Foreword

Stories
Limitations
Where is your salt?
Live for Today
Looking for the unknown?
Thoughts
Encouragement
Honesty
Fresh Fish
Everest Climbing
What's in your water?
Balloon theory
Non-Judgment
Monk's Story
The old carpenter
Cup of Coffee
Vision Change
Purpose of life
Bamboo tree
 Foreward
Why do we buy and read books? We need some new interesting
content that bring us refreshing thoughts!.It's our natural
instinct to be curious and reflect our beliefs into Author's
writings.

I always felt that a good book should forget me to keep

track of time and force to realign my other schedules to finish
reading it. This could be books in self-improvement process,
biographies, memoirs, philosophy related subjects. It's better
if there is a some sort of mystery or mystic added. If it's an
ancient wisdom combined with modern scientific analysis, both my
mind and heart believes them.

This book is a compilation of stories meant for adults. The

heading 'Bedtime' stories was created to get the adult's
heading 'Bedtime' stories was created to get the adult's

attention. As psychologists say, there is a inner child in every

adult that constantly seek attention. This book need to be read
one story one night at a time. This will give time to reflect on
ourselves. This books may not about self-help or self-
realization content, but to make a simple impression with a
honest smile on your face.

What is Poison?

Anything which is more than our necessity is poison. It may

be power, wealth, hunger, ego, greed, laziness, love, ambition,

hate or anything
- Rumi

What is fear?

Non acceptance of uncertainty. If we accept that

uncertainty it becomes adventure

What is envy?

Non acceptance of good in others. If we accept that good,

it becomes inspiration

What is anger?

Non acceptance of things which are beyond our control. If

 Non acceptance of things which are beyond our control. If

we accept, it becomes tolerance

What is hatred?
Non acceptance of person as he is. If we accept person

unconditionally it becomes love

Limitations
 Limitations only exist in our mind. Except breaking the

laws of physics everything else is achievable.

Storytime: "As my friend was passing the elephants, he

suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures

were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No

chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at

anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for

some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and
asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there

and made no attempt to get away.

"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller

we use the same size of rope to tie them and, at that age, it's
enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to

believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still
hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was

amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their
bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck

right where they were."

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging

onto a belief that we cannot do something. The limitations are

only in our mind.
Where is your salt?
(photo: unsplash)
 Once an unhappy young man came to an old master and told he
had a very sad life and asked for a solution.

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful
of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

"How does it taste?" – The Master asked.

"Terrible." – spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another
handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in
silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his
handful of salt into the lake.

The old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master

asked, "How does it taste?"

"Good!" – remarked the apprentice.

"Do you taste the salt?" – asked the Master.

"No." – said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands,
and said, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The
amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But

the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put

it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is
to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a
lake."

The happiest people dont have the best of everything; they just
make the best of everything

'When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will

suffer a lot' - Dalai lama
 Live for Today
There are two days in every week about which we should not
worry. Two days which should be kept free from fear and
apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its
faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed
forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot

bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed.

We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone!!

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its

possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor

performance. Tomorrow is beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's sun will rise, whether in splendor or behind a mask
of clouds. But it will rise. Until it does we have no stake in
of clouds. But it will rise. Until it does we have no stake in

tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day: today.

Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is when you
and I add the burdens of two awful eternities - yesterday and

tomorrow, that we break down.

It is not necessarily the experience of today that disturbs

one's peace of mind. It is often time the bitterness for

something which happened yesterday and the dread of what

tomorrow may bring.

Let us therefore live one day at a time.

Motivational Quotes.

" The Future is what you visualize it to be in the Present."

Whatever we believe today ( whether positive or negative ) , it

gets transformed into our future so be high on thinking always.

" Follow your dreams and you'll be amazed at how they become

your reality."
Dreaming and visualizing create everything you want in life.
Stay focused and live your dreams."
Stay focused and live your dreams."

"The past is knowledge, today is opportunity, the future is

possibility

" To perfect a talent, one must indulge in becoming obsessed

with it."

"The masters of the small become the bosom friends of GREATNESS.

Begin small and greatness will find you!"

" The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote

your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every
minute of the day for your whole life. And the most important
thing is - it must be something you cannot possibly do."

Beware your thoughts; they become your words.

Beware your words; they become your actions.

Beware your actions; they become your habits.

Beware your habits; they become your nature.
Beware your nature; it becomes your destiny.

By Changing your thinking

By Changing your thinking

You change your beliefs;

When you change your beliefs,

You change your expectations;

When you change your expectations,

You change your attitude;

When you change your attitude,

You change your behaviour;

When you change your behaviour,

You change your performance;

When you change your performance;

YOU CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Looking for the unknown
(photo source: unsplash)
 Kingdom stories sometimes are better 'happily lived ever

after' romantic stories

There was a King in a country who was always restless and

stressed out. He has to keep his ministers asking for results

and actions. One day, he was walking on the top corridor and saw
a happy man sitting outside his hut nearby. He seems to be very
contented and was just relaxing on the platform outside his own
house. The man was looking at the sky as if he is day-dreaming.

The king while he was happy that one of his citizen is relaxing,
wondering why he could not do that - and being a King.
One of his senior level minister was passing by. The King
stopped him and showed the view of the man relaxing happily in

his house. He wanted an answer why one person is so happy and

the other is not that happy on a daily basis.
The senior minister was not only smart but knew how to
handle the answer. He wanted the King to give him 99 gold coins

and the assurance that this will not be returned back. King gave
those coins
The minister got the very next day very early in the
morning before the resident wakes up. He threw all the 99 coins

around the front of the house as if someone left loose the bag
containing the coins.
The resident got up as usual and found the coins on the
front of his house. He was so happy to get so much of wealth
front of his house. He was so happy to get so much of wealth

that he thanked the God for answering his prayers. He took the
bag and the leftover coins on the street to his house. He

started counting them. When he got only 99 coins, he started re-

counting again. And again, he has to count because it has to be
only 100 coins in a bag. He could not ask anyone to help since
the bounty need to be shared to that person as well. His mind

became restless. He went back to the outside of house and

started searching for the one missing coin. He was not convinced
that one will have a bag of only 99 coins. The one coin must
have been missed while he was handling the bag. He started

walking back and forth thinking of other possible causes and

solutions.
The resident could never take rest and this one coin took
away all his pleasures.

The minister called the King to witness this situation. The

King realized one is never get contented with what one already
has in life. The missing one gold coin is enough the spoil the
wealth of 99 gold coins
 Thoughts
Another kingdom story.
There was a king in a country and he used to go around the
city to inquire about people. In good old days, that was the

MBWA (management by wandering around). Citizens pay their

respects and sometime give petitions to the King for review and
resolutions

When the King was passing through a particular house, he

felt very strange feelings. He felt like taking the man living
in that house and kill him instantly. After he pass through the
house, he felt better and those thoughts vanished away.

The king asked his senior minister on why he feels like

this way about that house. The senior minister wanted some time
to inquire into this matter. The senior minister went in
disguise one day to that house. The house-owner was a carpenter

and he specialized in making coffin boxes. The man has bought

and he specialized in making coffin boxes. The man has bought

lot of sandal wood trees thinking he can make nice coffins and

make more money instead of regular wood products. The only

person who can afford sandal wood coffin is the King. The man
was wondering when will the King will die or any other family
member's death that can help him make money. These were just

thoughts but it could resonate to the King at close encounters.

The senior minister felt this vibe is impacting the King.
The minister realized the only way to remove these thoughts is
to make the carpenter busy. He asked the carpenter to make a

trip to the King's palace next day.

The next day, the minister invited the carpenter and took
him around the palace. He wanted the carpenter to make more
furniture from sandalwood and also fix the furniture in

different buildings.
The carpenter took the assignment and was happy that he got
job and that too good one in the palace. His sandal wood
purchases will be used up soon. He felt bad about thinking of

the King's death. The King's death would have helped short-time
in making the coffin but now he has more work for a longer time.
Next time, the King went round the place and he curiously
stopped in front of the carpenter's house. There were no

feelings of hatred and felt very good vibes from the carpenter.

Moral: Your thoughts can reflect on your actions. Anyone

near you can pick up the vibes and return back the vibes
Encouragement
(picture: articlewin.com)
 A group of frogs were traveling through the forest on a
rainy day. The group of frogs is called an army. When this army
was marching two of them fell into a deep pit. The army stopped

for a minute and realized the pit is too deep. There was no hope
for the two frogs to get out

The frogs in the pit want to get out. The rain was not
making their life easy. They continue to jump with more force
and vigor. The frogs on the safer level said there is no hope
and give it up

One frog heard the message again and again. It decided to

give it up and felt the energy is gone. The other frog still
jumping ignoring the first one's conversation.

After sometime, the soil on the sides were washed out by

the rains. There was a stone in the middle of the depth that
came out to visibility after the rain wash. The second frog

which was always jumping could get hold of that stone. On the
next jump it was able to get safe away from the pit
The rest of the army said, 'Did you not hear us'. There was
no response from the second frog
The army captain came over and asked how the second frog
fall into the pit. The frog didn't answer
 The frog said he is deaf. He just saw the army's action
from the bottom and thought they are encouraging him to get out
of the pit

Moral of the story:

People's words can have a big effect on other's lives.
Think about what you say before it comes out of your mouth. It
might just be the difference between life and death.
 Honesty
This story works well when there are no electronic weighing
machines and as usual, in good old days.

There were two traders in the city. One was selling bread
and another one selling butter.

One day, the baker decided to measure the butter he was

buying. He took a weighing machines which has a the needle and
balance. The butter was not weighing the one pound as informed
by that trader.
He felt angry and also felt cheated all these years. He
went to court to resolve this dispute
The Judge called both the traders and asked for
explanation. The butter seller said he never done the cheating.

The Judge then asked how the trader measured the butter weight.
The trader said he don't have proper weight measurements. But he
The trader said he don't have proper weight measurements. But he

used the baker's bread as reference and try to balance that

weight. He was always using the baker's bread as a measure for
the selling of the butter. The baker has to realize how his own
action paid back the results

Moral: In life, you get what you give

Once there was a trader who wanted to buy a camel for his

business. He went to a city courtyard and got a healthy camel.

After bringing the camel to the house he removed the woolen
dress on its back that is used to store things. The dress was
not empty but had few precious stones which can be sold more
than the cost of the camel. While the servant in the house asked
the trader to keep it, the trader didn't agree to that point. He
went back and gave the stones to the original seller. The seller
was surprised at his integrity and offered to give him few

stones as a gift for the honesty. The trader told him that he
already got the two gifts. One was his righteousness and the
second was his self-respect.

Moral: Once you taste the trustfulness we will never lose

it for any short term gains
 Fresh Fish

The Japanese have a great liking for fresh fish.

But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for
decades.
So, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got

bigger and went farther than ever.

The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring
back the fish.
The longer it took them to bring back the fish, the stale
they grew.
The fish were not fresh and the Japanese did not like the
taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed the

freezers on their boats.
They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea.
Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.
 However, the Japanese could taste the difference between
fresh and frozen fish.
And they did not like the taste of frozen fish.

The frozen fish brought a lower price.

So, fishing companies installed fish tanks.
They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin
to fin.
After a little hashing around, fishes stopped moving.
They were tired and dull, but alive.
Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the
difference.

Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their
fresh-fish taste.
The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not
sluggish fish.The fishing industry faced an impending crisis!
But today, it has got over that crisis and has emerged as
one of the most important trades in that country!
How did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem?
How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan ?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing

companies still put the fish in the tanks.
But now they add a small shark to each tank.
The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a
very lively state.
The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the
 The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the

move.
And they survive and arrive in a healthy state!
They command a higher price and are most sought-after.
The challenge they face keeps them fresh!

Humans are no different.

L. Ron Hubbard observed in the early 1950's: "Man thrives,
oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging
environment."
George Bernard Shaw said: " Satisfaction is death!"
If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy.
Your challenges keep you energized.
They keep you alive!

_*_Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really
go!*__
MORAL: If you look healthier, younger and energetic, then
definitely there is a shark in your tank.
 Sharpen your axe

(picture: lifehacker.com)
 There was a newly joined woodcutter and the king was really
impressed by his dedication towards his work. Out of
encouragement, he started giving his best in work and cut 18
trees in the first month and the king was glad.

The next month he put in the same effort but could cut only
15 trees. And the third month, he still tried his best but could

cut only 12 trees. The king visited him the third month and
talked about his decrease in productivity.
He explained that he might have lost his strength or got
too old to do the work. The king asked him "when was the last
time you sharpened your ax?" To the surprise, he has not even
done it once in the last three months. That was the only reason
why he couldn't cut more trees.

Moral: It is good that you put in a lot of effort and hard

work to work towards your goals. But you should balance your
life priorities and invest time with your family and save some
time to relax which would boost up your productivity.
Everest Climbing
 (photo: nytimes.com)

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount

Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then

known to man-29, 000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his
efforts. He even made American Express card commercials because
of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don't
understand that Hillary had to grow into this success. You see,
in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few
weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members.
Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience
was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw

himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and

walked to the edge of the platform. He made a fist and pointed
at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, "Mount
Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next
time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm
still growing!"
 Whatis in your water?

(photo: sciencelearn.org.nz)
 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 boiled 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
 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?
Balloon theory
 (photo:analoxsensortechnology.com)
Once a group of 50 people were attending a seminar on
life's success and happiness. Suddenly the speaker stopped and

decided to do a group activity. He started giving each attendee

one balloon. They have to blow the balloon by themselves. Each
one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen.
Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.
Now these delegates were let into that room and asked to
find the balloon which had their name written within 5 minutes.
Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding
with each other, pushing around others and there was utter

chaos.
At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own
balloon. Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon
and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within
minutes everyone had their own balloon.
The speaker then began, "This is happening in our lives.
Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not
knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give

them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this
is the purpose of human life...the pursuit of happiness."
Non-Judgement
 (picture: artuk.org)

Once Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had
worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away.
Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad

luck," they said sympathetically.

 "Maybe," the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three
other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.
"Maybe," replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed
horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came
to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

"Maybe," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to
draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was
broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the
farmer on how well things had turned out.
"Maybe," said the farmer.upon the time there was an old
farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his
horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to

visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.

"Maybe," the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three
other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.
"Maybe," replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed
horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came
to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

"Maybe," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to
 The day after, military officials came to the village to

draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was

broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the

farmer on how well things had turned out.
"Maybe," said the farmer.

Moral: Observe the life as a series of events and

experiences. You will find peace and happiness in every moment
 Monk's Story

(picture: familosity.wordpress.com)
 Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening.
It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides.

At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk

accross because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks
went up to a her lifted her in his alms and left her on the
other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery.
In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said,
"Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman ?" The elder monk
answered "yes, brother". Then the younger monk asks again, " but
then Sir, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside ?"

The elder monk smiled at him and told him " I left her on the
other side of the road, but you are still carrying her "

There is a wonderful little story about two monks who lived

together in a monastery for many years; they were great friends.
Then they died within a few months of one another. One of them
got reborn in the heaven realms, the other monk got reborn as a

worm in a dung pile. The one up in the heaven realms was having
a wonderful time, enjoying all the heavenly pleasures. But he
started thinking about his friend, "I wonder where my old mate
has gone?" So he scanned all of the heaven realms, but could not
find a trace of his friend. Then he scanned the realm of human
beings, but he could not see any trace of his friend there, so
beings, but he could not see any trace of his friend there, so

he looked in the realm of animals and then of insects. Finally

he found him, reborn as a worm in a dung pile... Wow! He
thought: "I am going to help my friend. I am going to go down
there to that dung pile and take him up to the heavenly realm so
he too can enjoy the heavenly pleasures and bliss of living in

these wonderful realms." So he went down to the dung pile and

called his mate. And the little worm wriggled out and said: "Who
are you?", "I am your friend. We used to be monks together in a
past life, and I have come up to take you to the heaven realms
where life is wonderful and blissful." But the worm said: "Go
away, get lost!" "But I am your friend, and I live in the heaven
realms," and he described the heaven realms to him. But the worm
said: "No thank you, I am quite happy here in my dung pile.

Please go away." Then the heavenly being thought: "Well if I

could only just grab hold of him and take him up to the heaven
realms, he could see for himself." So he grabbed hold of the

worm and started tugging at him; and the harder he tugged, the

harder that worm clung to his pile of dung.

The old carpenter
 (photo source: pinterest)

A carpenter with years of experience, was ready to retire.

He communicated his contractor about his plans to leave the

house building business to live a more leisurely retired life

with his wife and family. The contractor felt a little upset

that his good and experienced carpenter was leaving the job, but
he requested the carpenter to build just one more house for him.

The carpenter agreed with contractor but his heart was not

in his work like it used to be. He resorted to shoddy

workmanship and used inferior materials for building the last

house of his career. It was an unfortunate way to end his

career. When the carpenter completed the house and the employer
came to inspect the house.

He looked around the house and just before he exited the

house he handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is

your house," he said, "my gift to you." This was a huge

surprise to the carpenter. Although it was supposed to be a good

surprise, he wasn't feeling good as he felt a deep shame inside

him. If he had only known he was building his own house, he

would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the

home that wasn't built that well.
 Moral: Like the carpenter, we build our lives in a

distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up

with less rather than the best. Give your best. Your attitudes

and the choices you make today will be your life tomorrow, build

it wisely
 Cup of Coffee

(photo: inc.com)
 A group of highly established alumni got together to visit

their old university professor. The conversation among them soon

turned into complaints about their stressful work and life. The

professor went to his kitchen and returned with a large pot of

coffee and an assortment of cups, including porcelain, plastic,

glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive and some

exquisite. The professor told them to help themselves to the

coffee.

After all the students had a cup of coffee in their hands,

the professor said: " Did you notice all the nice looking cups

are taken and only the plain inexpensive ones are left behind.
While it is normal for everyone to want the best for themselves,

but that is the source of problems and stress in your life. " "
The cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most of the

cases, it's just more expensive and hides what we drink.", the

professor continued.
"What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup,

but all of you consciously went for good looking expensive cups
and then began eyeing on each other' s cups."

"Let's consider that life is the coffee and the jobs,

houses, cars, things, money and position are the cups. The type

of cup we have, does not define or change the quality of our

lives."

Moral: Sometimes we fail to enjoy the coffee by

 Moral: Sometimes we fail to enjoy the coffee by

concentrating only on the cup we have. Being happy doesn't mean

everything's around you is perfect. It means you've decided to

see beyond the imperfections and find peace. And the peace lies
within you, not in your career, jobs, or the houses you have.

.
Vision Change
 (photo: opticalmasters.com)

There once lived a wealthy man who was bothered by severe

eye pain. He consulted many physicians, but none could treat

his ache. He went through a myriad of treatment procedures but

his pain persisted with more vigor. He looked and for every
available solution for his pain, and approached a wise monk,

renowned for treating various illnesses. The monk carefully

observed the man's eyes and offered a very peculiar solution.

The monk told the man to concentrate only on green color

for a few weeks and avoid any other colors. The man was

desperate to get rid of the pain and was determined ready to go

to any extent.The wealthy man appointed a group of painters and

purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object,

his eye was likely to fall to be painted green.

After a few weeks the monk came to visit the man to follow

up on the man's progress. As the monk walked towards the man's

room, the appointed painter poured a bucket of green paint on

the monk. The monk could see that the whole corridor and the

room was painted green. As the monk inquired for the reason for
painting everything green, the wealthy man said that he was only

following the monk's advice to look at only green.

Hearing this, the monk laughed and said "If only you had

purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few dollars,

purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few dollars,

You could have saved a large share of your fortune. You cannot

paint the world green."

Moral: Let us change our vision and the world will appear
accordingly. .
What's important
 (photo: etsy.com)

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some

items on the table in front of him. When the class began,

wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar

and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in 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 into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of

course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They

agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into

the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas

of the jar.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students

responded with a unanimous "Yes."

"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that

this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important
things – your family, your partner, your health, your children –

things that if everything else was lost and only they remained,
your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things
your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things

that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is
everything else, the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,

"there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes
for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the

small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical

to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner

out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the

house, give a dinner party, or fix the disposal."

"Take care of the rocks first – the things that really

matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
What is stress?
 (picture: houzz.com)

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

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!
The mouse trap
 (photo:dhgate.com)

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the

farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this

contain?" the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it

was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the

warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a

warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a

mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and

said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but

it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."The

mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in

the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig

sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there
is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my

prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap

in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said,

"Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my
nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and

dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house –

like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's

wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not
see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The

snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the

hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup,

so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's
main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends

and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed
and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed

them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not

get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the
farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of

them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall
with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing

a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember, when one

of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in

this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one
another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Each

of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry.

Happiness
(picture: pinterest)
 "An old man lived in the village. The whole village was

tired of him; he was always gloomy, he constantly complained and

was always in a bad mood. The longer he lived, the viler he

became and more poisonous were his words. People did their best
to avoid him because his misfortune was contagious. He created

the feeling of unhappiness in others.

But one day, when he turned eighty, an incredible thing

happened. Instantly everyone started hearing the rumor: 'The old

man is happy today, he doesn't complain about anything, smiles,

and even his face is freshened up.'

The whole village gathered around the man and asked him,
"What happened to you?"

The old man replied, 'Nothing special. Eighty years I've

been chasing happiness and it was useless. And then I decided to

live without happiness and just enjoy life. That's why I'm happy

now.'"
 Garbage Truck

(photo:tehphidelphiacitizen.org)

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
 One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car

jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed

the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and

started yelling at us!

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I

mean, really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that?

This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The

Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They

run around full of garbage (frustration, anger, and

disappointment, etc.). As their garbage piles up, they need a

place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well,

and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other

people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let

garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up

in the morning with regrets, so... love the people who treat you
right & pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what

you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage-free day.
 Purpose of Life
Once upon a time, there lived a wise man. He was the head
of the local administration of a small village. Everyone

respected him and his views and opinions were well regarded.
Many people came to him seeking for advice.

His son, however, was very lazy and wasted his time

sleeping and spending time with his friends. No amount of advice

or threat made any difference to him. He wouldn't change at all

The years passed, and with time faded the youth of the wise

man. As he grew older, he began to worry about his son's

future. He recognized the need to give something to his son so

that he can take care of himself and his family to be.

One day, he called his son to his room and said-"My son,
you are no more a kid now. You must learn to take

responsibilities and understand life."

 "I want you to find the real purpose of your life and when
you find it remember it always and you will lead a life full of

happiness and joy."

Then he handed his son a bag. When the son opened the bag,

he was surprised to see 4 pair of clothes, one for each season.

There also were some raw food, grains, lentils, little money and

a map. His father continued-"I want you to go find a treasure. I

have drawn a map of the place where the treasure is hidden, you
need to go and find it."

The son loved this idea. The next day, he eagerly set out

on a journey to find the treasure. He had to travel really far

across borders, forests, plateaus and mountains.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Along

the way, he met a lot of people. He was helped by some with food
and by some with shelter. He also came across robbers who tried

to rob him.
Slowly the season changed and so did the landscapes along

with it. When the weather was unpleasant, he halted for the day
and continued his journey when the weather cleared.

Finally, after a long year, he reached his destination. It

was a cliff. The map showed the treasure being placed below the

cliff under the tree. Upon spotting the tree, he began to dig

the ground. He searched and searched- around it, under it, on

it- but found nothing. He spent two days looking and digging for
it- but found nothing. He spent two days looking and digging for

the treasure. By the third day, he was so exhausted that he

decided to leave.

Disappointed over his father's lie, he headed back to his

home. On his way back, he experienced the same changing

landscapes and seasons. This time, however, he halted to enjoy

the blooming flowers in spring and the dancing birds in monsoon.

He stayed in places only to watch the sun set in paradise or to

enjoy pleasant summer evenings.

Since, the supplies he carried were over by then, he

learned to hunt and make arrangement for his meals. He also

learned how to sew his clothes and shelter himself. He was now

able to determine the hour of the day by the position of the sun
and plan his journey accordingly. He also learned how to protect

himself from wild animals.

He met the same people who had helped him earlier. This

time he stayed a few days with them and helped them in some or

the other way to repay them. He realized how nice they were to
an ordinary passerby who had nothing to offer to them in return.

When he reached home, he realized it had been two years

since he left the place. He walked straight into his father's

room. "Father", – He said

The father immediately jumped to his feet and hugged his

son.
"So how was your journey my son, did you find the treasure"

he asked.
 "The journey was fascinating father. But forgive me for I

wasn't able to find the treasure. Maybe somebody took it before

I reached." He surprised himself by what he just said. He wasn't

angry at his father. Instead, he was asking for forgiveness.

"There wasn't' any treasure in the very first place my

son"-father answered smiling.

"But why did you send me to find it then", he asked.

"I will surely tell you why, but first you tell me, how was

your journey to the place? Did you enjoy it?"

"Of course not father! I had no time. I was worried someone

else would find the treasure before I did. I was in a hurry to

reach the cliff." He continued-"but I did enjoy the journey on

my way back home. I made many friends and witnessed miracles

every day. I learned so many different skills and the art of

survival. There was so much I learnt that it made me forget the

pain of not finding the treasure."

The father said to him- "Exactly my son. Want you to lead

your life with a goal. But if you remain too focused on the

goal, then you will miss out the real treasures of life. The
truth is, life has no goal at all, other than to just experience

it and grow with it every single day."

Moral: It is when we set out in life without trying to

associate any meaning or greater purpose to it that we find the
treasure of true joy in each moment.
 Bamboo Tree

(photo: mattmorris.com)
 A man got frustrated with life. Despite all the hard work
and effort, failure was all that he learnt. Feeling defeated

with life, he left everything and exiled himself in the woods.

There he met a Hermit. The disappointed man shared is failure

with the hermit. "Give me one good reason not to quit?"- He

pleaded the Hermit

"Look", the hermit said, pointing towards two plants. "Do

you see that fern and bamboo there?

"Yes", the man nodded.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very

good care of them. I gave them water, light and fertilizer.

Within a short period of time the fern quickly grew from the

earth", the hermit continued.

"But despite the Bamboo seed being watered and nurtured for
years, it did not outwardly grow as much as an inch. In fact,

nothing at all happened in the first year. There was no sign of

growth. But, I did not give up on the Bamboo seed and continued

to water and nurture it. By the fifth year, a tiny sprout

emerged from the earth. And within six months, the tree grew a

hundred feet tall."

"So, did the bamboo tree lie dormant for four years only to
grow exponentially in the fifth?" the hermit asked. Baffled by

the question the man kept quiet. "The answer is quite obvious.
the question the man kept quiet. "The answer is quite obvious.

The little tree was growing underground, developing a root

system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth

in the fifth year and beyond. Had the tree not developed a

strong foundation, it would not have sustained its life as it

grew."

"Did you know that all the time you had been struggling,
you were growing strong roots", remarked the hermit

The man learned his lesson that day. He learnt the value of

persistence and hard work. The fern and the bamboo stood right
in front of him as he walked towards his life to continue to

work on his dreams.

How do you want to be
remembered?
 (source: kathylovephysics.com)

More than a decade ago, a man was reading his morning

newspaper. To his surprise and horror, he read his name in the

obituary column. The news papers had mistakenly reported the

death of the wrong person for sure. He was shocked to read news
headline about his death. When he regained his composure, He

read it to find out what people had said about him.

The obituary included sentences like, "Dynamite King Dies."

and "He was the merchant of death.". The man was the inventor of

dynamite and when he read the words "merchant of death," he

asked himself a question,

"Is this how I am going to be remembered?" he asked

himself. He decided that this was not the way he wanted to be

remembered and he decided to change.

From that day on, he started working toward world peace.

His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the

great Nobel Prize, the greatest of all the prizes.

The Nobel Prize has been honoring men and women from all
corners of the globe for outstanding achievements in physics,

chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace since

1901. The foundations for the prize were laid in 1895 when

Alfred Nobel wrote his last will, leaving much of his wealth to
the establishment of the Nobel Prize.
Moral : It is never late to start over.
 About the Author
Mathur (matt) Ravikumar, an author, consultant and
cartoonist

12+ books in Amazon and Kindle platforms. Many business

whitepapers, articles and published content in professional

magazines. Regular meditator and trekked partially to Himalayas

(Mount Kailash) towards a spiritual journey in 2016. He lives

near San Francisco/California and can be reached by email.

(mattravikumar@gmail.com)

amazon.com/author/mattravikumar

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