Starfish AdventuresCounseling, Life Coaching, Substance Abuse, & Anger Management

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. ‘We must do something about father,’ said the son. ‘I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.’ So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, ‘What are you making?’ Just as sweetly, the boy responded, ‘Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ‘ The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. ~ unknown

You see, we learn to be subjective of ourselves while being objective of others, even to a fault. So I invite you to reverse such behavior. I invite you to be objective of your actions while being truly subjective of the actions of others.

On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it can always get better. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life.’ I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes. I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can in all that you do, happiness will find you. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day, I should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I need a hug.

Please, let me know Your thoughts.
Kenny

Stress

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “how heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. 

The lecturer replied, ‘the absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” He continued, “that’s the way it is with stress management.” You see, if we allow ourselves to carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again and you should never try to carry more glasses of water then you can safely balance. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. Try this, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow, I promise. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, put them down for a moment, if you can. Don’t pick them up again until after you’ve rested a while.

Not entitled

A mother went to the wise man of her village and asked “what is the most important thing I can teach my son so that he becomes a good man”?

The wise man responded “teach him to deny himself.”

A New Site

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day! We’re putting together our new site and we hope you like it.

Thanks!
Starfish