Many hundreds of years ago in a small Italian town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant's beautiful daughter so he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the merchant's debt if he could marry the daughter. Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.

The moneylender told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become the moneylender's wife and her father's debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the merchant's garden. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick her pebble from the bag.

What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked." Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an advantageous one.

Moral of the story Most complex problems do have a solution, sometimes we have to think about them in a different way.

A sage presented a prince with a set of three small dolls.

The prince was not amused."Am I a girl that you give me dolls?" he asked.

This is a gift for a future king, said the sage. "If you look carefully, you'll see a hole in the ear of each doll." So?The sage handed him a piece of string."Pass it through each doll." he said.

Intrigued, the prince picked up the first doll and put the string into the ear. It came out from the other ear."This is one type of person," said the sage. "Whatever you tell him comes out from the other ear. He doesn't retain anything."

The prince put the string into the second doll.It came out from the mouth. This is the second type of person, said the sage. "Whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else."

The prince picked up the third doll and repeated the process.The string did not reappear from anywhere else. This is the third type of person, said the sage. "Whatever you tell him is locked up within him. It never comes out."

What is the best type of person? asked the prince.None of these.and the sage handed him a fourth doll, in answer.

When the prince put the string into the doll, it came out from the other."This is the first type of person", prince said. "How is it the best type of person?"

Rather than answering the sage said, "Do it again."The prince repeated the process.This time the string came out from the mouth.When asked for third time and prince put the string in, it did not come out at all.

This is the best type of person, said the sage. "To be trustworthy, a person must know when not to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak out."

Moral of the story Wise person knows when to listen and when not to, when to remain silent and when to speak, what to speak and how much to speak. The above story also makes us more conscious about being sensitive to different situations and people. Much has to be accomplished in our daily lives, and we need to interact with others in order to achieve it. We may have to convince others and also get our way. This is what called as diplomacy. Diplomacy in life is cooked through the oven of sensitivity and awareness. Being sensitive and aware of people and situation makes us trustworthy. That is what all of us expect from another human being. Therefore, diplomacy is essential in our personal as well as official dealing with others. One can get messages across more effectively and influence others actions.

In a room there were four candles burning. The ambiance was so soft you could hear them talking.

The first one said, “I am PEACE, however nobody can keep me lit. I believe I will go out.”

It’s flame rapidly diminishes and goes out completely.

The second one says, “I am FAITH. Most of all I am no longer indispensable, so it does not make any sense that I stay lit any longer.”

When it finished talking a breeze softly blew on it putting it out.

Sadly, the third candle spoke in its turn. “I am LOVE. I have not gotten the strength to stay lit. People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them.” And waiting no longer it goes out.

Suddenly a child entered the room and saw three candles not burning. “Why are you not burning you are supposed to stay lit till the end.”

Saying this the child began to cry. Then the fourth candle said, “Don’t be afraid, while I am still burning we can re-light the other candles, I am HOPE.”

With shining eyes, the child took the candle of Hope and lit the other candles.

The flame of Hope should never go out from our life and that each of us can maintain HOPE, FAITH, PEACE and LOVE.

Moral of the story Hope never abandons you. You abandon hope. Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly.

He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch.

Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a farmer.”

In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle.”

The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?”

With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”

Moral of the story We are all made to fly — to realize our incredible potential as human beings. But at times we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, and the mundane. So for the most part, our lives are mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling. Let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of flight!

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ...

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Moral of the story What you sow, so shall you reap. Good deed never go in vain even today. In

A man died...When he realized it, he saw God coming closer with a suitcase in his hand. Dialog between God and Dead Man: God: Alright son, it’s time to go Man: So soon? I had a lot of plans... God: I am sorry but, it’s time to go Man: What do you have in that suitcase? God: Your belongings Man: My belongings? You mean my things... Clothes... money... God: Those things were never yours, they belong to the Earth Man: Is it my memories? God: No. They belong to Time Man: Is it my talent? God: No. They belong to Circumstance Man: Is it my friends and family? God: No son. They belong to the Path you travelled Man: Is it my wife and children? God: No. they belong to your Heart Man: Then it must be my body God: No No... It belongs to Dust Man: Then surely it must be my Soul! God: You are sadly mistaken son. Your Soul belongs to me. Man with tears in his eyes and full of fear took the suitcase from the God's hand and opened it...EMPTY!! With heartbroken and tears down his cheek he asks God... Man: I never owned anything? God: That’s Right. You never owned anything. Man: Then? What was mine? God: your MOMENTS. Every moment you lived was yours..

**Moral of the story Life is just a Moment.

Live it NOW... Love it NOW... Enjoy it NOW...**

There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

**Moral of the story So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

**The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

**It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.

The Eagle has the longest life-span of its species. It can live upto 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a very difficult decision ! In its 40th year, the eagle's long and flexible Talons can no longer grab a prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to its chest and make it difficult to fly. Then, the eagle is left with only two options: DIE or go through a painful process of CHANGE ! This process lasts for 150 days (5 months). The process requires the eagle to fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. Then the eagle will wait for the new beak to grow back after which it will pluck out its talons. When its talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old aged feathers. And after this the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and LIVES for 30 more years !!

Moral of the story Why is Change needed? In order to survive and live. We too have to start the change process. We sometimes need to get rid of the unpleasant old memories, negative habits and our fixed mind set. Only Freed from the past burdens can we take advantage of the present. If an eagle can make a life saving and life changing decision at the age of 40...why can't we ? In order to take on a New Journey ahead, let go of your negative old limiting beliefs. Open up your mind and let yourself fly high like an eagle ! When it rains, all birds occupy shelter. But the EAGLE avoids the rain by flying above the clouds...problem is common to all but the attitude to solve it makes the difference ! Don't be afraid of change...accept it gracefully !

A few summers’s ago, a man decided to take his wife and his precious little 5 year old daughter, along with him on a business trip to an exotic land. He had been searching for a job for many months and plans were made to meet an executive of a very well-known company for a job interview. The future looked promising, for the possibility of receiving an offer from the company would give the man and his family financial security for a long time.

The little family arrived at their destination and to their surprise, the hotel in which they were going to stay was on a very beautiful beach…even more delightful and exquisite than they ever imagined.

They quickly changed into their bathing suits, gathered their beach chairs, towels, blankets and umbrella and made their way to the turquoise sea as fast as they could. For the rest of the day, they all laughed and enjoyed themselves splashing in the water, swimming, body surfing and making sandcastles…what a glorious day it was!!!

The next morning, while his family was still sleeping, the man went down to the outdoor café to meet the business executive for the big meeting. Excited and anxious, the father met the company rep and they soon began their discussion….

A short time later, in the hotel, after eating their breakfast, the mother and little girl got ready for another visit to the white sandy beach.

After playing in the water and sand for a while, the little girl told her mom that she needed to use the bathroom. She told her mom that she knew where it was and that she would come right back.

On the way to the restroom, the little girl noticed a big chain-linked fence that had a big sign on it with a picture. It was a picture of a black skull and cross bones with a red circle with a line through it covering the images. On the other side of the fence was a beautiful green pond. She had never seen water so green and it was covered with green stuff which looked like clovers.

“Aren’t four leave clovers lucky?” she thought to herself. “I am going to climb that fence, swim around in that stuff and cover myself from head to toe with that green goop.”

Once over the fence and immersing herself in the slimy liquid, she covered herself from head to toe with the green stuff. She grabbed handfuls of the matter and stuffed it into her bathing suit. “Wow! This is fun!” she thought. “I am now the luckiest girl in the whole world!”

Then suddenly, with a smile growing on her little face…she had an awesome plan!

Meanwhile, at the beach, the little girl’s mother noticed that her daughter had been gone for much too long, got worried, left the beach and started frantically looking for her. Her fear mounted and grew each minute as everywhere she looked, her daughter just couldn’t be found. No one had seen her anywhere.

Suddenly, she heard a scream as she saw her little girl land on the ground in front of the fence of the contaminated pond. The girl got up screaming and made an unusual, creepy sound that touched the deepest part of the mother’s heart. As the mother yelled the girl’s name, the little child seemingly ignored her mom’s calls and started running as fast as she could to the hotel’s eating area.

At the café, things were really starting to look very promising for the father. The discussions with the business executive had gone very well and with excitement and expectations growing, his anticipation of finally landing the big job was beyond belief.

All of a sudden, from behind him, he heard his wife calling his little girl’s name in a frightened voice and his daughter’s terrifying screams and growls approaching him. The look on the executive’s face was that of horror and unbelief as he watched the rapidly approaching creature come up to the father from behind.

Stunned and turning around in his chair the green creature instantly attacked the father, gave him a bone-crushing hug, instantly splattering the green slime all over the executive’s Taylor-made suit. The little gremlin started covering him with kisses, and said over and over again, “I love you! I love you! I love you!” “I AM THE LOVE MONSTER!”

The infuriated business executive snarled at the little girl “Alright! That’s enough! Your time is over!” Then he barked at the dad, “tell your daughter that her time is over and to leave us alone!!!”

With all of the love and compassion that a father could ever have in his heart, he smiled down at his dear little Love Monster, scooped her up in his arms, then said to the executive…I am sorry sir, but YOUR TIME IS OVER.

And with that, while carrying his beautiful little daughter, took his wife’s hand, and walked away…the happiest man in the world.

**Moral of the story There are many times throughout of lives that we can lose focus on the most important things in our lives and direct our attention on things that may seem more important. It was once said that the most important things in life aren't seen...

What are your priorities? What are the important things to you? What are the “things” that make you REALLY happy? The choice is yours!**

Once upon a time a very poor man lived with his wife. One day, his wife, who had very long hair asked him to buy her a comb for her hair to grow well and to be well-groomed. The man felt very sorry and said no.

He explained that he did not even have enough money to fix the strap of his watch he had just broken. She did not insist on her request. The man went to work and passed by a watch shop, sold his damaged watch at a low price and went to buy a comb for his wife.

He came home in the evening with the comb in his hand ready to give to his wife. He was surprised when he saw his wife with a very short hair cut.

She had sold her hair and was holding a new watch band. Tears flowed simultaneously from their eyes, not for the futility of their actions, but for the reciprocity of their love.

Moral of the story To love ...it may be nothing!!!, to be loved is something but to love and to be loved by the one you love, that is EVERYTHING. Never take love for granted.:)

He was taking away Brada. "This horse is just useless. We don't need her. My decision is wise so you better stop crying!", he yelled.

"Appa, please don't. I beg you! She is the only friend of Brownie. Just as I need friends, even horses do!" She cried again. "OK. From now you alone will have to take care of them!", he grumped.

It was a happy thing for Ananya as she got her lovely horses back. But she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

Brada was shiny black, tall and beautiful with long soft hair. Brownie was small and cholocate brown in colour with whitish hair. Both looked elegant.

Days and weeks passed and she still thought why was Appa taking Brada away? Just because the horse is blind? That was not done! She had to do something. But what?

Brada could not work in the field. Neither could she play. She stayed lonely till Brownie returned from work.

Ananya wanted to help Brada. She wanted Brada to play, work and roam just like Brownie did!

Two months, and Ananya had done nothing. Appa complained daily.

One fine day, she sat near the horses and thought thought and thought. "A bell!" An idea stroke her mind. She tied both the horses in the barn and ran across the field. She fetched a small bronze bell for Brownie and happily tied it around his neck.

Now it was almost six months, she trained Brada to listen the bell and follow. Brada and Brownie both were smart. Slowly and gradually they learned.

After years, Ananya was elder now. Sitting near her window, she watched the lovely green field. Brownie and Brada were playing around and working with Appa. Brada following Brownie and Brownie checking on Brada if she hears the bell and follows him. Appa was happy too. Ananya had done a small but a big thing.

Moral of the story Small things in life do matter a lot. Nobody is perfect and that we are here to help each other in their challenges. Sometimes we are Brada, having some shortcomings and need other's help while sometimes we are Brownie to guide others in their difficulties!

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"Well, no," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and…"

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"Umm, no, on the contrary…"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left—the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

Moral of the story Before you speak or listen, always ask if it's truth, good & useful

A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.”

He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”

The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”

The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.”

Moral of the story That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. We don’t value what God has given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to be happy in what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have more or less than you have. Person who is satisfied with what he/she has, is the happiest person in the world.

One day I rushed out of my college gate in a fit of rage. I had a big fight with my boyfriend and my best friend. That day seemed like I have lost everything in my life. It felt as if this day would remain like a scar in my life, forever. I started thinking over about everything that had happened during the day.

I blamed my boyfriend for not having paid any attention to my views on a project that we were doing together, as it seemed really silly to him and I was mad at my best friend because even she did not agree with me. When I got home my mother had prepared a delicious meal for me but as I was upset I did not eat anything and slept off. My mother woke me up and said, “I prepared this meal only for you because you always demand to eat something good whenever you come home, and today when I actually made something good for you , you did not even care to take a look at the food and chose to sleep!”. That moment, something got into me and I got angry and drove my mother mad. Both of us started shouting and arguing. To end that, I just ran out of my house, which made my mother feel more terrible and she remained standing astonished watching me go out of the house.

When I started walking down the lane I thought to myself how bad people are, in my life. I sat on a bench near a park and started crying.

I thought of the most terrible things that could happen to me and I cursed everyone and I cursed myself too. I was so angry that I ended up crying a bit too loudly as I knew no one was around, to listen to me.

Suddenly a small girl, maybe of 7 or 8 years old, came up to me riding her bicycle and asked me why I was crying. I told her that I was in no mood to discuss this and that she should not tell this to anyone and must go away and not bother me again.

She smiled and said, “Ok didi, I am sorry”, and then she went and picked a small white flower from her bicycle basket and gave it to me and said, “Didi take this flower and please don’t cry. Everything is going to be fine. My mother hugs me whenever I cry and says that everything’s going to be fine”. So she hugged me and said the same line as her mother and I, on the other hand, moved by this gesture, held her tight for about 5 minutes and cried like a baby, and ended up telling her everything that had happened , which I am sure she understood very little! Then she patted my back, held my hand and smiled. She said, “Didi ro mat, sab thik ho jayega! Aap mere ghar chalo, mummy Maggie banane wali hai. Maza ayega!” I burst out laughing and kissed her and said “It’s too late. You must go home. I will come some other day.” Then we both went back home. I went and hugged my mother and said “Everything’s going to be alright, sab kuch thik hoga, Maa”.

My mother was perplexed, as to why I as behaving so nicely. But then, she smiled and brought me food that she had prepared. While I sat there, eating my favorite delicacies, I thought to myself that I was so foolish, to cry over little things and this girl comes to me and teaches me a lesson, to never feel low if something doesn’t happen the way you want it to be, to never overreact or say something bad, when angry or hurt someone. I also realized, that it is pointless to argue with people who do not value your views. In that way, you end up hurting yourself all the more. Lastly, if anything ever goes wrong in your life, you must hug yourself and say, “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine”, and also keep smiling!! That day, that little girl came like an Angel, when I needed someone to console me. She made that day unforgettable.

Moral of the story When angry, never overreact or say something in a fit of rage. Never hurt someone with your words, choose them wisely. Never cry for the things that do not happen in your own way, because everything cannot happen the way you want it to be. Never argue with people who do not value your thoughts. Last, but not the least, smile at your difficulties, and say to yourself, these magical words,“Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine”.

My wife called,"How long will you be with that newspaper? Will you come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?"

I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with curd rice. Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age.She has just turned eight. She particularly detested curd rice. My mother and my wife are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of curd rice! I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl. "Sindu, darling,why don't you take a few mouthful of this curd rice?Just for Dad's sake, dear." Sindu softened a bit, and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. "OK, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should..."

Sindu hesitated. "Dad, if I eat this entire curd rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?" "Oh sure, darling," I replied. "Promise?" "Promise." I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal. "Ask Mom also to give a similar promise," my daughter insisted. My wife put her hand on Sindu's, muttering "Promise."

Now I became a bit anxious. "Sindu dear, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. OK?"

"No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive." Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child eat something that she detested.

After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her. "Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!" was her demand.

"Atrocious!" shouted my wife, "A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!" "Never in our family!" my mother rasped. "She has been watching too much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!"

"Sindu darling, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head."

"No, Dad. I do not want anything else," Sindu said with finality.

"Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?" I tried to plead with her.

"Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice." Sindu was in tears. "And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for.Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honor our promises no matter what?"

It was time for me to call the shots. "Our promise must be kept."

"Are you out your mind?" chorused my mother and wife. "No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled." With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful. On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, "Sinduja, please wait for me!"

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. "Maybe, that is the in-stuff," I thought.

"Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!" Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, "That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from... leukemia." She paused to muffle her sobs. "Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Sinduja visited him last week and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son!"

"Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter."

I stood transfixed. And then, I wept. "My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!"

Moral of the story The happiest people on this planet are not those who live on their own terms but are those who change their terms for the ones whom they love!

It's a story about a boy who used to say that he misplaces and loses his pen very often.

He will use only very cheap pens so that he need not worry about losing them. He was worried about carelessness habit.

A wise man suggested to him to buy the costliest pen he could afford and see what happens. He did that and purchased a 22 carat Cross pen.

After nearly six months, a wise man met him and asked him if he continues to misplace his pen.

He said that he is very careful about his costly pen and he is surprised how he has changed!

A wise man explained to him that the value of the pen made the difference and there was nothing wrong with him as a person!

This is what happens in our life.

We are careful with things which we value most.

• If we value our health, we will be careful about what and how we eat.
• If we value our friends, we will treat them with respect.
• If we value money, we will be careful while spending.
• If we value our time, we will not waste it.

Moral of the story Carefulness is a basic trait all of us have, we know when to be careful! Carelessness only shows what we don't value...

Put eight monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook on the ceiling. Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder, all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable. Soon enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed, set upon him and beat him up.

Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder. Now one of the original monkeys is then removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the other monkeys are doing the obvious, but, undaunted, he immediately begins to climb the ladder. All the other monkeys fall upon him and beat him silly. He has no idea why. However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder.

A second original monkey is removed and replaced. The newcomer again attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys begin to hammer the senses out of him. This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he's not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it. However, he has no idea why he's attacking the new monkey.

One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced. Now there are eight new monkeys in the room. None of them has ever been sprayed by ice water. None of them attempts to climb the ladder. All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why.

Moral of the story Sometimes, this feels like life. People just accept the status quo as truth because others are seemingly doing the same, without knowing why they do that. They are not quite sure whether what they have been doing all along can be improved or changed. They may even say it’s the policy or a matter of public opinion. At times, it feels it’s just the standard practices that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Nothing else. Then if someone ask questions that are too far out of the comfort zone, that someone is ridiculed and scorned. All they did was ask a simple question that the others did not wish to think about. Just like the new monkey, who has no idea why. Are you one of the monkeys that will without knowing why attack those who are trying to get to the bananas?

This is a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive.

A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:

"This is the second time I have written you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I kind of sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of ice cream for dessert after dinner each night. But the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see, every time I buy vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds: 'What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?'"

The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an engineer to check it out anyway. The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start.

The engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, the man got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start.

Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: he jotted down all sorts of data, time of day, type of gas used, time to drive back and forth, etc.

In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store.

Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to find the flavor and get checked out.

Now the question for the engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Once time became the problem -- not the vanilla ice cream -- the engineer quickly came up with the answer: vapor lock. It was happening every night, but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.

**Moral of the story Never underestimate your Clients' Complaint, no matter how funny it might seem!

**Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking.

**Don't just say it is " IMPOSSIBLE" without putting a sincere effort, what really matters is your attitude and your perception.

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 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 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 one 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 of the story Attitude to face the problem matters. A problem is not your problem, your attitude towards a problem is your problem. You can either let the problem change you completely or you can change the problematic situation into a favorable opportunity.

John worked at a meat distribution factory. One day, when he finished with his work schedule, he went into the meat cold room (Freezer) to inspect something. But in a moment of bad luck, the door closed and he was locked inside with no help in sight.

Although he screamed and knocked with all his might, his cries went unheard as no one could hear him. Most of the workers had already gone. Besides, it’s impossible to hear what was going on inside from outside the cold room.

Five hours later, whilst John was at the verge of death, the security guard of the factory eventually opened the door and saved him.

After recovering a little breath to talk, John asked the security guard what he came to do there as it wasn’t part of his work routine.

The man replied: “I’ve been working in this factory for 35 years. Hundreds of workers come in and out every day but you’re one of the few who greet me in the morning and say goodbye to me every night when leaving after working hours. Many treat me as if I am non-existent.

“So today, like every other day, you greeted me in your simple manner at the entrance when resuming for work. But, curiously, after working hours today, I observed I’ve not heard your ‘Good bye, see you tomorrow!’ So, I decided to check around the factory.

I looked forward to your greetings every day because, to you, I am someone. By not hearing your farewell, I knew something had happened. Then I sought and found you!”

Moral of the story Be humble; love and respect those around you because life is too short. Endeavor to have a positive impact on people every day, especially those that cross our path.