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(29 The Arty Spider)

(The Arty Spider) Once upon a time, there was an Arty spider, who lived in the basement of the local museum and gallery. He lived there among the many paintings that were stored there forgotten. He had found the perfect place to weave one of the best and most artistic of webs. All of his efforts went into keeping this web looking magnificent. However, as time moved on, the museum began reorganising the paintings, moving some of the basement painting upstairs to the gallery for display. Arty did not concern himself at first thinking it would only be one or two paintings and he would be fine. However, more and more paintings were removed. Arty kept working on his marvellous web. Then early one morning when, too quick for him to react, his painting was moved. He realised if he did not move quickly, he would end up in the gallery. Without much thought he abandoned his magnificent web. Fortunately for him, this was a wise decision because as the painting entered the gallery, th...
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28 Searching for Tails

Searching for Tails Johnny the Lizard lived between some rocks out in the country. Like all lizards, he loved to just lie in the sun, laid out on some flat stone. He felt so relaxed doing so, more than once he fell asleep doing just this. That is exactly what had happened on the day he lost his tail. Some children caught him, and Johnny could only escape by losing his tail and running and hiding. Shocked and frightened, he listened to how the children laughed at seeing his tail continue to move, even though it was no longer attached to his body. After a bit, they threw the tail away.  When the children had gone, Johnny started looking everywhere for his tail, wanting to reattach it to its rightful place. However, the countryside was very big, and as much as he searched for it, Johnny could find no sign of his tail.  He forgot everything else in his life, devoting himself to the search. He forgot about his home, his possessions, his friends. Days and...
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27 Holding Memories

Holding Memories Two friends were walking through the desert, at some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand.  “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.” They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone.  “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.” The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” The other friend replied: “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can blow it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.” ...
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26 Priorities

Priorities A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So, the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  The students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognise that this is your life. The rocks are the important things, your family, your partner, your health, your children anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are...
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25 Being a Patient

Being a Patient Very few of us are fortunate enough to go through life without becoming a patient in a hospital. There is a lovely tale of an event that came about because of somebody being in the hospital. A sweet grandmother telephoned Kirkcaldy Hospital.  She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?" The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, Dear.  What's the name and ward number?"  The grandmother in her weak tremulous voice said, "Holly Bell, ward  3. The Operator replied, "Let me check.  Oh, good news.  Her record says that Holly is doing very well.  Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal and her physician, Dr Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged Tuesday."  The Grandmother said, "Thank you.  That's wonderful!  I was so worried!  God bless you for the good news."  The operator replie...
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24 Finding Peace

Finding Peace Since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than eight per cent of the time! In its study, of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace. Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treaties were made, and broken.  If this is the case inner peace becomes more important. Knowing what we by mean by inner peace is also important. Here are a few things I would consider important in the search for inner peace. The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge is a major factor in unhappiness, and that is a sure sign of a lack of inner peace.  Not living in the past. Living in the past reminds us of old mistakes and failures and leads to depression.  Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.  Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets thro...
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23 Choices

Choices I remember the day I was spoiled for choice. In this case, there were three sports programmes I could watch on television, I made a choice and later discovered I would have been better entertained. I had chosen football, should have chosen to watch another sport. I had listened earlier that day to the War of the Worlds and the haunting voice of Richard Burton. This made me wonder what the men from Mars might have thought about 60,000 people paying £50 each to watch twenty-two men being paid a £1000 a week in a stadium that cost millions, chasing a little ball around a marked field. The ball costing only about £20.  The choices we make. The words of Eleanor Roosevelt are so true,  "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." There is no escaping...
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