"Are You Living With A Bunch Of Chickens Or Are You Perhaps A Turkey?"

The Eagle
By: Author Unknown

Do you sometimes get the feeling that you could be more
than what you are right now? That somehow, you know you
were made for bigger and better things? Well, chances are,
you're probably right... and don't you let anyone convince
you otherwise.

A man once found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a
barnyard hen. The eagle hatched with the brood of chicks
and grew up with them. All his life, the eagle did what the
barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He
scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and
cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet
in the air. Years passed and the eagle grew very old.

One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the
cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty on powerful
wind currents with scarcely a beat of its strong golden
wings. The old eagle looked up in awe. "Who's that?" he
asked. "That's the eagle, the king of the birds," said his
neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth -
we're chickens." So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for
that's what he thought he was.

What a terrible waste... to have lived a life not doing
the things you were always capable of doing and not soaring
to the heights you were able to reach. And all because the
people around you were constantly putting you down and
feeding you with negative, uninspiring comments. So rise
above these comments! Life is what you make it. Don't be
afraid to spread your wings and fly. Aspire!

"What Do You See When You Look Into Your Own Eyes-Your Future?"

The House of 1,000 Mirrors
Japanese Folktale

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place
known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A small, happy little
dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he
arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of
the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears
lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could.

To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1,000
other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as
fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with
1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left
the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful
place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog who was not quite
as happy as the first one decided to visit the house. He
slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he
looked in the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly
looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and
was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at
him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible
place, and I will never go back there again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of
reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

"Are You Ready To Emmersed Yet?"

People Are Like Teabags
By: Author Unknown

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right
away that they were meant to be there. They serve some sort
of purpose, teach you a lesson, or help you figure out who
you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be: a roommate,
neighbor, professor, friend, lover. Even a complete
stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know in
that very moment that they will affect your life in some
profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that at the time may seem
horrible, painful, and unfair. But in reflection you
realize that without overcoming those obstacles, you would
have never realized your potential, strength, will power,
or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance
or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love,
lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all
occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small
tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat
road to nowhere... safe and comfortable, but dull and
utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the
successes and downfalls you experience, create who you are.
Even the bad experiences can be learned from. Those lessons
are the hardest and, probably, the most important ones.

"People are like tea bags - you have to put them in hot
water before you know how strong they are."

"Do You Remember The Song -Good Vibrations?"

Title: The Echo Of Life
By: Author Unknown

A man and his son were walking in the forest. Suddenly the
boy trips and feeling a sharp pain he screams, "Ahhhhh."

Surprised, he hears a voice coming from the mountain,
"Ahhhhh!"

Filled with curiosity, he screams: "Who are you?", but the
only answer he receives is: "Who are you?"

This makes him angry, so he screams: "You are a coward!",
and the voice answers: "You are a coward!"

He looks at his father, asking, "Dad, what is going on?"

"Son," the man replies, "pay attention!" Then he screams,
"I admire you!"

The voice answers: "I admire you!"

The father shouts, "You are wonderful!", and the voice
answers: "You are wonderful!"

The boy is surprised, but still can't understand what is
going on.

Then the father explains, "People call this 'ECHO', but
truly it is 'LIFE!' Life always gives you back what you
give out! Life is a mirror of your actions. If you want
more love, give more love! If you want more kindness, give
more kindness! If you want understanding and respect, give
understanding and respect! If you want people to be patient
and respectful to you, give patience and respect! This rule
of nature applies to every aspect of our lives."

Life always gives you back what you give out. Your life is
not a coincidence, but a mirror of your own doings.

"Ths Is What We All Really, Really Want -So Why?"

Title: Arm In Arm
By: Author Unknown

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine
contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled
at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun,
they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a
relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the
asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry.
The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and
looked back. Then they all turned around and went back.
Every one of them.

One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and
said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms
and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the
stadium stood and the cheering went on for several minutes.
People who were there are still telling the story. Why?

Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in
this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters
in this life is helping others win, even if it means
slowing down and changing our course.