Together

A young lady sat in a bus. At the next stop a loud and grumpy old lady came and sat by her. She squeezed into the seat and bumped her with her numerous bags.

The person sitting on the other side of the young lady got upset, asked her why she did not speak up and say something.

The young lady responded with a smile:

"It is not necessary to be rude or argue over something so insignificant, the journey together is so short. I get off at the next stop."

This response deserves to be written in golden letters:

"It is not necessary to argue over something so insignificant, our journey together is so short"

If each one of us realized that our time here is so short; that to darken it with quarrels, futile arguments, not forgiving others, discontentment and a fault finding attitude would be a waste of time and energy.

Did someone break your heart?
Be calm, the journey is so short.

Did someone betray, bully, cheat or humiliate you?
Be calm, forgive, the journey is so short.

Whatever troubles anyone brings us, let us remember that our journey TOGETHER is so short.

No one knows the duration of this journey. No one knows when their stop will come. Our journey TOGETHER is so short.

Let us cherish friends and family. Let us be respectful, kind and forgiving to each other. Let us be filled with gratitude and gladness.

If I have ever hurt you, I ask for your forgiveness. If you have ever hurt me, you already have my forgiveness.

After all, our journey TOGETHER  is so short....

What caused it.?

Consider a situation: You're eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the coffee cup over. She breaks down in tears.
      After scolding her, you turn to your wife and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table.
     A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. 
       She misses the bus. Your wife must leave immediately for work.You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school.
        Because you are late, you drive 80 km an hour in a 60 kmph speed limit. After a 15 minute delay and throwing Rs.500 (traffic fine) away, you arrived at school.
    
     Your daughter runs to the building without saying good-bye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase.
      Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to going home. When you arrive home you find a small wedge in your relationship with your wife and daughter. Why?
     Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is D.

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.
      Here is what could have and should have happened.

      Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry.You gently say "It's OK honey, you just need to be more careful next time".   
       Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase. You come back down in time look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves.
     You and your wife kiss before you both go to work. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good a day you are having.
   Notice the difference. Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why?
        Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% is determined by your reaction.
☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘
10% of your time dedicated to Meditation helps you keep calm and going for the rest of 90% time.
☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 secret:

If someone says something negative about you, do not be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass.
      You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day.
      A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out, etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic?
Do you lose your temper? Pound the steering wheel till it fall off?
Do you curse?
Does your blood pressure skyrocket?
Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work?
Why let the blue car ruin your drive.

Remember the 90-10 principle, and do not worry about it!

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep or get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying" energy and time into finding another job.
     The plane is late. It is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant?
    She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passengers, etc. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Yogurt

Mr Gupta’s wife died when he was almost 45 yrs old. People urged him to remarry but he refused saying, "I have a gift from my wife in the form of my son. I will pass my life nicely with him."

When the son became able, Mr Gupta handed over the running of his business to him. He, himself would spend his time between the office and temple.

When his son got married, Mr Gupta became even more contented and handed over the running of the household to his daughter-in-law.

Nearly a year after the son’s marriage, Mr Gupta was having lunch; his son had also come from the office and was washing up in the restroom.

He heard his father ask for yogurt from his wife and she replied that there was no yogurt in the house that day. Mr Gupta finished his lunch and left for the office.

The son started lunch with his wife. There was a bowl full of yogurt on the dining table. He didn’t express any reaction, had lunch and left for the office too.

Nearly ten days later the son told Mr Gupta, "Papa, you have to come to court with me; you are getting married today.”

Mr Gupta was surprised and said, “Beta, I don’t need a wife and I have given you so much love that I don’t think even you need a mother. Then why this second marriage?”

The son replied, “Father, neither am I bringing a mother for myself nor a wife for you. I am only making the arrangement of getting yogurt for you. From tomorrow, I am going to live in a rental home with my wife and also receive salary from the office like a regular employee so that your daughter-in-law realizes the value of yogurt.

Don't get discouraged

One day, a school teacher wrote on the board the following:
9×1=7
9×2=18
9×3=27
9×4=36
9×5=45
9×6=54
9×7=63
9×8=72
9×9=81
9×10=90
When she was done, she looked back at the students and they were all laughing at her because of the first equation which was wrong. Then the teacher said the following:
I wrote that first one wrong on purpose, because I wanted you to learn something important. This was for you to know how the world out there will treat you. You can see that I wrote the RIGHT thing nine times, but none of you congratulated me for it. But you all laughed and criticized me because of one wrong thing I did.
The lesson is:
The world will never appreciate the good you do a million times, but will criticize the one wrong thing you do. So don't get discouraged.

ALWAYS RISE ABOVE ALL THE LAUGHTER AND CRITICISM.

Unchain

A farmer was taking three of his donkeys for sale to the market. On the way he saw a river and decided to have a dip. Since he had only two ropes to tie the donkeys to a tree, he looked around wondering how to tie the third one._

_He saw a sage and sought his help if he could give him a rope to tie the third donkey. The sage did not have a rope but had a suggestion. He told the farmer, “let the third donkey see you tying the other two donkeys to a tree. Then you pretend to tie this one also”. The farmer did as he was told and went for a dip in the river._

_Coming back, he thanked the sage and saw that the donkeys stood exactly at the same spot where he had left them. He untied the two donkeys and patted the third one to start moving. After going a little distance, imagine his surprise when the third donkey stood still at the same spot. Cajoling, kicking or talking did not help with the donkey, refusing to move from the spot._

_The farmer went back to sage, who told him, “untie the third donkey”._

_"But”, protested the farmer, “I have not tied him”._

_The sage asked, “You know it. But does the donkey know that?”_

_Sure enough the farmer went back went through the motions of untying the donkey. The donkey moved immediately as though released and walked over to join the other two donkeys._

*We too are tied up by too many imaginary ropes which are really non-existent. The only truth is there are no boundaries in real life and anyone can stretch to any extent.*

Life -  All About Untying Mental Blocks.

Human nature

A woman gets cheated by her husband.

Devastated, she doesn't know how to continue to live her life. She heard that there's a very wise monk who lives up in a mountain, and decided to go there to consult him.

After few days of traveling, walking, climbing, she reaches the top and meets the wise monk. "I have spent my whole life with him, my youth was dedicated to support him, take care of him. And now he left me with a young woman. My life is stolen, and I'm left with nothing. I don't know what to do".

The monk gives her a cookie and asks her to eat it. After she finishes eating, he ask: "Is the cookie delicious?" "Yes"- she answer. "Do you want another one?" "Sure, please". The monk looks her in the eyes and said "Do you see the problem now?"

The woman thinks for a while, and then slowly speak. "I guess human nature is greedy. You got one, then you want more, maybe a new one, bigger one. It's never enough. And nothing lasts forever, anything is impermanence. We should be aware and not disappointed for that".

The monk shakes his head "No, I mean you are too fat, you should eat less."

Warming hearts. ...

Posted as received

In Crown Heights, there was a Jewish man named Yankel, who owned a bakery. He survived the concentration camps, and always said, "You know why it is that I’m alive today?"

"I was a kid, just a teenager at the time. We were on the train being taken to Auschwitz. Night came and it was deathly cold in that boxcar. The Germans would leave the cars on the side of the tracks overnight, sometimes for days on end without any food, and no blankets to keep us warm," he said.

"Sitting next to me was this beloved elderly Jewish man from my hometown. He was shivering from head to toe, and looked terrible. So I wrapped my arms around him to warm him up. I rubbed his arms, his legs, his face, his neck. I begged him to hang on. All night long, I kept the man warm this way.

"I was tired, and freezing cold myself. My fingers were numb, but I didn’t stop rubbing heat into that old man’s body. Hours and hours went by until finally, morning came and the sun began to shine. When there was some light in the boxcar, I looked around to see the other people. To my horror, all I could see were frozen bodies. All I could hear was deathly silence.

"Nobody else in that cabin made it through the night. They died from the cold. Only two people survived: the old man and me. The old man survived because somebody kept him warm...and I survived because I was warming someone else.

"Can I tell you the secret to survival in this world? When you warm other people’s hearts, you remain warm yourself. When you seek to support, encourage and inspire others, then you discover support, encouragement and inspiration in your own life as well. That, my friends, is the secret to life."

Value of Life

A man went to God and asked, "What's the value of life?"

God gave him one stone and said, "Find out the value of this stone, but don't sell it."

The man took the stone to an Orange Seller and asked him what it's cost would be.

The Orange Seller saw the shiny stone and said, "You can take 12 oranges and give me the stone."

The man apologized and said that the God has asked him not to sell it.

He went ahead and found a vegetable seller. "What could be the value of this stone?" he asked the vegetable seller. The seller saw the shiny stone and said, "Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone."

The man again apologized and said he can't sell it.

Further ahead, he went into a jewellery shop and asked the value of the stone.

The jeweler saw the stone under a lens and said, "I'll give you 50 Lakhs for this stone." When the man shook his head, the jeweler said, "Alright, alright, take 2 crores, but give me the stone."

The man explained that he can't sell the stone. Further ahead, the man saw a precious stone's shop and asked the seller the value of this stone.

When the precious stone's seller saw the big ruby, he lay down a red cloth and put the ruby on it. Then he walked in circles around the ruby and bent down and touched his head in front of the ruby.

"From where did you bring this priceless ruby from?" he asked. "Even if I sell the whole world, and my life, I won't be able to purchase this priceless stone.

Stunned and confused, the man returned to the God and told him what had happened. "Now tell me what is the value of life, God?

God said, "The answers you got from the Orange Seller, the Vegetable Seller, the Jeweler & the Precious Stone's Seller explain the value of our life... You may be a precious stone, even priceless, but people may value you based on their level of information, their belief in you, their motive behind entertaining you, their ambition, and their risk taking ability. But don't fear, you will surely find someone who will discern your true value."

In the eyes of God you are very very precious. Respect yourself. You are Unique. No one can Replace you!

Don't worry

An elephant and a dog became pregnant at same time. Three months down the line the dog gave birth to six puppies. Six months later the dog was pregnant again, and nine months on it gave birth to another dozen puppies. The pattern continued.

On the eighteenth month the dog approached the elephant questioning, _”Are you sure that you are pregnant? We became pregnant on the same date, I have given birth three times to a dozen puppies and they are now grown to become big dogs, yet you are still pregnant. Whats going on?”._

The elephant replied, _”There is something I want you to understand. What I am carrying is not a puppy but an elephant. I only give birth to one in two years. When my baby hits the ground, the earth feels it. When my baby crosses the road, human beings stop and watch in admiration, what I carry draws attention. So what I’m carrying is mighty and great.”._

Don’t lose faith when you see others receive answers to their prayers.
Don’t be envious of others testimony. If you haven’t received your own blessings, don’t despair. Say to yourself “My time is coming, and when it hits the surface of the earth, people shall yield in admiration.

Fixing. ..

A man was asked to paint a boat.

He painted the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him.!

While painting, he realized there was a hole in the hull and decided to repair it.

After finishing the painting, he received his payment and left.!

The next day, the owner of the boat came to meet the painter and presented him a Cheque with huge amount !!

The painter got surprised:
- You've already paid me for painting the boat!
- he said.
- But this is not for the  painting !
It's for having repaired the hole in the boat.
- Ah! But it was such a small service ... certainly it's not worth paying me such a high amount for something so insignificant!

My dear friend, you do not understand.
Let me tell you what happened.

When I asked you to paint the boat, I forgot to mention about the hole.

When the boat dried, my kids took the boat and went on a fishing trip.

They did not know that there was a hole.
I was not at home at that time. When I returned and noticed they had taken the boat, I was desperate because I remembered that the boat had a hole.

Imagine my relief and joy when I saw them returning from fishing
Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole! You see, now, what you did?

You saved the life of my children! I do not have enough money to pay your "small" good deed.

So, no matter who, when or how. Just continue to help, sustain, wipe tears, listen attentively and carefully repair all the "leaks" you find, because you never know when one is in need of us and important to someone.

And I'm sure ,  You might have repaired numerous "boat holes" along your way , without realizing how many lives you've saved.!

Dilemma

A perfect example for the dilemma we often face in any decision making.
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other not.
Only one child played on the unused track, the rest on the operational track.
A train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the unused track and save most of the kids.
However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the unused track would be sacrificed.
Or would you rather let the train go its way?
Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make................
have u thought enough !!!!
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. Save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.
But, have you ever thought that the child chose to play on the unused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?
Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.
This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the RIGHT is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how far-sighted and knowledgeable the wise are.
The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track were aware that the track was still in use, and that they would run away when they hear the train's sirens.
Now, If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never expects that a train could come over on the unused track!
Further, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to such a track, we may put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in our attempt to save few kids thinking that the train may run over them, we might end up sacrificing hundreds of people.
While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decision may not always be the right one.
"What's Right isn't always popular..
and what's popular isn't always Right."

Burdened Shoulders

When The first ray of sun touches our faces,

We get up  unwillingly to run our races.

The races of competition ,hopes and success

Has somewhere killed the innocent desires and made a mess

A Child today, is treated like a robot.

Without any mercy or a second thought.

 

He slowly gets used to this rush at an early age

Children feel like they're workers  without any wage.

Life revolves around Tuitions ,coaching and institutes.

Schools ,home works and creating disputes.

Children no more see each other as friends

They pretend friendship as a competition that never ends.

 

We compete for marks, grades, and the teacher's affections.

This is our fault but we can't give any contradictions.

 

Learning is no more treated as fun.

Looks like we need to catch up while run

 

Pressurised with schools

Tensed with coaching

Mugging up like fools

We see dark dreams of exams approaching

 

No time to eat, no time to play.

Sleepless nights and awake we stay.

Cravings for a small afternoon nap.

Reminds me of the tonnes of books on my lap.

 

Heavy bags carried on the shoulders,

The books and Gravity hits hard on us like boulders.

Hot afternoons and fidgety tantrums,

We feel being hit like drums.

 

Stress and depression

anxiety  and tension.

Diseases like these  are often signs

Of burdened shoulders and blank minds

 

What is the use of such education

Which teaches to mug up and there's no fun.

 

Bring back those days

where each cell was hungry for luminous knowledge,

There was awe and wonder for learning at each stage.

Bring back those days

when teachers and students shared a relation so crystal clear.

Not like nowadays where asking each doubt is a big fear.

 

bring back those days

when sports were Considered equal to studies.

And the days when knowledge, playground and classrooms we're best  buddies.

 

Still awaiting for these times to come with a u-turn,

Giving  studies and life skills equal  concern.

Think. ...

Worth reading:
A Rich man looked through his window and saw a man picking something from his dustbin. He said, Thank GOD I'm not poor.

The poor man looked around and saw a naked man misbehaving on the street. He said, Thank GOD I'm not mad.

The mad man looked ahead and saw an ambulance carrying a patient. He said, Thank GOD am not sick.

Then a sick person in hospital saw a trolley taking a dead body to the mortuary. He said, Thank GOD I'm not dead.

Why don't we thank GOD today for giving us the opportunity to live another day?

LIFE:
To understand it better, you have to go to 3 locations:

1. Hospital,
2. Prison &
3. Cemetery.

*At the Hospital, you will understand that nothing is more beautiful than HEALTH.

*In the Prison, you'll see that FREEDOM is the most precious thing.

*At the Cemetery, you will realize that life is worth nothing. The ground that we walk today will be our roof tomorrow.

Let us, therefore, remain humble and be grateful to God for everything.

Happiness

There’s a bakery shop near to our house. Often, on my way back home in the evening, I buy some stuff for the morning breakfast.

Today, as I was about to leave the bakery, I met our neighbour Mr. Irfan who himself was leaving the same shop. After the exchange of some traditional greetings, the conversation went like following.

I asked: “What have you bought?”

Irfan replied: “Nothing much Hanif, just some chicken patties and some sweetmeats for my wife and children”.

Jokingly, I enquired, “Why so? Hasn't your wife cooked today?”

Irfan said: “No, Hanif, it’s not like that. Actually today in office we were a little hungry so my colleagues ordered some patties and sweetmeats. Since, I had this at the office I thought to buy some for my family too. It’s not fair that I eat whatever I like at the office while my kids and wife remain bound to eat whatever is cooked at home.”

Confounded with great surprise, I stared at him because I never thought this way before.

I said: “What’s the big deal, Irfan? If you eat food of your own choice at the office, your wife and children would also be having whatever they like to eat at home.”

Irfan replied: “Not at all, Hanif! My wife saves for me from everything there is. Even if someone from neighborhood sends something, my wife first saves some for me and then distributes it among my kids. It would be very selfish if I just enjoy good things with my friends and not with my family.”

Amazed upon hearing this I said: “Enjoying? This bakery stuff is what you think is enjoyment?”

He said: “Whatever Hanif! I dread the time when on the Day of Resurrection I’ll be questioned about this. That I took someone’s daughter into marriage and had fun with my friends while she ate whatever little was available.”

Completely stunned, I couldn’t move my eyes off him while he continued.

Irfan: “Look, when we get married to someone’s sister or daughter, they are human beings as well. Just like us. They too have hunger needs. They have their desires as well. They too wish to taste lots of delicious foods or foods of their choice, to try different kinds of lovely outfits. They also want to move and travel around. Keeping them caged like a bird, providing them meals twice a day and having a sense of smugness for doing all this is selfishness. And the way we treat the daughters of others is the way our own daughters and sisters will be treated because what goes around comes around.”

His last words shook me to a great degree. I never thought like this before. Concluding the conversation with Irfan I said, “Great! You have made me think from a different perspective.”

I turned back to the shop.

Irfan: “Where are you going?”

I replied, “To buy some ice-cream…actually I had some ice-cream at the office today.”

Irfan and Hanif took their respective paths. Irfan was glad to have a positive impact on Hanif. On the other hand, Hanif, now, knew how to keep his wife and kids happy and acknowledge all the efforts his wife does for his happiness.

What an eye opening story....

Wives are what makes life beautiful!

I have learned....

They're  written by Andy Rooney, a man who had the gift of saying so  much with so few words.  .........Enjoy.........

I've  learned ... That  the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly  person.

I've  learned ....  That when you're in love, it shows. 

I've  learned ....  That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!'  makes my day.

I've  learned ....  That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the  most peaceful feelings in the  world.

I've  learned ....  That being kind is more important than being  right.

I've  learned ....  That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've  learned ....  That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the  strength to help him in some other way. 

I've  learned ....  That no matter how serious your life requires you to be,  everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. 

I've  learned ....  That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a  heart to understand.

I've  learned ....  That simple walks with my father around the block on summer  nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an  adult.

I've  learned ....  That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets  to the end, the faster it goes.

I've  learned ....  That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask  for.

I've  learned ....  That money doesn't buy class.

I've  learned ....  That it's those small daily happenings that make life so  spectacular.

I've  learned ....  That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be  appreciated and loved.

I've  learned ....  That to ignore the facts does not change the  facts.

I've  learned ....  That love, not time, heals all  wounds.

I've  learned ....  That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've  learned ...  That life is tough, but I'm tougher. 

I've  learned ....  That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the  ones you miss.

I've  learned ....  That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock  elsewhere.

I've  learned ....  That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because  tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've  learned .....  That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your  looks.

I've  learned ....  That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all  the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing.

SOUL

We have travelled through many lifetimes and lived with many different souls amid family, friends or those who don't really get along with us.

Some may have even tried to harm us emotionally, physically or spiritually. 
All said and done.

we all are the same and belong to only one group that is SOULS.

We all have travelled together in different lifetimes and have shared various relationships with each other........
Father-mother
husband-wife
uncle-aunt
brother-sister
friends
neighbours
servants
drivers and 
even so-called enemies.

Each person is a Soul that tries to help the other move forward spiritually and reduce the Karmic baggage.

Sometimes the Soul that loves us the most, might willingly take birth as an enemy or a tormentor in a lifetime, just to help us work out our karma.

Thus, a person......who we think hates us and we in return hate.......... might be our greatest well-wisher spiritually.

He or She may be responsible for our becoming spiritual or compassionate. 
That very person who is creating hell in our lives may bring us closer to spirituality.

In the present lifetime, he/she may be doing so because that could be the only way to teach us a lesson.

Sometimes, a Soul is reborn just to comfort us and be there in times of need.

So, who is our friend and who is our enemy? 
They all are part of the Soul-Family who wants to help us and want help in return.

Sometimes an opportunity comes in the form of a Disaster.

Sometimes, the only way to grow spiritually and in life  is thru pain, sorrow and turmoil.

That is when Life seems strange.

Hence..... never form judgements.... abuse or hate....and never say nasty things about anyone. 
Who knows we may be harming the Soul who loves us the most spiritually but are not able to recognize it as the soul is wearing a different body in this particular lifetime.

Perception

A teacher teaching Maths to a six-year-old asked him, “If I give you one apple and one apple & one apple, how many apples will you have?”

With a few seconds the boy replied confidently, “Four!”

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer.

She was disappointed. “May be the child did not listen properly,” she thought.

She repeated, “pls listen carefully.

It is very simple. You will be able to do it right if you listen carefully.

If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”

The boy had seen the disappointment on his teacher’s face.

He calculated again on his fingers.

But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make his teacher happy.

This time hesitatingly he replied, “Four...”

The disappointment stayed on teacher’s face.

She remembered that the boy loves strawberries.

She thought maybe he doesn’t like apples and that is making him lose focus.

This time with exaggerated excitement & twinkling eyes she asked ...

“If I give you one strawberry & one strawberry & one strawberry, then how many will you have?”

Seeing the teacher happy, the young boy calculated on his fingers again.

There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher.

She wanted her new approach to succeed.

With a hesitating smile, the young boy replied, “Three?”

The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded.

She wanted to congratulate herself.

But one last thing remained.

Once again she asked him, “Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?”

Promptly the answer was “Four!”

The teacher was aghast.

“How.... tell me, How?” she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating young boy replied, “Because I already have one apple in my bag.”

*Lessons to Learn:* When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you are expecting, it is not necessarily they are wrong.

There may be an angle that we may not have understood at all.

We need to learn to appreciate and understand different perspectives.

Quite often, we try and impose our perspectives on others and then wonder what went wrong.

The next time someone gives you a different perspective than yours, sit down and gently ask " can you please help me understand"?......

Somewhere....

When do we know that we have Grown Up?

Somewhere between “Crying loudly to seek attention” and “Crying silently to avoid attention”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Believing in happy endings” and “Accepting the reality”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “ Yay! I can write with a pen tomorrow” and “Dude, Do you have an extra pen?”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Mom, I want to distribute chocolates on my birthday” AND “Chal, my treat today”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Cartoons” and “News Bulletins”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Just five more mins Mom” and “Pressing the snooze button”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Crying out loud just to get what we want” and “Holding our tears when we are broken inside”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “We are Best Friends Forever” and “Knowing that nothing truly lasts”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “I want to grow up” and “I want to be a child again”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Lets meet and plan” and “Lets plan and meet”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Crush” and “Ex”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Having hundreds of friends” and “Having few good friends”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Parents fulfilling our wish” and “We Fulfilling our parent’s dream”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “ 7 pani puris for 1 rupee” and “1 pani puri for 7 rupees”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Showing off the number of rakhis” and “Running away from Rakhis”, Boys grew up!!

Somewhere between “Ground mai aaja” and “Online aaja”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Craving for pizza” and “Craving for home food”, we grew up!!

Somewhere between “Waking up at 6 am” and “Sleeping at 6 am”, we grew up!!

As we grew up, we realized that our life has changed !!!

Krishna 's flute.

This is a beautiful story about  Krishna 's flute..

Everyday Krishna would go in the garden and say to all the

plants, “I love you”.

The plants were very happy and responded saying “Krishna,

we love You too”.

One day Krishna rushed quickly into the garden very

alarmed.

He went to the bamboo plant and the bamboo plant asked,

“Krishna, what´s wrong?”

Krishna said “I have something to ask you, but it is very

difficult”.

The bamboo said “Tell me: if I can, I will give it to you”.

So Krishna said “I need your life. I need to cut you”.

The bamboo thought for a while and then said “You don´t

have any other choice. You don’t have any other way ?”

Krishna said, “No, no other way”.

And it said “OK” and gave himself up.

So Krishna cut the bamboo n made holes in it, and each

time, he carved the holes, the bamboo was crying in pain ...

Krishna made a beautiful flute out of it n this flute was with

him all the time.

24 hours a day, it was with Krishna. Even the Gopis were

jealous of the flute.

They said, “Look, Krishna is our Lord, but yet we get to

spend only some time with him.

He wakes up with you, He sleeps with you, all the time you

are with him”.

Gopis asked the bamboo, “Tell us your secret. What secret

do you have, that the Lord treasures you so much ?”

And the bamboo said “The secret is that, i gave myself up,

and he did whatever was right for me, in the process i had

to undergo a lot of pain.

And the Lord does whatever he wants with me, whenever he wants with me and however he wants with me. I have just

become His instrument”.

So this is complete surrender: where God can do whatever

He wants with you,u whenever He wants, as He wants.

Trust Him completely and have faith in Him and always

think you are in His hands ... what can go wrong ??

This is Samarpan or Surrender.

Different Laws - Funny

Murphy's First Law for Wives_:

If you ask your husband to pick up five items at the store and then you add one more as an afterthought, he will forget two of the first five.

Kauffman's Paradox of the Corporation:

The less important you are to the corporation, the more your absence is noticed.

The Salary Axiom:

The pay raise is just large enough to increase your taxes and just small enough to have no effect on your take-home pay.

Miller's Law of Insurance:

Insurance covers everything except what happens.

First Law of Living:

As soon as you start doing what you always wanted to be doing, you'll want to be doing something else.

Weiner's Law of Libraries:

There are no answers, only cross-references.

Isaac's Strange Rule of Staleness:

Any food that starts out hard will soften when stale. Any food that starts out soft will harden when stale.

The Grocery Bag Law:

The candy bar you planned to eat on the way home from the market is always hidden at the bottom of the grocery bag.

And Here goes the last one !!

Lampner's Law of Employment:

When leaving work late, you will go unnoticed. When you leave work early, you will meet the boss in the parking lot 

Lion

In the jungle which animal is the biggest .......I heard you say ,........ elephant.

In the jungle which animal is the tallest...... I heard you say ......Giraffe.

In the jungle which animal is the wisest.......I heard you say.......... Tortoise

In the jungle which animal is the fastest ........ I heard you say ....... Cheetahs.

Uhmm. Among all these wonderful qualities mentioned...... Where is the Lion in the picture.

Yet you say the Lion is the king of the jungle even without any of these qualities.

But I discovered something fascinating about the Lion.

The Lion is Courageous

The Lion is very bold

The Lion is always ready to face any mountain, any challenges, any barrier that crosses his part, no matter how big they are.

The Lion walks with confidence.

The Lion dares anything and it's never afraid

The Lion believes he is unstoppable.

The Lion is a risk taker

The Lion believes any animal is food for him

The Lion believes any opportunity is worth giving a trial and never allows it slip from his hands.

The Lion has charisma.

What is it that we get to learn from here ....

You don't need to be the fastest.

You don't need to be the wisest 

You don't need to be the smartest

You dont need to be the most brilliant.

You don't need to be generally accepted to become your dreams and be great in life.

All you need is courage

All you need is boldness 

All you need is the will to try 

All you need is the faith to believe it is possible

All you need is to believe in yourself that you can do it.

ALWAYS RISE ABOVE ALL

One day a school teacher wrote on the board the following:

9×1=7

9×2=18

9×3=27

9×4=36

9×5=45

9×6=54

9×7=63

9×8=72

9×9=81

9×10=90

When she was done, she looked to the students and they were all laughing at her, because of the first equation which was wrong, and then the teacher said the following,

"I wrote that first one wrong on purpose, because I wanted you to learn something important. This was for you to know how the world out there will treat you. You can see that I wrote RIGHT 9 times, but none of you congratulated me for it; you all laughed and criticized me because of one wrong thing I did. So this is the lesson...:

'The world will never appreciate the good you do a million times, but will criticize the one wrong thing you do... 

But don't get discouraged, ALWAYS RISE ABOVE ALL THE LAUGHTER AND CRITICISM. STAY STRONG.' "

The Real You

How life turns out to be nobody can imagine, can anyone?? 

But what had really happened to our lives??? Do you question yourself just like I do??? 

Maybe the answer to that is, "We have grown up". How great it feels, isn't it??? "To be grown up"???

In my childhood, I used to notice people. I used to see my elders who were grown-up with smiles on their faces. They look happy always. I wished to be one soon so I can do whatever I want.

But growing up is much more than what I used to think.

Do you remember since the last time you were with your friends laughing without bothering what the other thinks about you?? The last time you danced in the rain?? The days when you had late night conversations with your best friend??? How skipping lectures had felt like?? How much fun it was mocking at enormous silly topics?? How delightful were our hearts like???

And now, do you miss all that?? If you don't, you have grown-up. But if you do, then stop pretending like one.

I think with the time, we have changed in many ways. We have learnt to satisfy the greed of our minds by ignoring the loneliness of the heart; we have learnt to bring happiness to our bodies by ignoring the demise of our soul inside; we have learnt to choke our emotions under the veil of the tag 'the grown-ups'. Now we know what's wrong and right but we have to follow the orthodox perceptions of the society.

I remember in the childhood our hearts used to be much happier than they are now. Try to ask yourself, if you are happy with everything that you have than everything that you had. You will get the answer where this growing up has been taking us.

Certainly now I have realised: Those ‘smiles’ that I used to notice as a child on the faces of grown-ups were just smirks to hide the cruelty of life, and my ‘whatever’ that I used to wish I will be doing is not my ‘whatever’ anymore.

And if this is growing up, then why do we grow up?? Because now when we are trying to be perfect in everything, we have realised that we were far better with our imperfections as a child; far better because we were true to ourselves then, and today, as we are grown-ups, are we “True to ourselves”???

Can life turn back again?? Yes, nobody can imagine that too.

But In your dream at least: do all those crazy things again, Show our innocent side, become obstinate, Smile adorably, Cry mischievously, Laugh hilariously, Get scolded, Get mocked, Live without worries, Wish without fear, and love without any greed??

Let your heart feel that you are still alive, and let your life see the real true innocent loving side. Because life is just not growing up, instead, it’s bringing the happiness up while you are growing.

So, next morning when you wake up let this universe meet the real you.

Pinnacle of success

I have come to the pinnacle of success in business.

In the eyes of others, my life has been the symbol of success.

However, apart from work, I have little joy. Finally, my wealth is simply a fact to which I am accustomed.

At this time, lying on the hospital bed and remembering all my life, I realize that all the accolades and riches of which I was once so proud, have become insignificant with my imminent death.

In the dark, when I look at green lights, of the equipment for artificial respiration and feel the buzz of their mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of my approaching death looming over me.

Only now do I understand that once you accumulate enough money for the rest of your life, you have to pursue objectives that are not related to wealth.

It should be something more important:

For example, stories of love, art, dreams of my childhood.

No, stop pursuing wealth, it can only make a person into a twisted being, just like me.

God has made us one way, we can feel the love in the heart of each of us, and not illusions built by fame or money, like I made in my life, I cannot take them with me.

I can only take with me the memories that were strengthened by love.

This is the true wealth that will follow you; will accompany you, he will give strength and light to go ahead.

Love can travel thousands of miles and so life has no limits. Move to where you want to go. Strive to reach the goals you want to achieve. Everything is in your heart and in your hands.

What is the world's most expensive bed?  The hospital bed.

You, if you have money, you can hire someone to drive your car, but you cannot hire someone to take your illness that is killing you.

Material things lost can be found. But one thing you can never find when you lose: life.

Whatever stage of life where we are right now, at the end we will have to face the day when the curtain falls.

Please treasure your family love, love for your spouse, love for your friends...

Treat everyone well and stay friendly with your neighbours

Surrender.....

his is a beautiful story about  Krishna 's flute..

Everyday Krishna would go in the garden and say to all theplants, “I love you”.

The plants were very happy and responded saying “Krishna,we love You too”.

One day Krishna rushed quickly into the garden veryalarmed.

He went to the bamboo plant and the bamboo plant asked“Krishna, what´s wrong?”

Krishna said “I have something to ask you, but it is very difficult”.

The bamboo said “Tell me: if I can, I will give it to you”.

So Krishna said “I need your life. I need to cut you”.

The bamboo thought for a while and then said “You don´ have any other choice. You don’t have any other way ?”

Krishna said, “No, no other way”. And it said “OK” and gave himself up.

So Krishna cut the bamboo n made holes in it, and each time, he carved the holes, the bamboo was crying in pain ...

Krishna made a beautiful flute out of it n this flute was with him all the time.

24 hours a day, it was with Krishna. Even the Gopis were jealous of the flute.

They said, “Look, Krishna is our Lord, but yet we get to spend only some time with him.

He wakes up with you, He sleeps with you, all the time you are with him”.

Gopis asked the bamboo, “Tell us your secret. What secret do you have, that the Lord treasures you so much ?”

And the bamboo said “The secret is that, i gave myself up, and he did whatever was right for me, in the process i had to undergo a lot of pain.

And the Lord does whatever he wants with me, whenever he wants with me and however he wants with me. I have just become His instrument”.

So this is complete surrender: where God can do whatever He wants with you,u whenever He wants, as He wants.

Trust Him completely and have faith in Him and always think you are in His hands ... what can go wrong ??

Love & Marriage

One day The guru told the disciple :

Go to the rose garden and come back with the tallest rose plant. One condition is that you should not come back the same path you took while going.

The disciple went to the garden and came back empty handed. When asked why, the disciple gave his answer: 

As I went in, I saw a tall beautiful tree. But, I kept going on for the next tree expecting a better tree, He. But moving forward, I came across only smaller plants and since, I cannot trace the path back, I had to return empty handed.

The guru said: this is *Love*

Then he said: now go to the sunflower garden and bring the most beautiful sunflower plant.

Now the additional condition is that once you pluck a sunflower plant, you can't pluck another.

Now the disciple goes into the garden and comes back quickly with a plant. The guru asks, is this the most beautiful plant? 

The disciple says: No guru. Based on my previous experience, I did not want to miss and hence, I took the first plant which looked beautiful to me. On the way back, I saw more beautiful plants but since I was not allowed to pick another plant, I came back with the plant, I had originally picked.

The guru smiled and said: this is *Marriage*

Keep Shining !!!

There were three ships which were nearby when the Titanic sunk.*

One of them was known as the *Sampson*. It was 7 miles away from the Titanic and they saw the white flares signaling danger, but because the crew had been hunting seals illegally and didn't want to be caught, they turned and went the opposite direction away from the Titanic. This ship represents us and people like us if we are so busy looking inward at our own sin and lives that we can't recognize when someone else is in need.

The next ship was the *Californian*. This ship was only 14 miles away from the Titanic, but they were surrounded by ice fields and the captain looked out and saw the white flares, but because the conditions weren't favorable and it was dark, he decided to go back to bed and wait until morning. The crew tried to convince themselves that nothing was happening. This ship represents those of us who say I can't do anything now. The conditions aren't right for it and so we wait until conditions are perfect before going out.

The last ship was the *Carpathia*. This ship was actually headed in a southern direction 58 miles away from the Titanic when they heard the distress cries over the radio. The captain of this ship knelt down, prayed to God for direction and then turned the ship around and went full steam ahead through the ice fields. This was the ship that saved the 705 survivors of the Titanic.

 ANALOGY 

Obstacles and reasons to avoid responsibility shall always be there, but those who accept it always find a place in the hearts to be remembered for the world of good they do.

*I really wish that we all could be Carpathians in life, unlike more Sampsons and Californians... and this world could be a more beautiful place to live in.🙏🏻🙂*

*Keep Shining*

Pizza

Wife: Don’t put so many clothes for wash today

Husband: Why ?

She said : Maid has said she won’t come for two days

Husband :Why ?

Wife : She said she is going to meet her granddaughter during Ganpati festival

Husband : OK, Will not put too many clothes 

Wife : And , Shall I give her Rs. 500 for Ganpati ? Festival bonus ?

Husband : Why ? Diwali is approaching , we will give her at that time..

Wife : Oh no dear . She is poor. Going to meet her daughter and granddaughter , so she will also feel nice. Moreover, everything has become so expensive these days. How will she able to celebrate festival ?

Husband : You ! I don’t know why you become emotional so easily

Wife : Oh dear, don’t worry .I am going to cancel today’s program of ordering Pizza. Why unnecessarily blow away Rs. 500 on eight pieces of stale bread.

Husband : Wow. Great .Snatching Pizza from us and giving to the maid !

Maid returned after three days and got busy in mopping and dusting. Husband asked her 

Husband : So, how was the vacation ? 

Maid : very nice sahib.. Didi had given Rs 500 .. festival bonus.

Husband : So you went and met your daughter ? and also met your granddaughter ? 

Maid: yes sahib. Enjoyed a lot and spent Rs 500 in two days time.

Husband : Really ? Ok so what did you do with Rs. 500?

Maid : Rs. 150 for dress for granddaughter, Rs 40 for a doll, bought sweets worth Rs 50 for daughter, Rs 50 as offering to Deity in temple, Rs 60 towards bus fare….Rs 25 for bangles for daughter, bought a nice belt worth Rs 50 for son-in-law, balance Rs 75 gave to daughter to buy copy and pencil for granddaughter. Maid gave a full account of the expenses incurred

Husband : so much in Rs 500?

With surprise, he started thinking….the eight pieces of Pizza appeared in front of his eyes and each one of them acted as a hammer started pricking his consciousness. For the price of one Pizza , he started comparing the expenses his maid had incurred during her visit to her daughter. The eight pieces of Pizza floated in front of his eyes. First piece .. dress for the child, second piece… towards sweets.. Third piece… towards offering to the deity in the temple. Fourth piece….towards bus fare. Fifth piece.. towards doll. Sixth piece towards bangles, seventh piece ,, towards belt for the son-in-law. Eight piece towards copy and pencil. 

So far he had observed pizza only from one angle. He turned it upside down and observe how it looks like from the other side. .. but today his maid showed him the other side of the pizza…. The eight pieces of pizza showed him the real meaning of life..in an instant the meaning of “Spending for life” or “ Life for spending”. Think about it.

Dad....

One day, I was so angry, that I left home, swearing not to return, till I became a big guy. Parents, who can't even buy me a Bike, have no rights to dream to make me an Engineer. In my fit of anger, I didn't even realise that I was wearing my father's Shoes. I even stole his wallet, which had some papers, torn as well, which my mother won't seen...

While, I was rushing on foot towards the bus station, I realised some prickly pain in my foot. I also felt dampness inside the shoe. That is when I realised the shoe had a hole underneath.

There were no buses around. Not knowing what to do, I started to look in my Dad's wallet. I found a loan receipt of Rs. 40,000, which he taken from his office. A laptop bill (he had bought for me). To my utter shock, also found a letter from his manager to wear a neat looking shoes, henceforth to the office. I remembered my mother pestering him to buy a pair of new shoes, but he would convince her that his shoes would last another six months atleast.

Also, found an old scooter to a new bike, Exchange offer letter in his wallet.

I instantly remembered, that when I left home, my Dad's scooter was not there.

I started feeling weak in my legs, and felt like weeping uncontrollably!. I ran back home with my foot paining, only to find my Dad nor the scooter there. I found him at the exchange offer place.

Looking at my Dad, my grief engulfed me. I hugged him tightly and started crying loudly, said "Dad I don't need the Bike". 

That is when I realised, the pain, hardship our parents go through, and the unconditional love that they give us. We should only look to seek our needs and not our unrealistic wants.

Ridiculing parents when they are alive, and longing for them when they are not around, has no meaning..