maychasingmoons

If I Could If I could live my life again would it be any different, I wonder? I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the things I enjoyed in the "GOOD" living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to join me but had not taken their shoes off. I would have taken the time to listen more to my father ramble about his youth. I would have burned that beautiful rainbow candle before it melted and lost all its colour in the sun. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life. I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't sh...

The Happiness Angels   There was once a boy who hardly had any toys or money. Nevertheless, he was a very happy boy. He said that what made him happy was doing things for others, this he said was what gave him a good feeling inside. Sadly, no one really believed him; they thought he was just silly and simple. Yet he spent all day helping others, dispensing charity to the poorest, and looking after abandoned animals. Very seldom did he ever do anything for himself. One day, he met a famous doctor who thought the boy's case was so peculiar that he decided to investigate him. So, with a complex system of cameras and tubes, the doctor managed to record what was happening inside the boy. What he discovered was surprising. Each time the boy did something good, a thousand tiny angels gathered around the boy's heart and started tickling it. Having explained the boy's happiness, the doctor continued studying and he discovered that we all ...

The Sound Silence There is a lovely song that speaks of the sound of silence. There are times silence is the only friend you need near you, embracing silence is to embrace life itself.  We live in times when there is so little silence, and yet it is everywhere if we take time to find and meet it. Nothing can truly break it, yet you can never grasp it. The tiny clicking of keys, the fan on a computer, cars passing by, dogs whining, background music.  Silence seems impossible to catch; it is as difficult as catching a feather on a fan. How can something that is always there be so hard to reach, so hard to touch, so hard to grasp?  Silence is a good friend, a friend that rarely visits. Or when it does, we close it out. We cannot achieve true friendship without some silence. We speak too much and listen too little. We don't take note of the small silences but rather the loud actions. Stop and listen, stop and hear your best of friends whispering to you an...

The Horse A horse suddenly came galloping down the road. It seemed as though the man had somewhere very important to go. Another man standing at the side of the road, shouted, "Where are you going?" The man on the horse replied, "I do not know! Ask the horse!" The horse is a symbol of our habit energy. We live at the mercy of our habits not by our intentional actions but our habits. The horse is pulling us along making us run here and hurry there often when we do not even know why we are hurrying. If we stopped for a moment and asked ourselves what the rush was, we might have an answer, but it might not always be a good one. We need to learn how to take back the reigns and let the horse of habit know who the boss is. We are the boss and we need to slow down and start acting like the boss. If we continually give into habits, we are on the road that will eventually lead to despair.

The Hippo There was a hippo who woke up one day to hear the most beautiful singing from a bird in a nearby tree. The hippo told the bird how he longed to be able to sit in a tree and see the beauty and to fill the air with song. The bird told him not to be silly to be glad he was such a strong hippo and a very good swimmer. The hippo did not like this at all happy and decided he wanted to be like the bird. He came out of the water and made a first attempt at climbing the tree only, of course, to fail. He tried, again and again, each time getting angrier at his failure. At last, his temper took over and he attacked the tree breaking off many branches. He stood on top of the branches and pretended to be at the top of the tree. Then made his first attempt at song. Another disaster, all that came was a loud and painful noise. The other animals hearing this gathered around and began making fun of the hippo. He was so embarrassed he slunk slowly back into the river.  T...

The Love of Art. I disliked art when I was at school, and that dislike went on into my working life. Then I discovered that art was nothing like the idea I had built up about it. There was a little boy called Mark who like me disliked the art time at school. He just could not for the life of himself draw. he was continually getting into trouble because the more he tried the more he disliked it.  Then one day he found a beautiful pencil. He just could not resist. He picked it up and drew a circle. He immediately knew it was not a good circle and was about to throw it away like all the others before.  But then he heard a voice saying to him, " You are not going to leave me like this? No mouth or nose or eyes. go on give me a mouth." So he did and was told not a good one and rubbed it out and tried again the drawing telling him how to make it better. This went on for most of the day until he discovered he had a good looking face before him. He was pleased.  ...

Diets and Slimming A friend of mine visited a dietician. He was having problems with his weight. The dietician said, "Right let us get you started on a diet.  I want you to eat vegetables and grains for two days, then skip a day and repeat the procedure for two weeks. All going well in the two weeks you will lose around about five pounds." Two weeks later my friend returned to the dietician. When she looked at my friend, she was shocked, he had lost nearly twenty pounds. "Why that is just amazing!" she said, "Did you follow my instructions?" My friend nodded, "I have to tell you though, I thought I was going to die on the third day." The dietician looked at him and said, "From the feeling of hunger you mean?" My friend scowled and said, "No, from all that skipping." Maybe it is not the diet that loses the weight but the exercise that goes with it. 

Go With The Flow I am sure we all remember 9/11. Here are some of the reasons people survived that day. Each is true and verified.  One person because that morning his son was having his first day at school and he wanted to be at home to see him head off, so he was late for work. Another man was alive because it was his turn to go for the buns for the morning break. A woman is alive because on that particular day her alarm failed to go off. Another got caught up in an accident. One missed her bus. A young girl spilt something on her dress and went back to change it. One person’s car would not start and had to wait for a home start. One person went back to answer the phone that rang just as she left the door. One had a child who just on that day dawdled and made her late. Another could not get a taxi. One man put on a brand-new pair of shoes and got a blister walking to work. He stopped in at the pharmacy to buy a plaster and apply it...

Your Honour While clearing my study I found some notebooks from the days I sat on the bench in court. They were clear and accurate notes, good in helping to determine the sentence I would pronounce at the end of proceedings, but more important would be there if the judgement went to appeal.  Some of them brought a smile to my face then and did so again. here are one or two to bring a smile. Q: What is your date of birth?  A: July fifteenth.  Q: What year?  A: Every year. Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?  A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.  Q: How long has he lived with you?  A: Forty-five years. Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke up that morning?  A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"  Q: And why did that upset you?  A: My name is Susan. Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent t...

Teachers and Educators The school was faced with a real dilemma.   A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom.  That was fine, other than some thought it was a bit young for girls to be going down that route. The real trouble though was this. After they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the cleaners and janitorial staff would remove the lip prints, and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally, the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the head janitor. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the janitors who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses). To demonstrate how difficult, it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked Jo...

A New Look at Life I try to live my life by the ancient philosophy of Lao Tzu. In this philosophy we are encouraged to always look at the positive, that is not always easy, but it can be done with a little thought and less anxiety. Let me give you a little side by side of the ways we can look at everyday events and things.  The clothes I complain about because they are a bit too tight.  The truth is I can rejoice that I have enough to eat.  The shadow that watches me toil.      At least I must be out in the sunshine.  That lawn that needs cut and that flower bed that needs weeding.  Well, that means I have a home and a garden. For the taxes, I complain about.       It means I at least have enough to have to pay them. For my pal who when he sings, he sings off key.  At least I have the hearing to hear he is off key.  The weary muscles and the tired legs. I have been able to do some tasks and possibly...

The Three Toys A teacher was talking to the class about the topic of friendship.  She produced three toys and asked the students to study them with care to see if they could find any differences.  All three toys looked identical and the students told the teacher this. She told them to look again this time much more closely. At last, some of them began to notice there were little differences. After a while, the students began to tell her that one of the toys had holes in its ears. another a hole in its ear and its mouth. The teacher then said that it did not stop there. She produced a long needle.  When she pushed the needle into the ear of the first toy it passed right through and back out of the other ear.  In the second toy , the needle went into the ear and appeared out of the mouth.  In the third toy , the needle went in but no matter how long they waited it did not appear coming back out.  The teacher told them that the toys were ver...

Bananas A Lady was travelling on a bus during the times when they had conductors who issued tickets. This lady had told the conductor where she was going and he had printed her ticket from his machine, she was searching for the money to pay her fare.  It was taking her ages and the conductor was getting angrier and angrier. He got so angry he hit the lady with his ticket machine. She died instantly. The conductor was arrested and duly sentenced to death by electrocution.  Prior to his electrocution, he asked for twelve pounds of bananas which he duly ate. Once he has finished, they strapped him into the chair and pulled the switch. He just sits there and grins. Now because he has not died the state has to let him go free. He gets a job as a conductor with a bus company that does not know him. Not long after getting his job he again loses his temper and a poor young lad who he had caught sticking chewing gum under the seat was hit and died. Again, ...

I Have a Question One day the emperor Akbar with his emissary Birbal were out walking together in the palace garden and surrounds. It was a beautiful day and there were plenty of crows in the trees and by the pond.  While watching this, a question came into Akbar's head. He wondered how many crows there were living in his kingdom. Since Birbal was accompanying him, he asked this question of him. Without a moment's hesitation, the reply came, "There are ninety-five thousand four hundred and sixty- three crows in the kingdom." Amazed at the prompt response to the questions, Akbar tried to test him again. "What if there are more crows than you answered?" Again, without any time to reflect came the answer. "If there are more crows than I have said then there are some visiting crows from a neighbouring kingdom." "What if there are less than you have said?"  "Then some of the crows from this kingdom have gone...

The Elephant Questions A mother and a baby elephant were lying around, suddenly the baby elephant asked, "Mother may I ask you some questions?"  "Of course, you may my son, " replied the mother.  "Mother, why do we have such long eyelashes?" "To protect them from the strong light of the deserts and jungles. And to protect them from biting insects."  "Mother, why do we have such long trunks?" "So that we can reach high into the jungle trees for food and to reach down for water." "Mother, why do we have such huge feet?" "To carry our weight, my son and to be able to walk through the rough jungle trails.  "I see," said the little elephant. "So why are we here in a zoo?" Sometimes we have to consider where we can best make ourselves best fit in.

Nothing Lasts Forever There is the tale of the sage who while out on a teaching journey entered the palace of the king.  Being well-known nobody stopped or questioned him until he arrived before the king.  The king asked him what he wanted?  The sage replied I want to stay for the night in this inn. The king rather angrily replied, "This is not an inn this is my palace." The sage asked the king who had lived here before him and was told his father had. And before that, he was told his grandfather and so on. The sage then told the king that it seems that people came here stayed a while and then departed. He thought that sounded just like an inn. There are things in life that we hold onto not realising they too will not last forever. How often we surround ourselves with possessions and holding on to them and giving them great value stop us from just enjoying to the full the moments of the day, 

The Shop Window A young lad of about ten years old was standing in front of the shoe shop. He was barefooted peering longingly through the window at all the shoes. He was obviously feeling the cold. A lady approached the boy and spoke to him. "My lad, why are you looking so longingly into this shop window?"  The reply came after a little thought, "I was praying to God to give me a pair of shoes like those in there." The lady took his hand and led him into the shop. She asked the lady who was serving for half a dozen pairs of woollen socks that would fit the young lad. She then asked if it would be possible to get some warm water and a towel. She brought those to her, and she proceeded to wash the young boys’ feet and put on one of the pairs of socks.  Then having dried his feet and put on the socks purchased a pair of strong sturdy looking shoes. The shoes were put on and laced up. He was given the other five pairs of socks in a bag. The lady patt...

Two Fishermen There were two fishermen who were close friends. Since they were busy in their personal work and family, they hardly spent time together.  At the weekend they went fishing together. Both carried essential utensils, cooking accessories, ingredients and of course fishing equipment. The first fisherman got a big and beautiful fish in a few minutes. He was so happy and placed the fish in the  icebox  to retain the freshness. He spent some more time and caught a few more fish. They had been fishing for about two hours and he walked over to his friend. As he watched the second fisherman caught a large fish. However, he put that back into the lake. The first man was surprised by this but said nothing. A second and third time this happened and each time he put them back. He spoke to his friend, "Are you mad? Why do you put your fish back into the water? They were beautiful and big!" The second fisherman replied, ‘I know...

The Three Vinegar Tasters Three famous sages are standing around a large bowl holding vinegar.  The first man has a sour expression, the second a bitter expression but the third person is smiling.  The three are Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu.    To Confucius, life seemed rather sour. He believed that the present was not in harmony with the past and that the government of man on earth was out of harmony with the Way of Heaven. Under Confucianism, the use of precisely measured court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases all added up to an extremely complex system of rituals, each used for a particular purpose at a particular time. A saying was recorded about Confucius: "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit."   To Buddha, the second figure, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of illusions, a revolving wheel of pain for all creatu...

A True Friend A lion was resting under the shade of a tree feeling that life was good. He had eaten and now he was resting and so content was he had fallen asleep.  Just at that moment a little mouse in its haste ran across the face of the lion and awoke him from his slumbers. Rising angrily the lion caught the mouse and was about to toss him back his throat. The mouse pleaded, "Please spare my life, I will promise to repay your kindness." The lion laughed and roared, "whatever kindness could a little thing like you ever do for me?' He did though take pity on the little mouse and let him scurry off on his way.  About three or four weeks later the mouse heard a terrible roar not far off. He realised it was the roar of the lion that had let him go. In haste, he scurried towards the growing noise. As he approached, he noticed that the lion had been caught in a net trap set up by some hunters. The mouse climbed up the rope and began to gnaw at the net sl...

Root Out Bad Habits A father was aware that his son was beginning to get into some bad habits and thought it was time to pass on a little word of wisdom.  So, one day while they were both out walking, they came to a large group of daffodils portraying the coming of spring. As they walked past the father said to his son, "Do you see that weed that is growing there in the midst of those daffodils?"  "Yes," replied the son.                             "Go and pull it out," said the father. With no difficulty at all the son went over and grasped the weed and easily pulled it out.  he managed to do it using only his thumb and forefinger.  The weed came out roots and all.  "Now pull that one out also," said the father pointing to a small bush like a plant. The boy had to use both hands and all the streng...

Two Friends and a Bear Two friends decided to go for a walk in the forest not far from where they lived. They enjoyed walking there and throwing stones into the pool they passed. They competed against each other in skiing stones over the water to see who could achieve the most bounces.  They were aware that they had to be careful because there were bears in this forest. They had made a promise to each other to look out for one another.  Then they became aware of a silence interspersed by the noise of something breathing and moving towards them. They saw it, a brown bear, it looked enormous. In the flash of a moment, one of the boys shot up a nearby tree leaving his friend to face the bear alone.  There was no time to climb or run so he did what he had once read in a book, he lay down and played dead.  The bear came up to him and leaned forward and over him sniffing. It looked to the other lad as if the bear was talking to him. The bear slowly w...

Two Roosters. There were two roosters who lived in the same chicken-run. They were both very strong and beautiful looking birds. Both had a loud and strong cock-a-doodle-do. The trouble is that neither rooster was willing to tolerate the other. Two was one too many. The day came when it had to be decided who stayed and who went. There followed and a ferocious battle between the two. The battle went on and on for a long stretch of the morning. At last one of the roosters prevailed and the other with its tail between its legs went off to pastures new.  Feeling full of pride and very confident in itself the victor flew up to a high spot and loudly proclaimed its presence.  Just at that moment, a buzzard was flying past and seeing the rooster in full view swooped down and with its sharp talons grabbed it and took it off to its roost, it food for the next few days assured.  It is a well-known fact that pride often come before a fall.  There is absolutel...