->>SIX GREAT LESSONS:
>>The Important Things Life Teaches You...
>>~ 1 ~ Most Important Question
>>During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop
>>quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the
>>questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the
>>woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had
>>seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and
>>in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper,
>>leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked
>>if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely,"
>>said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All
>>are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you
>>do is smile and say 'hello'." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also
>>learned her name was Dorothy.
>>
>>
>>~2 ~ Pickup in the Rain
>>One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing
>>on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain
>>storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
>>Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man
>>stopped to help her - generally unheard of in those conflict filled
>>1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put
>>her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down
>>his address, thanked him and drove away. Seven days went by and a
>>knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color
>>TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:
>>"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night.
>>The rain drenched not only my clothes but my spirits. Then you came
>>along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's
>>bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and
>>unselfishly serving others."
>>Sincerely,
>>Mrs. Nat King Cole
>>
>>~ 3 ~ Always remember those who serve
>>In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy
>>entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass
>>of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" "Fifty
>>cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of
>>his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of
>>plain ice cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a
>>table and the waitress was a bit impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she
>>said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the
>>plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the
>>bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream,
>>paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began
>>wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There,
>>placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies
>>* her tip.
>>
>>
>>~ 4 ~ The Obstacle in Our Path
>>In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he
>>hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
>>Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and
>>simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping
>>the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out
>>of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.
>>On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried
>>to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and
>>straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of
>>vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
>>been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king
>>indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder
>>from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never
>>understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's
>>condition.
>>
>>
>>~ 5 ~ Giving Blood
>>Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I
>>got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and
>>serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
>>transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived
>>the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the
>>illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and
>>asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
>>I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and
>>saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz." As the transfusion
>>progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all
>>did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale
>>and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
>>trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the
>>boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to
>>give his sister all of his blood.
>>
>>
>>~6~ I'VE TWO CHOICES
>>Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good
>>mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask
>>him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would
>>be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who
>>had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the
>>waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural
>>motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there
>>telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the
>>situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went
>>up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive
>>person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each
>>morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices
>>today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in
>>a bad mood." I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad
>>happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it.
>>I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining
>>I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the
>>positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life." "Yeah,
>>right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said.
>>"Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every
>>situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You
>>choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good
>>mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live
>>life." I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the
>>restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often
>>thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting
>>to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are
>>never supposed to do in a restaurant business, he left the back door
>>open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers.
>>While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness,
>>slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.
>>Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local
>>trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care,
>>Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets
>>still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident.
>>When I asked him how he was, he said, "If I were any better, I'd be
>>twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds but did ask
>>him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The
>>first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked
>>the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I
>>remembered that I had two choices I could choose to live, or I could
>>choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose
>>consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great.
>>They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me
>>into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the
>>doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's
>>a dead man.* I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I
>>asked. "Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me,"
>>said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I
>>replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my
>>reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their
>>laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I
>>am alive, not dead." Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors,
>>but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that
>>every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is
>>everything.
>>
>>Work like you don't need the money.
>>Love like you've never been hurt.
>>Dance like nobody's watching.
>>
>>
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