Shake It Off And Step Up

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ – or – whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened…and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back…HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

“Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

You’re right! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him…all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity…THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS–FAITH–PRAYER– PRAISE and HOPE…all are excellent ways to “SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP” out of the wells in which we find ourselves!

- Author Unknown

Might As Well Dance!

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just
because they haven’t thought about it, don’t have it on
their schedule, didn’t know it was coming, or are too rigid to depart
from their routine.

I was thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic
who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort
to cut back. From then on, I’ve tried to be a little more
flexible. How many people will eat at home because
someone didn’t suggest going out to dinner until after something had
been thawed? Does the word “refrigeration” mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence
while you watched television? I cannot count the times I called
my friends and said, “How about going to lunch in a half
hour?” only to hear an excuse like ‘I can’t, I have work to do; I
brought my lunch, I wish I had known yesterday; I had a late
breakfast; It looks like rain.’ Some of them may die tonight,
so you may never have lunch together.

Because we cramso much into our lives, we tend to schedule
our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to
ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! We’ll go back
and visit the grandparents when we get the baby toilet-trained.
We’ll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We’ll
go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get
shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer.
One morning, we’ll awaken, and all we have to show for our lives
is a litany of “I’m going to,” “I plan on,” and “Someday, when
things are settled down a bit.”

When anyone calls my ’seize the moment’ friend, she is open to
adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new
ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her
for five minutes, and you’re ready to trade your bad feet for a
pair of rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips didn’t touch sausage for years. Being from the Midwest,
I love grilled sausages. It’s just that I might as well apply
it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the
digestive process.
The other day, I picked up a grilled footlong at a restaurant.
If my car had flipped on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now, go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to, not
something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon
and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call
and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry-go-round or listened
to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s
erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you
run through each day on the fly? When you ask “How are you?” did
you listen to their reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred
chores running through your head? Ever told your child, “We’ll do
it tomorrow”? And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch?
Let a good friendship die? Just call to say “Hi”?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift.
Thrown away.
Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the quiet voice before the song
is over.

“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we
might as well dance!”
by David Sieker

Charles Shultz Philosophy

You don’t actually have to take the quiz.
Just read the email straight through, and you’ll get
the point, an awesome one, that it is trying to make.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are
no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the
applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the
ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They
are the ones that care.

The Wants of Man

John Quincy Adams

“Man wants but little here below, 
Nor wants that little long.” 
‘Tis not with me exactly so; 
But ’tis so in the song. 
My wants are many and, if told, 
Would muster many a score; 
And were each wish a mint of gold, 
I still should long for more. 

What first I want is daily bread – 
And canvas-backs, — and wine – 
And all the realms of nature spread 
Before me, when I dine. 
Four courses scarcely can provide 
My appetite to quell; 
With four choice cooks from France beside, 
To dress my dinner well.

What next I want, at princely cost, 
Is elegant attire : 
Black sable furs for winter’s frost, 
And silks for summer’s fire, 
And Cashmere shawls, and Brussels lace 
My bosom’s front to deck, – 
And diamond rings my hands to grace, 
And rubies for my neck.

I want (who does not want?) a wife, – 
Affectionate and fair; 
To solace all the woes of life, 
And all its joys to share. 
Of temper sweet, of yielding will, 
Of firm, yet placid mind, – 
With all my faults to love me still 
With sentiment refined.

And as Time’s car incessant runs, 
And Fortune fills my store, 
I want of daughters and of sons 
From eight to half a score. 
I want (alas! can mortal dare 
Such bliss on earth to crave?) 
That all the girls be chaste and fair, – 
The boys all wise and brave.

I want a warm and faithful friend, 
To cheer the adverse hour, 
Who ne’er to flatter will descend, 
Nor bend the knee to power, – 
A friend to chide me when I’m wrong, 
My inmost soul to see; 
And that my friendship prove as strong 
For him as his for me.

I want the seals of power and place, 
The ensigns of command; 
Charged by the People’s unbought grace 
To rule my native land. 
Nor crown nor sceptre would I ask 
But from my country’s will, 
By day, by night, to ply the task 
Her cup of bliss to fill.

I want the voice of honest praise 
To follow me behind, 
And to be thought in future days 
The friend of human-kind, 
That after ages, as they rise, 
Exulting may proclaim 
In choral union to the skies 
Their blessings on my name.

These are the Wants of mortal Man, – 
I cannot want them long, 
For life itself is but a span, 
And earthly bliss — a song. 
My last great Want — absorbing all – 
Is, when beneath the sod, 
And summoned to my final call, 
The Mercy of my God.

The last lecture of Randy Pausch

You can watch this incredible, inspirational and uplifting “speech” at ABC.com.  Or, it’s in several parts on YouTube.  Here is part 1

Read more

The Builder

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. Read more

The Duck & the Devil

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was
Given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods;
But he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed
Back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Read more

The Seed

A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time to
choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of
his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He
called all the young executives in his company together. Read more

PERSPECTIVE by Andy Rooney

Read more

My father never drove a car….

This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. It is well worth reading, and a few good chuckles are guaranteed.

My father never drove a car. Well, that’s not quite right. I should say I never saw him drive a car. Read more

Next Page »