Short stories

The Hospital Window One of the things I have been up to lately is training myself to be super positive! I used to say that I was born pessimist, always looking at the negative in almost everything. Changing it is quite a challenge, but tell you, the rewards are priceless. I'll be sharing more about optimism and positive-thinking in my upcoming posts. However, here's a story that will show the difference between a pessimist and an optimist. Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence. The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. Like what I always say, it's all a matter of perspective. Grand Graduate - Hazel Soares, 94 Years Old Its not easy to be the youngest supervisor in this big company, but hey, my attitude towards learning has really helped me cope a lot easier. As I always say to my team most especially to those that have gained tenure, "Never stop learning...Never say to yourself that you are ripe, because when you do that's when you start to rot!" Here's a wonderful and inspiring story from SkyNews the second in world record, oldest woman to graduate from college at 94 years old... Hazel Soares, who has six children and more than 40 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, has become the world's second oldest person to earn a degree. She admitted that in collecting her art history honours she had fulfilled a 78-year ambition.

Born in Richmond, California in 1915, the Great Depression had stripped her of her first opportunity to attend college after graduating from school in 1932. "Unless you had some help, it would have been impossible to go," Ms Soares said. "However I never lost the desire. "It's taken me quite a long time because I've had a busy life. I'm finally achieving it, and it makes me feel really good." The veteran was congratulated by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who delivered the keynote speech at Mills College, an all-women's school in Oakland. She was cheered on by classmates and family members during the ceremony. "The biggest thing that we can all learn is that we're never too old," said Regina Hungerford, Ms Soares' youngest child. But her mother does not plan to relax after finally achieving her goal. She will forgo the common post-graduation gap year to work as a museum guide in the San Francisco Bay area. "There's no reason why you could not go back," Ms Soares added. "Some people do give up the idea or postpone the idea. It's too late. It's too much work. They may not realise that, once you try it, it's exciting to go to school." She has still got a little bit of learning left to do to claim the world record though. In 2007, Nola Ochs of Kansas became the world's oldest graduate when she received her honours from Fort Hays State University, aged 95. Now 98, last week she proved she is in a class of her own and pushed the academic-age bar higher by collecting a master's degree in liberal studies. Be Kind First to Your Family Sometimes we often forget to be kind to our own family members. Here's an inspirational story telling us we should be more kind to them first before anybody else.

One day, a wife of a Pastor came up to her husband and asked, Can I ask you for counseling for a personal problem? Annoyed, the Pastor said in a gruff tone, What are you talking about? Of course! Youre my wife. Whats your problem? She shook her head. No, I dont want you to talk to me as your wife. I want to you to talk to me as your Counselee The man began to calm down. Why? he asked. She said, Because I noticed that you dont shout at your Counselees. But you shout at me often. You dont hurry them up when they talk. But when I talk, youre always impatient. You listen to them with full attention, nodding your head, smiling, holding their hand. But when I talk, your mind is somewhere else. That is why I ask you; please dont treat me as your wife. I want you to treat me as a Counselee. Youre a much kinder man to your Counselees than your wife. Everyone has a tendency to be kinder to friends than to our own family, because its so easy to take them for granted. Friend, be kind to your family. And youll see how the kindness of God will change their lives. Love Your Weakness Yes, everybody has weaknesses. And of course, we hate it! But in this inspirational story, you would think positive and start loving your weakness Once upon a time, there were two friends named Pok and Nat. Pok and Nat worked as Water Bearers.Each morning, theyd draw water from the well and deliver to their respective little barrios. But Pok had a little problem. His pail was broken. It had a little crack and was leaking. So by the time he arrived in his barrio, his pail was already half-empty. And Pok had no money to buy a new pail, so he kept using it. Because of his broken pail, Pok had to take double the trips Nat took. Nat would take 10 trips but Pok had to make 20. But through it all, Pok kept smiling as he did his work. One morning, Nat asked him, Pok, why are you always smiling? I know that your pail is cracked. And you have no money to replace it. Pok said, Take a look at the path I travel everyday. What do you see? Nat was shocked. All along the path, he saw a beautiful row of flowers! Because I knew my pail was cracked, Pok said, I planted flower seeds along the way. Everyday, as I walked this path, my pail watered

these flowers. Tomorrow, Ill harvest the flowers and sell them in the city. Why was Pok happy? Because he found a way to use his weakness. If you can't get rid of your weakness, use it!