Happiness is a Balanced Life: Author Unknown

A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.


Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.


Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health , time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.


One day when we look back,we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.


Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition.

Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time. You have to decide how you want to balance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence.

So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!



"Watch your thoughts ; they become words.

Watch your words ; they become actions.

Watch your actions ; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny!"

The Daffodil Principle by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards (From the book Celebration!)

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must
come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go,
but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will
come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and
reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's
house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I
delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these
clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and
these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time,
Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it
clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few
blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right,
Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this
experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and
I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand
lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden". We got
out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn
down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped.
Before me lay the most glorious sight.



It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and
poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The
flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons
and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink,
and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was
planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own
river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn
answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn
pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in
the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know
You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple
one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a
time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third
answer was, "Began in 1958."

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of
this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before,
had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and
joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year
after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in
which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of
extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle
her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at
a time -- often just one baby-step at time -- and learning to love the
doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply
tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too
will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the
world ....

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I
have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five
or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time'
through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to
achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct
way. "Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of
yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration
instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this
to use today?"

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting....

Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money.
Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching.

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will
never begin.

Always remember, the cruel things you say to someone can last a lifetime!

--------------------
The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own. -Benjamin Disraeli
----------------
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. - Mary Ellen

The Price of a Miracle: Author Unknown

"A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.

She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.

Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question

'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick..and I want to buy a miracle.'

'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.

'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?'

'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little

'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'

' I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.'

'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago

'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audibly.

'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.'

'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. '

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.

'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?'

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...one dollar and eleven cents....plus the faith of a little child.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law."

'God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.' I’m not going to let go; but I know I must hold on with a loose grip and just because you don’t feel a tight grip doesn’t mean I’m not there.'

Cherokee Seasons: Author Unknown

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest.., in turn.., to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the Winter, the second in the Spring, the third in Summer, and the youngest son in the Fall.When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said "no" it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The Chief then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you can not judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's Winter, you will miss the promise of your Spring, the beauty of your Summer, the fulfillment of your Fall.

Lessons:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come.

Live Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly.

Leave the Rest to God.

Happiness keeps You Sweet, Trials keep You Strong, Sorrows keep You Human, Failures keep You Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But God keeps You Going!"

(Via email by Neng).

Someone Who Understands: Author Unknown

"A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the four pups, and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of little boy.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

''Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?''

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't wan't that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.''

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy. "How much?", asked the little boy.

"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love!"

The world is full of people who need someone who understands."

This story reminds of my wife who bought a gold fish with one eye, with the same care and love.

"Within the heart of every stray, Lies the singular desire to be loved." Anon