"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?

"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.

"Have You Planned Well For The Cycles Of Your Life? Or Will You Be Overwhelmed?"

Making Sandcastles
By: Unknown Author

Hot sun. Salty air. Rhythmic waves.

A little boy is on his knees scooping and packing the sand
with plastic shovels into a bright blue bucket. Then he
upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the
delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created.
All afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat. Packing
the walls. Bottle tops will be sentries. Popsicle sticks
will be bridges. A sandcastle will be built.

Big city. Busy streets. Rumbling traffic.

A man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles papers
into stacks and delegates assignments. He cradles the phone
on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers.
Numbers are juggled and contracts are signed. And much to
the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he
will work. Formulating the plans. Forecasting the future.
Annuities will be sentries. Capital gains will be bridges.
An empire will be built.

Two builders of two castles. They have much in common.
They shape granules into grandeurs. They see nothing and
make something. They are diligent and determined. And for
both the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that is
where the similarities cease. For the boy sees the end
while the man ignores it.

Watch the boy as the dusk approaches. As the waves near,
the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There
is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would
happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker
crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into
the sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes
his father's hand, and goes home.

The grownup, however, is not so wise. As the wave of years
collapses on his castle, he is terrified. He hovers over
the sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from
the walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering, he
snarls at the incoming tide. "It's my castle," he defies.

The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand
belongs...

" Did You Create Your Own Recesion?"

Perspectives
By: Author Unknown

One day a father and his rich family took his young son on
a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how
poor people can be. They spent a day and a night in the
farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their
trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"Very good, Dad!"

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Yeah!"

"And what did you learn?"

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and
they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle
of the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have
imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our
patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon."

When the little boy was finished, his father was
speechless.

His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we
are!"

Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at
things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good
humor and a positive attitude toward life, you've got
everything!

You can't buy any of these things. You can have all the
material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the
future, etc., but if you are poor of spirit, you have
nothing!