The potter and the clay

 

The Potter and the Clay

 

"There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. "My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "let me alone", but he only smiled, "Not yet."

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy!" I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet”. Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as He shook his head, "Not yet”. Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool.

"There, that's better," I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. "Stop it, stop it!" I cried. He only nodded, "Not yet." Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, "Not yet."

Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, "Look at yourself." And I did. I said, "That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.” "I want you to remember, then," he said, "I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled.
I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you."

Author unknown

Inspirational story

A Samurai who was known for his nobility and honesty, went to visit a Zen monk to ask him for his advice.
 When the monk had finished his prayers, the Samurai asked,
Why do I feel so inferior? – I have faced death many times, have defended those who are weak.
 “Nevertheless, upon seeing you meditating, I felt that my life had absolutely no importance whatsoever.

Wait. Once I have attended to all those who come to see me today, I shall answer you.
The samurai spent the whole day sitting in the temple gardens, watching the people go in and out in search of advice. He saw how the monk received them all with the same patience and the same illuminated smile on his face.

At nightfall, when everyone had gone, he demanded:
Now can you teach me?
The master invited him in and lead him to his room. The full moon shone in the sky, and the atmosphere was one of profound tranquility.
Do you see the moon, how beautiful it is? It will cross the entire firmament, and tomorrow the sun will shine once again.
 “But sunlight is much brighter, and can show the details of the landscape around us: trees, mountains, clouds.
 “I have contemplated the two for years, and have never heard the moon say: why do I not shine like the sun? Is it because I am inferior?
Of course not – answered the samurai. – The moon and the sun are different things, each has its own beauty. You cannot compare the two.
So you know the answer. We are two different people, each fighting in his own way for that which he believes, and making it possible to make the world a better place; the rest are mere appearances.

The retiring carpenter

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer 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. He would get by.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we'd do it much differently. But we cannot go back.


You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, erect a wall. "Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone has said. Your attitude and the choices you make today build the "house" you live in tomorrow.

Build wisely!

Author unknown

An inspirational story

Traffic control tower Christchurch airport

I saw the airport twice this week. Once to go to Auckland up and down for work and yesterday to drop of my husband. The airport has been renewed completely and is very spacey and modern. When I went in the plane to Auckland the Stewart said "There is a lot of turbulence in Christchurch at the moment. It will get better though when we are in the air." :)

I've got an inspirational story for you:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson

about a battle that goes on inside all people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two

 wolves that dwell inside each and everyone of us.

 “One is Evil.

 It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed,

 arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority,

 lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

 The other is Good.

 It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility,

 kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity,

 truth, compassion and faith.”

 The grandson thought about it for

 a minute, and then asked his grandfather:

 “Which wolf will win ?” 

 The old Cherokee simply replied:

 “The one you feed.”

Author unknown

Learning to think

Sometimes I hear that the amount of what children learn in New Zealand is far less than what they learn in Holland. That may be right but that doesn't have to be a disadvantage. In New Zealand they put more emphasis on less academic subjects like art. Art is good to balance the brain. Your brain works best if you make as much use of the left and the right part of the brain.
We are lucky here that a lot of learning is not confined to books. The children go to the beach to examine rock pools. There is lots of outdoor education. Some schools have vegie gardes etc.
When you include many senses, seeing, hearing, feeling, you are more likely to retain the information and when you have fun you learn better too.
But the best thing is that my children learned thinking skills. A skill which I think is essential for all children and should be taught at all schools.  When you just learn to memorise information without questioning it,this is like swallowing food without knowing what you eat. The latter of course happens a lot as well in western society.
My daughter learned the thinking skills of Edward the Bono at primary school. He says that thinking has to be learned and that very intelligent people are not automatically better thinkers but that intelligence can work against it. He says that if an intelligent person has a view on something than they use their intelligence to defend that view. Therefore there is never the need for him/her to explore the subject again.
My son did a philosophy course at high school in which he learned critical thinking and to question things. We surely noticed this as he became good in reasoning. He learned about Socrates , a Greek philosopher who was one of the founders of western philosophy. Socrates asked questions like what is beauty and what is wisdom.

Furthermore I found a nice story which teaches you to think (before you gossip)

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?""That's right," Socrates continued.
"Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a 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?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't 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?""No, on the contrary...""So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, 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?"
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem. Friend, use this triple filter each time you hear loose talk about any of your near and dear friends.

Have a great day and take time to think. Love Marja

The gift of insults

Zen Story The Gift of Insults

There once lived a great warrior. Though quite old, he still was able to defeat any challenger. His reputation extended far and wide throughout the land and many students gathered to study under him. One day an infamous young warrior arrived at the village. He was determined to be the first man to defeat the great master. Along with his strength, he had an uncanny ability to spot and exploit any weakness in an opponent. He would wait for his opponent to make the first move, thus revealing a weakness, and then would strike with merciless force and lightning speed. No one had ever lasted with him in a match beyond the first move. Much against the advice of his concerned students, the old master gladly accepted the young warrior's challenge. As the two squared off for battle, the young warrior began to hurl insults at the old master. He threw dirt and spit in his face. For hours he verbally assaulted him with every curse and insult known to mankind. But the old warrior merely stood there motionless and calm. Finally, the young warrior exhausted himself. Knowing he was defeated, he left feeling shamed. Somewhat disappointed that he did not fight the insolent youth, the students gathered around the old master and questioned him. "How could you endure such an indignity? How did you drive him away?" "If someone comes to give you a gift and you do not receive it," the master replied, "to whom does the gift belong?"

Nothing to fear

Nothing to fear
Author unknown

There's nothing to fear -

you're as good as the best,
As strong as the mightiest, too.

You can win in every battle or test;
For there's no one just like you.

There's only one you in the world today;
So nobody else, you see,

Can do your work in as fine a way:
You're the only you there'll be!

So face the world, and all life is yours
To conquer and love and live:

And you'll find the happiness that endures
In just the measure you give;

There's nothing too good for you to possess,
Nor heights where you cannot go:

Your power is more than belief or guess -
It is something you have to know.

There is nothing to fear -

you can and you will.

For you are the invincible you.

Set your foot on the highest hill -
There's nothing you cannot do

A Zen story

Destiny During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny.""Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

The eagle

courtesy of google

The Eagle

Native American legend A young warrior found a lone eagle's egg and placed it in the nest of a prairie chicken. The egg hatched and the little eagle grew up thinking it was a prairie chicken. The eagle did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds. It clucked and cackled. It never flew more than a few feet because that is what the prairie chickens did. One day he saw an eagle flying gracefully and majestically in the open sky. He asked the prairie chickens: "What is that beautiful bird?" The chickens replied, "That is an eagle. He is an outstanding bird, but you cannot fly like him because you are just a prairie chicken." So the eagle never gave it a second thought, believing that to be the truth. He lived the life of and died a prairie chicken, depriving himself of his heritage because of his lack of vision. What a waste! He was born to win, but was conditioned to lose.

Mental chain

Most people are like the circus elephant. Have you ever seen a giant elephant in an indoor arena tied to a little wooden stake. That huge creature can pick up two thousand pounds with its trunk, yet it calmly stays tied. Why? When that elephant was just a baby, and not very strong, it was tied by a huge chain to an iron stake that could not be moved. Regardless of how hard it tried, it could not break the chain and run free. After it a while it just gave up. Later, when it is strong, it never attempts to break free. The "imprint" is permanent. "I can't! I can't!' it says. There are millions of people who behave like this creature of the circus. They have been bound, tied and told "You'll never make it," so many times they finally call it quits. The may have dreams, but the "imprinting" keeps pulling them back. Today, eliminate the source of your limitations. When you mentally break free, the boundaries will be removed from your future.

author unknown

Ask questions, live conciously

courtesy of google Here my last story with a message. The reason I love these stories is because I still have a lot of developing to do and I bump into these stories at the right time. They guide me and give me answers on the questions I ask. I like this one a lot because it tells you to live consciously and take responsibility for your life. Often we don't question what we do or were we go. Often we just follow up instructions and adjust to what we are confronted with. I think it is basically important to question everything, to think before you leap, and to ask yourself if what you are doing is right for you or for the people around you. This story also made me question about what I am going to do next because I am lucky to have a some options now and in the future. I have to ask where I want to go. I did and I made some choices. This also means that I have to give up some things although I love most of the things I am doing at the moment.(except for housework, which I can't give up) With pain in my heart I have to tell you that Friday Will be my last post for a long time. The Master was walking through the fields one day when a young man, a troubled look upon his face, approached him. "On such a beautiful day, it must be difficult to stay so serious," the Master said. "Is it? I hadn't noticed," the young man said, turning to look around and notice his surroundings. His eyes scanned the landscape, but nothing seemed to register; his mind elsewhere. Watching intently, the Master continued to walk. "Join me if you like." The Master walked to the edge of a still pond, framed by sycamore trees, their leaves golden orange and about to fall. "Please sit down," the Master invited, patting the ground next to him. Looking carefully before sitting, the young man brushed the ground to clear a space for himself. "Now, find a small stone, please," the Master instructed. "What?" "A stone. Please find a small stone and throw it in the pond." Searching around him, the young man grabbed a pebble and threw it as far as he could. "Tell me what you see," the Master instructed. Straining his eyes to not miss a single detail, the man looked at the water's surface. "I see ripples." "Where did the ripples come from?" "From the pebble I threw in the pond, Master." "Please reach your hand into the water and stop the ripples," the Master asked. Not understanding, the young man stuck his hand in the water as a ripple neared, only to cause more ripples. The young man was now completely baffled. Where was this going? Had he made a mistake in seeking out the Master? After all he was not a student, perhaps he could not be helped? Puzzled, the young man waited. "Were you able to stop the ripples with your hands?" the Master asked. "No, of course not." "Could you have stopped the ripples, then?" "No, Master. I told you I only caused more ripples." "What if you had stopped the pebble from entering the water to begin with?" The Master smiled such a beautiful smile; the young man could not be upset. "Next time you are unhappy with your life, catch the stone before it hits the water. Do not spend time trying to undo what you have done. Rather, change what you are going to do before you do it." The Master looked kindly upon the young man. "But Master, how will I know what I am going to do before I do it?" "Take the responsibility for living your own life. If you're working with a doctor to treat an illness, then ask the doctor to help you understand what caused the illness. Do not just treat the ripples. Keep asking questions." The young man stopped, his mind reeling. "But I came to you to ask you for answers. Are you saying that I know the answers?" "You may not know the answers right now, but if you ask the right questions, then you shall discover the answers." "But what are the right questions, Master?" "There are no wrong questions, only unasked ones. We must ask, for without asking, we cannot receive answers. But it is your responsibility to ask. No one else can do that for you." Authors Details: Unknown Author

Be a lake

BE A LAKE

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

'How does it taste?' the Master asked.

'Awful,' said the student.

The Master then asked the student to take another handful of salt and throw it in the lake. The two walked to the nearby lake and when the student swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, 'Now drink from the lake.

'The student did so and the Master asked, 'How does it taste?

''Good!' remarked the student.'Do you taste the salt?' asked the Master.

No, said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, 'The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things..... Stop being a glass. Become a lake!'

Author unknown

Spring

I love Myths, legends fables and fairy tales. Myths, legends and fables are old stories written for adults and children. Folk or fairy tales were written specially for children Here a link too probably the most comprehensive site with link too fairytales legends myths. I found a beautiful Indian myth about Spring. Myths are stories to explain how the world works. It often uses Gods or super beings. Myth comes from the Greek word “mythos” which means “word of mouth” Spring has defenitely started in NZ. Blossom everywhere and the weather is great

courtesy of Google

The Spring Beauty (an Ojibwe Myth)

An old man was sitting in his lodge, by the side of a frozen stream. It was the end of winter, the air was not so cold, and his fire was nearly out. He was old and alone. His locks were white with age, and he trembled in every joint. Day after day passed, and he heard nothing but the sound of the storm sweeping before it the new-fallen snow.

One day while his fire was dying, a handsome young man approached and entered the lodge. His cheeks were red, his eyes sparkled. He walked with a quick, light step. His forehead was bound with a wreath of sweet-grass, and he carried a bunch of fragrant flowers in his hand.

"Ah, my son," said the old man, "I am happy to see you. Come in! Tell me your adventures, and what strange lands you have seen. I will tell you of my wonderful deeds, and what I can perform. You shall do the same, and we will amuse each other."

The old man then drew from a bag a curiously wrought pipe. He filled it with mild tobacco, and handed it to his guest. They each smoked from the pipe and then began their stories. "I am Peboan, the Spirit of Winter," said the old man. "I blow my breath, and the streams stand still. The water becomes stiff and hard as clear stone."

"I am Seegwun, the Spirit of Spring," answered the youth. "I breathe, and flowers spring up in the meadows and woods."

"I shake my locks," said the old man, "and snow covers the land. The leaves fall from the trees, and my breath blows them away. The birds fly to a distant land, and the animals hide themselves from the cold."

"I shake my ringlets," said the young man, "and warm showers of soft rain fall upon the earth. The flowers lift their heads from the ground, the grass grows thick and green. My voice recalls the birds, and they come flying joyfully from the Southland. The warmth of my breath unbinds the streams, and they sing the songs of summer. Music fills the groves where- ever I walk, and all nature rejoices."

And while they were talking thus a wonderful change took place. The sun began to rise. A gentle warmth stole over the place. Peboan, the Spirit of Winter, became silent. His head drooped, and the snow outside the lodge melted away. Seegwun, the Spirit of Spring, grew more radiant, and rose joyfully to his feet. The robin and the bluebird began to sing on the top of the lodge. The stream began to murmur at the door, and the fragrance of opening flowers came softly on the breeze.

The lodge faded away, and Peboan sank down and dissolved into tiny streams of water, that vanished under the brown leaves of the forest. Thus the Spirit of Winter departed, and where he had melted away, there the Indian children gathered the first blossoms, fragrant and delicately pink,—the modest Spring Beauty. ~ Henry R. Schoolcraft (adapted)

The donkey attitude

Another great inspirational story I found

The Donkey Attitude

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of t he deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less

Golfballs and two glasses of wine

courtesy of google

We didn't get the old computer to work so we got a new one. The children are having a blast. It brings however new challenges. We didn't get the sound to work yet, don't know yet if we can use old software (XP) and old files again. A lot of work to do. But I found the following story to help me to get everything organised when 24 hours in a day is not enough: A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into open spaces between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and pored it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everywhere else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes". The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter; like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff." "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the golf balls or pebbles. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you". "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand". One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend." Cheers, marja

The starfish Story

This week I keep on promoting to make a differnece. Here an inspirational story for you.

The Starfish Story adapted from The Star Thrower

by Loren Eiseley

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean.""I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

Find your starfish!!!, Marja

The broken pot

Came along one of my favourite stories and had to post it, although I think many know this story. I read this one to my son when he was small and sad that he couldn't do some things like others do.

The broken pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do a lot of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said. The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.” Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. Author unknown

The fisherman

Author unknown


An American consultant was at a pier in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied "Only a little while." The consultant then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. Then the American asked how he spent the rest of his time.



The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, and then stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor."



The American consultant scoffed, "I am a very successful business consultant and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York City where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"



The consultant replied, "Probably 15 to 20 years."



"But what then, senor?" asked the fisherman.



The consultant laughed, and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public. You'll become very rich, you would make millions!"



"Millions, senor?" replied the Mexican. "Then what?"



The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

An ode to all mums

courtesy of google

GOD WORKED OVERTIME

By Erma Bombeck

When the good Lord was creating mothers, he was into his sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one" And the Lord said "Have you read the spec on this one? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have 180 moveable parts....all replaceble. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands......no way! Its not the hands that are causing me the problem," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes that Mothers have to have." "That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. The Lord nodded. "One pair sees through closed doors when she asks, "What are you kids doing in there?" When she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouln't but she knows she has to, and of course, the ones here in the front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say "I understand and I love you" without so much as uttering a word."

"Lord", said the angel, touching the sleeve gently, "Come to bed. Tomorrow..." "I can't", said the Lord, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have the one who heals herself when she is sick.....can feed a family of six on one pound of mince....and can get a nine-year old to stand under the shower." The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's to soft." She sighed."But tough." said the Lord excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this mother can do or endure." "Can it think?" "Not only think, but it can reason and compromise," said the creator. Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you, you were trying to put too much into this model." "It's not a leak," said the Lord, "it's a tear"' "What is that for?" "Its for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride". "You're a genius," said the Angel. The Lord looked sombre. "I didn't put it there."