his majestic throne in his court, the king summoned the astrologer to his court. The astrologer came to the court with great expectations and saluted the king the way it was done those days. The king told him that he was pleased to have such a great authority on astrology coming to his court and said that he would like to put some questions to the astrologer. The astrologer was waiting for such an opportunity to prove his mettle and bowed down his head in great reverence and told the king that he feels honoured to be questioned by the king and submitted to the king that he would be happy to answer the king.
King: What is your longevity? How long will you live?
The astrologer was taken aback for he knew that if right answer was not given, he would be beheaded. But the present question was such that if the astrologer said that he would live for many more years, the king may finish him of immediately to disprove his prediction. Or if he said that he was going to die instantly and after waiting for a whole, if he still lived, the king might kill him for having wrongly prophesied. So the astrologer was in a state of fix and if he failed to reply, that would also invite death at the hands of the king. Being a very astute man, the astrologer regained his composure quickly and said
"Oh! Maharaj, astrologers are not supposed to predict the death of anyone as per Sastras."
King was the least satisfied with this reply and insisted on a curt reply to his question straight. Caught in a distraught situation, the astrologer after some imaginary calculations said
"Maharaj, since you are insisting, I cannot bypass your question even though it is against Sastras. I am bound to answer it. But I hesitate because of the timing of your question which tells me that the king will die on the eighth day of my death. That was another reason why I was very hesitant to tell you about my longevity.
The king was now virtually floored and he didn't know what to do. If he killed the astrologer immediately, the king would die on the eighth day and no king would like to invite death like that. So the only recourse left to the king was to see to it that the astrologer was given food and all other facilities and taken great care at the king's expense so that he could live as long as possible. So the astrologer had a great time thereafter in the king's palace. When he was asked by one of the court members how he gave such a brilliant answer, the astrologer said
If I die a natural death first, I have nothing to fear, for the king couldn't do anything afterwards. On the other hand, suppose the king dies first, then there is nothing for me to worry about. So either way I am safe".
In his own interest, the king wanted to keep the astrologer by his side and hence made him a court astrologer
( story continued)
Caught in a distraught situation, the astrologer after some imaginary calculations said
"Maharaj, since you are insisting, I cannot bypass your question, even though it is against Sastras. I am bound to answer it. But I hesitate because of the timing of your question..."
"It is alright. You don't have to hesitate. Proceed." the king ordered.
".....It tells me that your majesty will die on the eighth day of my death. That was another reason why I was very hesitant to tell you about my longevity" said the astrologer.
The king was now virtually floored and he didn't know what to do. If he killed the astrologer immediately, the king would die on the eighth day and no king would like to invite death like that. So the only recourse left to the king was to see to it that the astrologer was given food and all other facilities and taken great care at the his expense so that he could live as long as possible. Little did the king realise that it was a ploy by the astrologer!
So the astrologer had a great time thereafter in the king's palace. When he was asked by one of the court members how he gave such a brilliant answer, the astrologer said
"With all my grinding poverty, I was wondering how it will be possible. So this was the only recourse left to me and now, as you see, the king is forced to protect me as long as he lives. Even in the meanwhile, if something goes wrong with my health, the king, in his own interest will arrange for the best medical treatment available to me. If I die a natural death first, I have nothing to fear, for the king couldn't do anything afterwards. On the other hand, suppose the king dies first, then there is nothing for me to worry about. So either way I am safe".
More than astrology, it is the "brain" that saved the astrologer. In due course he was made a court astrologer and then he lived happily ever after.(Every story should also end like this. Otherwise children won't like it.).
 
A story with a value




A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special - Don't ever forget it!
 
The foundation of happiness is mindfulness. The basic condition for being happy is our consciousness of being happy. If we are not aware that we are happy, we are not really happy. When we have a toothache, we know that not having a toothache is a wonderful thing. But when we do not have a toothache, we are still not happy. A non-toothache is very pleasant. There are so many things that are enjoyable, but when we don’t practice mindfulness, we don’t appreciate them. When we practice mindfulness, we come to cherish these things and we learn how to protect them. By taking good care of the present moment, we take good care of the future. Working for peace in the future is to work for peace in the present moment.” Dalai Lama
 
I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” ~ Helen Keller
 
Before you call someone lazy or judge them, try to imagine their perspective, beliefs, and abilities and forget yours. That is, respond with curiosity and empathy. When you do, I predict you’ll find yourself understanding their choices. You may not like their beliefs and choices, but you’ll understand them.” ~ Joshua Spodek
 
Amma was the mighty power

Who kept her party together

Now that she is no more

The wolves are waiting to gore

Unless the party remains united

Its future will be as good as dead
 
Cho

The multifaceted Satirist that he was

Who could make even his victims laugh

Unbiased in his attack, he has not spared any one

Upright in his approach, he feared none

He was loved and hated by many all at once

He proved that a magazine can be run

Without love and lousy stories and empty fun

His loss is a loss to journalism, stage and to the nation

Decency in politics will be the real tribute to Cho on this occasion
 
Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans




Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.




Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.




He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.




After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.




He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”




“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.




“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.




“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.






He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.




However, each one reacted differently.




The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.




The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.




However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.




“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “




Moral:In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.




Which one are you?
 
Be deaf to discouragements and insults:




A group of frogs was traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit.




All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.




The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump out of the pit with all of their might.




The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead.




Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.




The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die.




He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?"




The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.




Author Unknown




Lessons to be learnt:




1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.




2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill him or her.




Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words.... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times.

Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
 
Blind love

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?”

The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying:

“Just take care of my eyes dear.”
 
“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have—life itself.” ~ Walter Anderson
 
When you positively contribute, you paddle forward. When you negatively contribute, you paddle backward. And when you don’t contribute at all, that’s the equivalent of not paddling at all, which will of course cause you to start drifting downstream.
 
stress and distress


A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ”How heavy is this glass of water?”




Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.




She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!
 
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