Have an Attitude of Gratitude

 (Author unknown. Received in WhatsApp)

Nearby, a building construction work was going on.

Lots of poor labourers were working there and their small children used to hold on to one another's shirt and play "train-train".

Someone would become the engine and others would become bogies.

Every day, these children used to take turns becoming the engine and bogies.

But, there was one small boy wearing only a half pant who used to hold one small green cloth in his hand and become the guard daily.

So, once I went to him and asked him, "son, don't you also wish to become an engine or a bogie some time?"

He softly replied, "Sir, I don't have a shirt to wear so how will the other children catch me to make the train?"

I could see the slight wetness in his eyes.

But, it taught me a lesson. He could have cried and sat at home and sulked that his parents could not afford to buy him a shirt.

But instead, he chose another way to play and enjoy himself.

In life, we don't get all things we desire and we keep complaining.

I don't have a bike, I don't have car, I don't have a big house, etc, etc.

Life is like that. It is upto us to make it beautiful and be grateful for what we have ..🙏🏼

My two cents:
When things do not work for us or when things go wrong in our lives, we tend to go in a depression making it increasingly difficult to be grateful for what we have. It requires an effort to have an attitude of gratitude at such times. But studies show that thankfulness increases levels of happiness and decreases levels of depression. Making thankfulness a daily routine makes it easy to have an attitude of gratitude at troubled times.

Teacher, the Hero

(Received in WhatsApp. If you happen to be the author, please comment below. Due credits will be given)

A young man saw his primary school teacher on a wedding.

He went to greet him with all the respect and admiration.

He said to him:

"Do you remember me, Teacher?"

The teacher said: "No, please introduce yourself."

The student said: "I was your student in the 3rd Grade, I am the one who stole the watch of a child in the classroom. I will remind you but I am sure you remember the story."

“One of the boys in my class had a beautiful watch, so I decided to steal it. He came to you crying that someone had stolen his watch. You asked us to stand so as to search our pockets. I realized that my action would be exposed in front of the Students and Teachers.

 I will be called a thief, a liar and my character will be shattered forever.

You asked us to stand and face the wall and close our eyes completely. You went searching from pocket to pocket, and when you reached my pocket you pulled the watch out of my pocket, and you continued until you searched the last student.

After you finished you asked us to open our eyes and to sit on our chairs.

I was afraid you will expose me in front of the students.

You showed the watch to the class, and gave it back to the boy, and you never mentioned the name of the one who stole the watch.

You never said a word to me, and you never mentioned the story to anyone.

Throughout my school life, none of the teachers nor the students talked about me stealing the watch.

I thought to myself you saved my dignity that day."

The teacher said: "I can't remember who stole the watch that day, because I searched the pockets of all of you while my eyes were also closed."

Education needs wisdom. We should be able to be such Teachers, such Parents, such Leaders and be able to be for people in such circumstances.

We should always calculate the consequences of our actions. 

Protecting and reforming is tougher than exposing and expelling!

Should you compare?

(Received in WhatsApp Group. Due credits to whoever has authored this)

Comparisons

Shweta covered a distance of 10 km in one hour.

Akash covered the same distance in one and a half hours.

Which of the two is faster and healthier??

Of course our answer will be Shweta.

What if we say that Shweta covered this distance on a prepared track while Akash did it by walking on a sandy path???

Then our answer will be Akash.

But when we come to know that Shweta is 50 years old while Akash is 25 years old??

Then our answer will be Shweta again.

But we also come to know that Akash's weight is 140 kg while Shweta's weight is 65 kg.

Again our answer will be Akash

As we learn more about Akash and Shweta, our opinions and judgments about who is better will change.

The reality of life is also similar. We form opinions very superficially and hastily, due to which we are not able to do justice to ourselves and others.

Opportunities vary.

Life is different.

Resources differ.

Problems change.

Solutions are different.

Therefore the excellence of life is not in comparing with anyone but in testing oneself.

You are the best. Stay as you are and keep trying your best according to your circumstances.

Stay healthy, stay cool, stay satisfied, keep smiling, keep laughing, keep on serving society and the country.

The Journey is Short
(WhatsApp forward)

An elderly woman got on a bus and sat down. At the next stop, a strong, grumpy young woman climbed up and sat down beside the old woman, hitting her with her numerous bags.

When she saw that the elderly woman remained silent, the young woman asked her why she had not complained when she hit her with her bags?

The elderly woman replied with a Smile: "There is no need to be rude or discuss something so insignificant, as my trip next to you is so short, because I am going to get off at the next stop."

This answer deserves to be written in gold letters: "There is no need to discuss something so insignificant, because our journey together is too short."

Each of us must understand that our time in this world is so short, that darkening it with useless arguments, jealousy, not forgiving others, discontentment and bad attitudes are a ridiculous waste of time and energy.

Did someone break your heart? Stay calm.

The trip is too short.

Did someone betray you, intimidate, cheat or humiliate you? Relax - Don't be Stressed

The trip is too short.

Did someone insult you without reason? Stay calm. Ignore it.

The trip is too short.

Did a neighbour make a comment that you didn't like? Stay calm. Ignore him. Forgive that.

The trip is too short.

Whatever the problem someone has brought us, remember that our journey together is too short.

No one knows the length of our trip. Nobody knows when it will arrive at its stop.

Our trip together is too short.

Let us appreciate friends and family.

Let us be respectful, kind and forgiving,

Because we will be filled with gratitude and joy, after all

Our trip together is very short.

Share your smile to everyone....

Our trip is Very Short!

Hope sees the Invisible

(WhatsApp Forward)

Dr. Frank Mayfield (1908-1991, a renowned Neurosurgeon in the US) was touring Tewksbury Institute when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid. To cover the awkward moment Dr. Mayfield started asking questions.

"How long have you worked here?"

"I've worked here almost since the place opened," the maid replied.

"What can you tell me about the history of this place?" he asked.

"I don't think I can tell you anything, but I could show you something."

With that, she took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building. She pointed to one of what looked like small prison cells, their iron bars rusted with age, and said, "That's the cage where they used to keep Annie Sullivan."

"Who's Annie?" the doctor asked.

Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because she was incorrigible—nobody could do anything with her. She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people. The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her or anything. I'd see them trying with her spitting and scratching at them.

"I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think, 'I sure would hate to be locked up in a cage like that.' I wanted to help her, but I didn't have any idea what I could do. I mean, if the doctors and nurses couldn't help her, what could someone like me do?

"I didn't know what else to do, so I just baked her some brownies one night after work. The next day I brought them in. I walked carefully to her cage and said, 'Annie, I baked these brownies just for you. I'll put them right here on the floor and you can come and get them if you want.'

"Then I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me. But she didn't. She actually took the brownies and ate them. After that, she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around. And sometimes I'd talk to her. Once, I even got her laughing.

One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor. They asked me if I'd help them with Annie. I said I would if I could. So that's how it came about that. Every time they wanted to see Annie or examine her, I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand.

This is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind."

After they'd been working with her for about a year—and it was tough sledding with Annie—the Perkins institute for the Blind opened its doors. They were able to help her and she went on to study and she became a teacher herself.

Annie came back to the Tewksbury Institute to visit, and to see what she could do to help out. At first, the Director didn't say anything and then he thought about a letter he'd just received. A man had written to him about his daughter. She was absolutely unruly—almost like an animal. She was blind and deaf as well as 'deranged.'

He was at his wit's end, but he didn't want to put her in an asylum. So he wrote the Institute to ask if they knew of anyone who would come to his house and work with his daughter.

And that is how Annie Sullivan became the lifelong companion of Helen Keller.

When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize, she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan."

But Annie said, "No Helen. The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute."

 Choose your battles wisely

Source: WhatsApp sharing

An elephant took a bath in a river and was walking on the road. As it neared a bridge, it saw a pig fully soaked in mud coming from the opposite direction. The elephant quietly moved to one side, allowed the dirty pig to pass and then continued its onward journey.

The unclean pig later spoke to its friends in arrogance, “See how great I am; even the elephant was afraid of me and moved to one side to let me pass”.

On hearing this, some elephants questioned their friend, the reason for its action. Was it out of fear?

The elephant smiled and replied, “I could have easily crushed the pig under my leg, but I was clean and the pig was very dirty. By crushing it, my leg will become dirty and I wanted to avoid it. Hence, I moved aside.”

Realized souls will avoid contact with negativity not out of fear, but out of desire to keep away from impurity though they are strong enough to destroy the impurity. We need not react to every opinion, every comment, or every situation. We must choose our battles wisely… Not everything deserves our time and attention. Reacting or behaving in a same way will take away our peace of mind.

 

Start with yourself

 A Zen Story

One day one person climbed up a mountain where a hermit woman was meditating. She had taken refuge and was asked, “What are you doing here alone in such a solitude place?”

To which she replied:  “I have lots of work !”

“And how can you have so much work? I don't see anything around you here...?”

“I have to train two Hawks and two Eagles, assure two Rabbits, discipline one Snake , motivate a Donkey and tame a Lion .....”

“And, where have they gone that I don't see them?”

“I have them all inside here within me...!!

The Hawks stare on everything that is presented to me, good or bad, I have to work on them to see only good things. They are my Eyes.

The two Eagles with their claws hurt and destroy, I have to train them not to hurt. They are my hands.

Rabbits want to go where they want, at the same time they do not want to face difficult situations, I have to teach them to be calm even if there is suffering or stumbling.  They are my feet.

The Donkey is always tired, stubborn and does not want to carry the load each time I walk. That is my body!

The most difficult to tame is the "Snake."  Although it is locked in a strong cage with 32 bars , it is always ready to sting, bite and poison anyone nearby. I have to discipline it...  that's my tongue.

I also have One Lion. Oh, how proud, vain, he thinks that "he is the king." I have to tame him. And that's my EGO.

So you see, my friend, I have  lots of work."

Think & Reflect! We all may have the same. Lots to work on ourselves! So, Stop Criticising, Evaluating & Judging others!

Let’s First work on ourselves!

PEACE is a state of mind

Received in WhatsApp

Murugan, the proprietor of a coffee shop had been busy all day. Being Saturday, his shop was very crowded and the customers seemed unending.

He had been on his toes since morning. Towards the evening he felt a splitting headache surfacing.

As the clock ticked away, his headache worsened.

Unable to bear it, he stepped out of the shop leaving his staff to look after the sales.

He walked across the street to the Pharmacy to buy himself a painkiller to relieve his headache.

He swallowed the pill and felt relieved. He knew that in a few minutes he would feel better.

As he strolled out of the shop, he casually asked the salesgirl, "Where is Mr. Gopalan, the Chemist? He's not at the cash counter today!"

The girl replied, "Sir, Mr. Gopalan had a splitting headache and said he was going across to your coffee shop. He said a cup of hot coffee would relieve him of his headache."

The man's mouth went dry and he mumbled, "Oh! I see."

This is a typical case of looking outside ourselves for something that we have within us.

How strange, but true!

The Chemist relieves his headache by drinking coffee and the coffee shop owner finds relief in a pain-relieving pill!

Similarly, many of us travel across the lengths and breadths of the universe and also visit several shrines and ashrams to find peace. Eventually, we come to realize that real peace is within our own hearts.

PEACE is really a state of mind.🙏🏻

A Son teaches a lesson to all

A son took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner. 

His father, being very old and weak, while eating, dropped food on his shirt and pants. The mess that he made disgusted the other diners in the restaurant while his son remained calm.

After they were finished eating, the son, who was not embarrassed at all, quietly took him to the wash room, wiped off the food particles, removed the stains, combed his hair and fitted his glasses firmly, When they came out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grasp how someone could embarrass themselves publicly like that.

The son settled the bill and started to leave the eatery with his father.

At that time, an old man amongst the diners called out to the son and asked him, “Don’t you think you left something behind?”

The son replied, “No sir, I haven’t.”

The old man retorted, “Yes, you have! You have left a lesson for every son and hope for every father.”

The restaurant went silent.

It is said old age is another childhood. Parents take extreme care of their off springs, love them with all their heart and stand with them even when they start a family of their own. All one can do is to love them and take care of them in their second innings.   

Rise above storm

Author unknown. Received in social media. If you are author of this, please contact.

I just had to share this because I really liked this analogy:

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.

The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet.

Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small space with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place.

If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.

It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, we are a lot like the buzzard, the bat and the bee.

We are struggling about with all our problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above us.

Rise above the problem for the solution.

This too shall pass.

Rise above the storm, find the sunshine and stay blessed forever.

My thoughts:At a time when the whole world is going through this crisis of Corona virus, let's find a silver lining in the dark clouds and discover the sun that shines brightly over there.

Control anger before it controls you

Received in WhatsApp message

When he was about to return to his country, King Alexander remembered that his people had asked him to bring to them an Indian yogi. They had heard a lot about yogis and were very desirous of seeing one, meeting him, hearing him speak and receiving his blessings. Alexander was told that the yogis dwelt in the forest.

In quest of a yogi he went to a forest. Sure enough, he found one sitting underneath a tree, in deep meditation. He waited patiently until the yogi opened his eyes. They shone with a strange, mystic light.

Reverentially, Alexander requested the yogi to accompany him to Greece, saying. “I will give you everything you need or ask for. But, pray, do come with me. My people would love to meet you!”

The yogi quietly answered, “I need nothing, I am happy where I am!”

This was the first time that anyone had turned down Alexander’s request. He could not control himself. He flew into a rage.

And unsheathing his sword, he thundered, “Do you know who is speaking to you? I am the great king Alexander. If you will not listen to me, I shall kill you – cut you into pieces!”

Unperturbed, the yogi answered. “You cannot kill me! You can only kill my body. And the body is but a garment I have worn. I am not the body. I am that which dwells within the body! I am not the deha. I am the dehin – the in dwelling one!”

The yogi continued, “You say you are a king. May I tell you, who you are? You are a slave of my slave!”

Stunned, Alexander asked. “How am I a slave of your slave?”

In a voice tender with compassion, the yogi explained, “I have mastered anger. Anger is my slave. See, how easily you gave way to anger. You are a slave of anger, and, therefore, a slave of my slave!” 

Anger is an emotion that is inherent in all human beings. It is believed to be a healthy emotion when used at the right place in the right manner. Only when it gets out of hand,  does anger become destructive. Its that uncontrolled anger that affects relationships, job and health. Learning to control anger is a challenge for many. Seeking professional help for anger issues help at times.

Dandelions in life

Traditional Sufi Story

A young man named Nasruddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wishing to eliminate the unwanted guests, Nasruddin consulted with gardeners near and far, but none of their solutions worked.

Finally, Nasruddin traveled to the palace of the sheikh to seek the wisdom of the royal gardener himself. 

But alas, Nasruddin had already tried all the methods the kind old man recommended to him for eradicating such troublesome weeds.

Silently they sat together for a good long time. 

At last, the royal gardener looked at Nasruddin and said, "Well, then, the only thing I can suggest is that you learn to love them."

We live in a society with the presence of both desirable and undesirable elements. These undesirable elements are like those Dandelions, a stubborn weed that never seems to leave your lawn or garden. Wisdom lies in embracing the fact that we need to coexist with them. The least we can do is to love them and accept them.

Pushers & Pullers

Educator Booker T. Washington observed, "There are two ways of exerting one's strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up." 

Pushers and pullers are the two types of people that we need to deal with on a daily basis in this world. 

Formers are the types who push you down, suck the energy from you and demotivate you. The negative type. 

Latters are those who pull you up, inspire you and motivate you to achieve your goals and dreams. The positive type.

Undeniably, we all love pullers and need more of them in our lives. They are like a cup of cool water for a dry and parched throat. Dealing with this type is the easiest. We can relate to them effortlessly. They ooze out positivity which is infectious.

We avoid and detest those who push us down. It’s this variety, the negative ones, that cause the concern. It can be really tough to get back up once someone has knocked us down. Self-confidence gets heavily beaten up. Self-doubt and insecurities get triggered and are hard to put aside. 

Let’s face it. In reality, life doesn't consist only of pullers. It is a concoction of both types. It takes all sorts to make the world go around. We are compelled to deal with both.

How to deal with these pushers?

 

One way of dealing is “ignore” or “accept”.

"Ignore" when we understand that the pushing down is caused by plain jealousy. Admit that it’s the way these pushers are made. It’s not our task to change them. Our focus should only be on changing ourselves and our insights for the better. Best is to keep a distance from these pushers. Leave them behind and move on. They are not worth walking along with.

"Accept" when we find that the criticism is true, based on fact and not biased. After all, let’s give the benefit of doubt to the offender. Let’s work on the conjecture that not always do people have an agenda in their minds. We might’ve committed a blunder inadvertently and hence we have to deal with it. Hence let’s ‘accept’ the pushing down.

And last comes the most elevated way. Send them your love! I know it’s THE MOST difficult task on earth. If all of us had achieved the echelon of this elevation, we wouldn't be discussing this topic here. Right? And why should we send them, the offenders our love? Because it’s what we expect from them. Since they are lacking in it, let’s provide them with some quotient of it.

But the silver lining in the cloud is this. Life is not so cruel. It makes sure that when someone pushes us down, there is someone else who would pull us up. Life gives us an opportunity to become a much better person stronger in heart and mind. If we stop to think about it, we’ll end up thanking both.

Stop being a glass. Become a lake

(Parable)

Once a lady was disturbed, feeling insulted and finding it difficult to cope up with her difficult situations in life. She had heard of a great old man who is the best teacher. She decided to go to him and ask him to teach her how to manage life. 

After hearing her problems, the old man instructed the unhappy lady to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. 

"How does it taste?" he asked. 

"Very bad and salty," replied the lady.

Then the old man asked the lady to walk with him to a nearby lake. Then he asked her to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. When the lady swirled handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now go get a glass of water from the lake and drink it"

After she drank the lake water the old man asked, "How does it taste?" 

"Good!" replied the lady. 

"Did you taste the salt?" asked the Master. 

"No, not at all " said the lady.

The Old man said, "The problems, and the pain you feel are just like handful of pure salt, no more, no less. The amount of pain and problems in life remains exactly the same. But the amount we learn to tolerate the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to accept it with patience and learn to solve the problems. Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

Let go or Hang on?

These are 2 stories on the same concept but with a different ending.

Story no 1:

http://serenityhelp.com/addiction-information/understanding-monkey-traps/

In South Africa a young girl watched her mother weave a simple basket. She asked her mother, “What are you making?” The wise mother replied, “We are short on money and need to buy coal for our stove. So, I am making a monkey trap.”

“But, momma that basket is far too small for a monkey to fit into. I know it won’t work.”

“Well, the trap is quite small child. But, the trap needs to only fit the hand of the monkey, not his body to work.”

“Mmm, I don’t understand.”

“You see we chain this basket to a strong tree and put inside a delicious piece of fruit. When the monkey notices the fruit inside the basket, he grabs the fruit quickly and tries to pull it out. Surprise, our trap is not wide enough for him to remove his clenched fist with the bait. So, he is stuck, trapped, and we can sell him alive to the Afrikaners.”

“Why doesn’t the monkey just let go of the fruit and escape?”

“Because the monkey is greedy, single minded, and obsessed with the fruit. He will not let go because he is afraid someone else may get it or he will have to find something else to eat that he cannot see.”

“Momma’ I’m very glad I am not as dumb as a monkey!”

Story 2:
Tales & Parables of Sri Ramakrishna

In a certain place the fishermen were catching fish.

A kite swooped down and snatched a fish. At the sight of the fish, about a thousand crows chased the kite and made a great noise with their cawing.

The kite flew to the south and the crows followed it there. The kite flew to the north and still the crows followed after it. 

The kite went east and west, but with the same result. Whichever way the kite flew with the fish, the crows followed it.

As the kite began to fly about in confusion, lo, the fish dropped from its mouth. The crows at once let the kite alone and flew after the fish.

Thus relieved of its worries, the kite sat on the branch of a tree and thought: 'That wretched fish was at the root of all my troubles. I have now got rid of it and therefore I am at peace.'

Learning?

If the monkeys just surrendered what they were holding on to, they could have been free. They are stubborn, hoping that they will be able to have their food and their freedom at the same time. 

As long as the kite was holding on to the fish, it was under lot of pressure from the crows to release it. The moment he released it he was at peace.

Worldly desires put a lot of pressure on us. The pursuit of those desires force worries, anxieties and restlessness on us. These desires are the Nuts that we are hanging on to which deny us the Peace. We do not rest till those desires are fulfilled. When one desire is fulfilled, another one crops up creating more and more pressure. 

let us introspect: What are we holding on to? What can we let go to be free? Is living life like a roller coaster ride is what we want or a peaceful life?

Of course, it is hard to let go but not impossible. One should be mentally strong to control those desires. But no sooner do we renounce these desires than we start enjoying peace of soul.

Do you want to be the monkey or the kite? 

Know your worth

Author Unknown     

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a 2000 Re note. In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this note?"

Many hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this to one of you - but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the note up. He then asked. "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth Rs 2000. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.”

Remember: Those who love you do not care what you do, how you do, when you do or why you do but love you for WHO YOU ARE. That is your worth.

Positives in Negatives

A woman was sitting at her dining table, worried about taxes to be paid, house-work to be done and to top it all, her family was coming over for Thanksgiving the next day. 

Worried and Tired as she was, she was not feeling very thankful at that time.

As she turned her gaze sideways, she noticed her young daughter scribbling furiously into her notebook. She asked her, “What are you writing?”

“My teacher asked us to write a paragraph on “Negative Thanksgiving” for homework today,” said the daughter. “She asked us to write down things that we are thankful for, things that make us feel not so good in the beginning, but turn out to be good after all.”

With curiosity, the mother peeked into the book. This is what her daughter had written:
“I’m thankful for Final Exams, because that means school is almost over.
I’m thankful for bad-tasting medicine, because it helps me feel better.
I’m thankful for waking up to alarm clocks, because it means I’m still alive”.

It then dawned on the mother, that she had a lot of things to be thankful for!

She thought again…
She had to pay taxes but that meant she was fortunate to be employed.

She had house-work to do but that meant she had her own home to live in.
She had to cook for her family for Thanksgiving but that meant she had a family with whom she could celebrate.

My thoughts:

Learning to stay positive in life is vital. Looking for the positives in a negative situation can completely change your perspective on the situation at hand. Not that they will allow you to be happy in life but they will no doubt give you strength to deal with any challenges in life. Accepting a situation and finding a solution and by being thankful to what you have are sure ways of looking at a negative situation with positivity. 

All are equal

Story contributed by Preeti Ramakrishnan

Once there was a fight in Anita's kitchen. Salt and sugar were fighting for superiority. 

"I am simply the best creation of God," said salt. 

"I make food so tasty that man can't do without me."

Sugar got angry with salt. It felt that it was the best. 

"I am much better than you," said sugar. 

"What sweetness I bring to every dish," it said with pride.

Sugar and Salt were so boastful that all the other ingredients in Anita's kitchen were now fed up. 

"What do they  think?" asked tamarind to pepper. 

"Just because I am sour, does it make me less special?"

Pepper felt that salt could not do without it. Coffee powder was angry at sugar for not giving it any importance.

All the spices in Anita's kitchen were very agitated too. 

But there was one spice, Turmeric which was very quiet. 

"Please don't fight dear Salt and Sugar," requested Turmeric. "Each ingredient in the shelf is important in it's own way," said Turmeric with a smile.

Sugar and Salt looked at Turmeric and mockingly laughed at it. "So you are going to tell us what to do and how to behave,"  they asked very angrily. Turmeric calmly replied that all ingredients were useful and nothing was superior or inferior.

Suddenly Anita's son Rohan entered the house crying. Anita was worried. 

"What happened?" asked Anita. 

"I was playing football when suddenly I fell down. My wound is bleeding profusely," cried Rohan.

"Who will help him now?" wondered the ingredients. 

Anita then reached out for Turmeric powder and said, "Don't worry my son. Turmeric will stop the bleeding immediately."  

Soon Turmeric stopped the bleeding and Rohan was happy again. 

But now there was silence in Anita's shelf. Salt and sugar realized what Turmeric had said earlier. They became aware of the fact that everything has value and good qualities and that everything was the same in nature's eyes. 

They thanked Turmeric as it was not only a great healer but also a wonderful Teacher.

Loving oneself is not selfishness

"To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance," says Oscar Wilde. 

Taking laws of attraction to another level is self-love. Loving ourselves attracts more love. As simple as that. But why is it that we don't practice it often? Because most of us confuse self-love with selfishness. Unfortunately we have been conditioned from childhood to think that to put oneself first amounts to self-centredness. What is the thin line that divides both? "Self love" spreads by including others too in the process while "selfishness" is loving one's own self at the exclusion of others. 

Ignoring the conditioned mind, let's start listening to our heart. Without procrastinating anymore, let's start practicing to love ourselves right now. Healthy self-love means doing things which adds quality to our lives.

Having confidence in ourselves, being kind to ourselves by binging on that chocolate once in a while, not feeling guilty when we take a much needed break to watch a movie occasionally, treating ourselves with a health spa when required, patting our own back on a success, taking responsibility for failures without remorse, be willing to accept help when offered, accepting and honoring our emotions when we feel like crying, accepting compliments gracefully, forgiving ourselves whenever we commit a mistake, being gentle and compassionate to ourselves. These are only small beginnings. 

One word of caution though about this life-long romance. Knowing where to draw the line. Else we would end up like this woman who loved herself a little too much.

A woman was lamenting that she had gained weight. She'd made her family's favorite cake over the weekend, she reported, and they'd eaten half of it at dinner.
The next day, she said, she kept staring at the other half, until finally she cut a thin slice for herself. One slice led to another, and soon the whole cake was gone. The woman went on to tell her friends how upset she was with her lack of willpower, and how she knew her husband would be disappointed.
Everyone sympathized, until someone asked what her husband said when he found out.
She smiled. "He never did. I baked another cake and ate half!"

Redrawing gender roles

Shared from a Facebook page “Upworthy” (via inspiringthefuture.org)

It is a classroom with children between the ages of 5 & 7

One day three guest women come to the class.

One woman tells the children, “this afternoon we are going to draw pictures of people doing jobs. And the first we will draw is that of a firefighter.

All the children happily settle down to draw. “Mine is firefighter Gary," says one, “This is firefighter Stan"; "This is Simon. He is very strong,” say others. And it goes on.

“Next we are going to draw a surgeon,” says the second woman. Again a happy and hectic activity.

“What is the name of this surgeon?” asks the woman to one child. “This is Jim Bob. He is a brain surgeon,” says one. “He gives medicines,” says another.

“Next we are going to draw Fighter Pilot,” says the third woman.

One child draws a fighter plane and says, “This is Mr X. He rescues people.” And so on.

“Now we would meet these people for real,” says the women. There’s a cheerful “YES!” from all.

The three women go and come back as Firefighter, Surgeon and Fighter Pilot.

There’s an incredible gasp. Jaws wide open, faces with diverse expressions, the children look at all the three. They still don’t believe. “Fake, they are all dressed up,” they shout.

The first woman introduces herself as a surgeon.

The second introduces herself as a fighter pilot.

And the third, as a fire fighter.

There’s an unbelievable silence. The three women make the children don their caps and the children happily do so.

What is special about this incident?

61 pictures drawn were that of men and 5 as women!!!!!

Obviously, gender stereotypes are defined between the ages of 5 & 7.

When a real-life firefighter, surgeon, and fighter pilot drop in on a classroom, these kids have their assumptions turned around.

Watch this video https://www.facebook.com/Upworthy/videos/1309607832413405/

To remove this stereotyping, parents, teachers and other social agencies can teach their children to be androgynous, a person who may at will engage in both masculine or feminine behaviors & tasks as seen by the society; a person who focuses less on culturally built behaviours for males and females and rather focus more on a behaviour that is more operative under the given situations.

Isn’t it time we redrew the balance?