Sand and Stone

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand: Today my best friend slapped me in the face.

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: Today my best friend saved my life.

The friend, who had slapped and saved his best friend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "My grandfather told me to write my hurts in the sand and to carve my blessings in stone.”

Author Unknown

Two More Ailes

A man observed a woman in the grocery store with a three-year-old girl in her basket. 

As they passed the cookie section, the little girl asked for cookies and her mother told her no. The little girl immediately began to whine and fuss, and the mother said quietly, “Now Monica, we just have half of the aisles left to go through; don’t be upset. It won’t be long.”

Soon they came to the candy aisle, and the little girl began to shout for candy. And when told she couldn’t have any, she began to cry. The mother said, “There, there, Monica, don’t cry–only two more aisles to go, and then we’ll be checking out.”

When they got to the check-out stand, the little girl immediately began to clamor for gum and burst into a terrible tantrum upon discovering there’d be no gum purchased. The mother patiently said, “Monica, we’ll be through this checkout stand in 5 minutes and then you can go home and have a nice nap.”

The man followed them out to the parking lot and stopped the woman to compliment her. “I couldn’t help noticing how patient you were with little Monica,” he began. 

Whereupon the mother said, “I’m Monica . . . my little girl’s name is Tammy.”  

Author Unknown

Relative Truth

There was a girl whose family was very wealthy. One day her mother took her on a trip to the country, where she aimed to show her daughter how poor people live. They arrived at the farm of a very poor family, and spent several days there. On their return, the mother asked her daughter if she liked the trip.

"Oh, it was great, Mom!" the girl replied. 

"Did you notice how poor people live?"

"Yeah, I did," said the girl. 

The mother asked her daughter to share more details about her impressions from their trip.

"Well, we have only one dog, and they have four of them. In our garden there is a pool, while they have a river that has no end. We've got expensive lanterns, but they have stars above their heads at night. We have the patio, and they have the whole horizon. We have only a small piece of land, while they have the endless fields. We buy food, but they grow it. We have a high fence for protection of our property, and they don't need it, as their friends protect them."

Then the girl added: "Thank you, Mom, for letting me see how poor we are."

A Fresh View

Two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in forty years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labour and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began small and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning at his door, one brother found a man with a carpenter's toolbox, looking for a few days work.  

"I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm, it's my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence - an 8-foot fence - so I won't need to see his place anymore."

The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you." 

The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, and nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. 

There was no fence at all. It was a bridge - a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work - handrails and all - and his younger brother was on the other side, his hand outstretched. 

The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hand. "You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." said the younger brother.

They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother. "I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build."

Unknown Author

Wisdom in Silence

The disciples were absorbed in a discussion of Lao-tzu's dictum:

"Those who know do not say; those who say do not know."

When the Master entered, they asked him exactly what the words meant.

Said the Master, "Which of you knows the fragrance of a rose?"

All of them knew.

Then he said, "Put it into words."

All of them were silent.

Author Unknown

Taoist story