Story Time

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.
Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What this man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly...

Previous->>

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in
front of him. Wordlessly he picked up a large 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 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 students laughed.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your
life. The rocks are the important things -your family, your partner,
your health, your children -- things that if everything else was lost
and only they remained, 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, 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 Pay attention to the things that are critical to
your happiness. Play with your children.

Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing.
There will always be time to go to work,clean the house, give a dinner
party and fix the disposal.
Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set
your priorities.
The rest is just sand."

Previous->>

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window.

"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...

it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it ..

"It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.

I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away ... just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in .. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Previous->>

One day while walking down the street a highly successful Human Resources Manager was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself. "Welcome to Heaven," said St. Peter. "Before you get settled in though, it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we've never once had a Human

Resources Manager make it this far and we're not really sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," said the woman.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have higher orders. What we're going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in."
"Actually, I think I've made up my mind, I prefer to stay in Heaven", said the woman. "Sorry, we have rules..."

And with that St. Peter put the executive in an elevator and it went down-down-down to hell. The doors opened and she found herse! lf stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club and standing in front of her were all her friends - fellow executives that she had worked with and they were well dressed in
evening gowns and cheering for her.

They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the country club where she enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner. She met the Devil who was actually a really
nice guy (kind of cute) and she had a great time telling jokes and dancing.

She was having such a good time that before she knew it, it was time to leave. Everybody shook her hand and waved goodbye as she got on the elevator.
The elevator went up-up-up and opened back up at the Pearly Gates and found St.Peter waiting for her.

"Now it's time to spend a day in heaven," he said. So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds an! d playing the harp and singing. She had a great time and before she kn ew it her 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got her.

"So, you've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity,"

The woman paused for a second and then replied, "Well, I never thought I'd say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in Hell."

So St. Peter escorted her to the elevator and again she went down-down-down back to Hell. When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth.

She saw her friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the garbage and putting it in sacks. The Devil came up to her and put his arm around her.

"I don't understand," stammered the woman, "yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a country club and we ate lobster and we danced And had a great time. Now all there is a wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable."

The Devil ! looked at her smiled and told...
"Yesterday we were recruiting you, today you're an Employee.."

Previous->>

Once upon a time in the mystical woods there lived a lonely duck. To make things worse the duck had the curse of intellect. It could not be happy because it would analyze everything to death.

The duck realized that it was different from the other ducks at an early age. While the other ducklings went clubbing or read romantic novels, the lonely duckling thought about the mysteries of the universe or read about the art of Zen. Obviously the black holes that the lonely duckling thought about were very different from the ones pursued by the other ducklings.

But it wasn’t as grim as the lonely duck made it out to be. All the reading and pondering had paved a dazzling career path for it. The duck owned a cozy pad in the mystical forest and had a cool ride. To top it off the duck had great stock options and had the dance moves with the grace of a swan. But it was not enough as it longed for the company of another duck. The duck seeked a companion who could hold up a conversation and share a few laughs while cruising in the pond on a lazy moonlit night. Was it too much to ask for a duck with an IQ greater than a bucket of rocks?
It turned out yes it was too much to ask. It was a long quest that the duck endured when it went looking for its soul mate. From bar pick ups to online dating yonder it went to find the love of its life. The duck met a few who wanted riches. The duck met others who were just lonely. But alas loneliness can’t kill loneliness. So the duck moved on looking for love and companionship.

Finally when the duck was all out of hope and ready to give up love came its way as unexpectedly as it always does. The duck fell in love with a brilliant arty duck named Roberto. (Shame on all of those who assumed the lonely duck was male). Roberto was a painter and painted the lonely ducks eyes day and night. The lonely duck had the most beautiful eyes Roberto had ever seen. The lonely duck could not believe that it was now a not so lonely duck at last. Roberto and the not so lonely duck were head over heels in love.

After a month of basking in love the not so lonely duck and Roberto realized that their career paths and lifestyles had nothing in common. The not so lonely duck missed the mystical forest and finally they decided to breakup and return to their homes for good. The two decided to remain friends and thanks to free long distance days and weekend minutes they chatted everyday.
so what would be the climax now.....
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Climax 1-> The lonely duck again finally came to terms with life and settled for a bigger house with a plasma screen TV with a private pool and lived as a wee bit lonely duck ever after. so sad of duck
Climax 2->The lonely duck than decided to waited for another duck whose career paths and lifestyles sinks with her.
Climax 3-> ------------------fill in the blanks
THE END

Previous->>

Here is a joke/story to strike an analogy with what I want to say.
"There was once a City Bus driver who plied the same route for
years. One day he say a man get onto the bus and start walking
towards the seats without paying for the ticket. When asked for it,
the guy simply said 'I don't pay for the ticket'. Now this man was
huge. I mean, almost a giant with muscles and stuff. So the bus
driver thought why take a panga with this guy and he let him go
hoping it was only a one time thing. The next day the same thing
happened. Again the driver did not
confront the guy for the fear of getting beaten up. He hoped this
was only temporary. But this continued for about two weeks and the
driver was really frustrated. He didn't like the fact that the guy
did not pay for the rides and also the fact that he intimidated him.
He was spending sleepless nights thinking about it. He decided to do
something about it. So he enrolled in the best Gym in the town and
started working out furiously. After a month or so he decided he had
built enough muscle and strenght to confront the guy. The next time
when he say the guy get onto the bus he asked him to pay for the
ticket. The guy simply said 'I don't pay for the ticket'. This time
instead of backing up, the driver got up rolled up his sleeves and
asked in a much sterner voice to pay for the ticket. The guy said 'I
don't pay for the ticket because I have a pass' and showed him the
pass."

There is a lot we can learn from this simple joke/story. Not all is
as it seems. You could have your own perception to things but it is
always best to investigate a situation. Also when in doubt feel free
to have a dialogue with the other party. A lot of issues can be
solved if we just care to talk with the other person. The bus driver
in this story could have avoided all the agony he went through if he
had just asked the passenger why he wouldn't pay for the ticket. He
not only spent sleepless nights but also considerable amount of
money and time working out in the Gym trying to get even with this
guy. There is also
the fact that the passenger did not convey his idea in the right
manner. But like I said earlier when in doubt always talk.

There are very little problems that a good talk will not solve. If
we look back at some situations in life we would definitely identify
with what the joke/story conveys here. Not just in our individual
lives, there are also so many world situations right now which can
be resolved with a simple talk to begin with. But the parties
involved either perceive the situation like our driver did or have a
huge ego.


Previous->>

Gone are the days
When the school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and benches.
Gone are the days
When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes.
Gone are the days
When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays, yet
Managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.
Gone are the days
We learnt writing with slates and pencils, and progressed
To fountain pens and ball pens and then micro tips.
Gone are the days
We began drawing with crayons and evolved to
Colour pencils and finally sketch pens.

Previous->>
Gone are the days
We started calculating first with tables and then
with Clarkes tables an! d advanced to calculators and computers.
Gone are the days
When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals,
And returned to the classrooms drenched in sweat.
Gone are the days
When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,
Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds.
Gone are the days
When all the colours in the world,
Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays.
Gone are the days
When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons.
Gone are the days
When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,
And Neckties and socks rolled into balls.
Gone are the days
When few played "kabadi" and "Co-Co" in scorching sun,
While others simply played "book cricket" in the confines of
classroom.
Gone are the days
Of fights but no conspiracies,
Of Competitions but seldom jealousy.
Gone are the days
When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks.
Gone are the days
When few rushed at 3:45 to
"Conquer" window seats in our School bus.
Gone are the days
While few others had "Big Fun", "pulippu muttai",
"gulfi ice", "seeval ice !" and "pepsi !" at 4o'Clock.
Gone are the days
Of Sports Day, and the annual School Day ,
And the one-month long preparations for them.
Gone are the days
Of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual Exams,
And the most enjoyed holidays after them.
Gone are the days
Of tenth and twelfth standards, when we
Spent almost the whole year writing revision tests.
Gone are the days
We learnt, we enjoyed, we played, we won, we lost,
We laughed, we cried, we fought, we thought.
Gone are the days
With so much fun in them, so many friends,
So much experience, all this and more.
Gone are the day
.
.
.
.
.
Gone are the days
But not the memories, which will be
Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and
Ever and ever .....

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. In a
specific point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend
slapped the other one in the face.The one, who got slapped, was
hurt, but without anything to say, he wrote in the
sand :

"TODAY, MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE".

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided
to take a bath. The one who got slapped and hurt started drowning,
and the other friend saved him. When he recovered from the fright,
he wrote on a stone:

"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE".

The friend who saved and slapped his best friend, asked him, "Why,
after I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now you write on a
stone?" The other friend, smiling,replied: "When a friend hurts us,
we should write it down in the sand, where the winds of forgiveness
get in charge of erasing it away, and when something great happens,
we should engrave it in the stone of the memory of the heart, where
no wind can erase it"

Learn to write in the sand.............