The Farmer and the Donkey Story

 The Story of the farmer and his donkey

Author - Unknown

This is one story that I came across the internet and I was amazed with the positivity it set. This is how you shove out the dirt that is thrown at you and then you step up. Let's show the world what we are made of and how we never give up. 

Photo Courtesy: Google  

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours, while the farmer tried to find something to do to get him out.

Finally, the farmer decided that the donkey was old and the well was already dry and needed to be covered anyway; and also that it really wasn't worth pulling the donkey out of the well..

He invited all his neighbors to come help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to throw dirt into the well.

The donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly loud. Then, to everyone's surprise, he quieted down after a few shovels full of dirt.

The farmer finally looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw... with each shovel full of dirt, the donkey was doing something incredible: It was shaking off the dirt and stepping on top of the dirt.

Very soon everyone saw surprised how the donkey reached the mouth of the well, went over the edge and trotted out.

Moral Lesson from the story of the farmer and the donkey

Life is going to throw dirt at you, all kinds of dirt... the trick to getting out of the hole is to shake it off and use it to step up. Each of our problems is a step up. We can get out of the deepest holes if we don't give up...

Use the land they throw you to get ahead!!!

Remember the 5 rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hate.

2. Free your Mind of distractions.

3. Simplify your life.

4. Give more and expect less.

5. Love more and... shake the dirt, because in this life you have to be a solution, not the problem!

Comprehension Passage - 1

Title: Mahatma Gandhi - The Great Internationalist

"People talk of memorials to him in statues of bronze or marble or pillars and thus they mock him and his message. What tribute shall we pay to him that he would have appreciated? He has shown us the way to live and the way to die and if we have not understood that lesson, it would be better that we raised no memorial to him, for the only fit memorial is to follow reverently in the path he showed us and to do our duty in life and death.

He was a Hindu and an Indian, the greatest in many generations, and he was proud of being a Hindu and an Indian. To him, India was dear, because she had represented throughout the ages certain immutable truths. But though he was intensely religious and came to be called the Father of the Nation which he had liberated, yet no narrow religious or nation bonds confined his spirit. And so he became the great internationalist, believing in the essential unity of man, the underlying unity of all religions, and the needs of humanity, and more specially devoting himself to the service of the poor, the distressed and the oppressed millions everywhere.

His death brought more tributes than have been paid at the passing of any other human being in history. Perhaps what would have pleased him best was the spontaneous tributes that came from the people of Pakistan. On the morrow of the tragedy, all of us forgot for a while the bitterness that had crept in, the estrangement and the conflict of these past months and Gandhiji stood out as the beloved champion and leader of the people of Indian, of Indians it was before the partition cup up this living nation.

What was his great power over the mind and heart of man due to? Even we realize, that his dominating passion was truth. That truth led him to proclaim without ceasing that good ends can never be attained by evil methods, that the end itself is distorted if the method pursued is bad. That truth led him to confess publicly whenever he thought he had made a mistake --- Himalayan errors he called some of his own mistakes. That truth led him to fight evil and untruth wherever he found them, regardless of the consequences. That truth made the service of the poor and the disposed the passion of his life, for where there is inequality and discrimination and suppression there is injustice and evil and untruth. And thus he became the beloved of all those who have suffered from social and political evils, and the great representative of humanity as it should be. Because of that truth in him wherever he sat became a temple and where he trod was hallowed ground."

                                                                                                                        - Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Questions

1. About whom is the passage written?

Answer - This passage is written about the great Mahatma Gandhi.

2. What great lesson did this great man show for life?

Answer -  This great man made us see the way we live and the way we die.

3.  How can we pay him a real tribute?

Answer - We can pay him a real tribute by following the path that he showed us and by doing our duty.

4. Mention why he is called 'the great internationalist'?

Answer - He is called a great internationalist because he was an intensely religious man yet no narrow religious or nation bonds confined his spirit.

5. What did "truth" mean to this great man?

Answer - Truth for him was his dominating passion which led him to fight evil, which led him to suppress the injustice, and which led him to offer service to the poor.

6. What did Mahatma Gandhi refer his mistakes as?

Answer - Mahatma Gandhi often referred his mistakes as Himalayan Errors. 

7. Give the meaning of the following: memorials, immutable, essential, estrangement, spontaneous, discrimination, dominating.

Answer -  1. Memorials  - Something that is built or done to remind of any person or any event.

                2. Immutable - Unchanging over time.

                3. Essential - Completely necessary.

                4. Estrangement - The fact of no longer being on friendly terms.

                5. Spontaneous - Not planned or happening suddenly. 

                6. Discrimination - Treating someone worse than others.

                7.  Dominating - To be more powerful.

We all fight some or the other battles in our life, nobody is spared. These battles take a big chunk out of our confidence and make us doubt and wonder if we are going wrong. Women are the main victims to this. The main problem with us, women is, we are known to take the blame and allow others to treat us the way they wish. This has to be stopped and we shouldn't keep doing this any longer. Here are a few way we can stop self doubting and boost our self-esteem to rise and shine :) 

Fifteen Best Ways for Women to Boost their Self Esteem

1. The key is to stop self-doubting and keep fighting. When you self-doubt yourself, remember - nobody is perfect. 

2. Another key is to believe in yourself and to take action, no matter what the result be.

3. Being nice to yourself works a long way.

4. Give importance to yourself and to your decisions. 

5. Go for a walk. Walks have always proved to do wonders and change mood. 

6. Focus on what you can do to change rather than what you did wrong. 

7. Celebrate small victories, even if they aren’t long lasting or if they don’t matter much to others. They should matter to you.

8. Move on, don’t keep watering the dead plant. Go, plant a new tree… a new hope.

9. Get into some hobby or cultivate your interests. It could be anything, as long as it entertains you, relaxes you and makes you happy, that’s all matters. 

10. Don’t stress out thinking of something that is absurd or may happen. Who knows what happens next, so why worry and spend that precious moment!

11. Laugh when you do silly mistakes. Anybody could do mistakes but laughing on them and acknowledging them is done only by few. Many prefer blaming others for their mistake. 

12. Breathe and give it a moment.

13. Exercising is a best way to beat the stress out. 

14. Accept and love yourself the way you are. Nobody can be you, remember that and be proud of it.

15. Invest in yourself. If you feel that there is any shortcoming within you, or you need to improve in any areas, then go for it. Try and enroll for some course that can help you do better. 

Comprehension Poem - 1 "A time to Believe"

Poem - A time to Believe

     - B. J. Morbitzer

"To believe is to know that

every day is a new beginning.

Is to trust that miracles happen,

and dreams really do come true.

To believe is to see angels

dancing among the clouds,

To know the wonder of a stardust sky

and the wisdom of the man in the moon.

To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart,

The innocence of a child's eyes

and the beauty of an aging hand,

for it is through their teachings we learn to love.

To believe is to find the strength

and courage that lies within us

When it's time to pick up

the pieces and begin again.

To believe is to know

we are not alone,

That life is a gift

and this is our time to cherish it.

To believe is to know

that wonderful surprises are just

waiting to happen,

And all our hopes and dreams are within reach.

If only we believe..."

Questions:

1. What should we know and trust everyday?

Answer - We should know and trust that everyday is a new beginning, and also that miracles do happen and dreams do come true.

2. What are the two super natural references in the second stanza?

Answer - The two super natural references in the stanza include angels and the man in the moon.

3. What two qualities are needed to recover, after a shocking event?

Answer - The two qualities that are needed to recover after a shocking event includes strength and courage.

4. Who is the poet of this poem?

Answer - The poet of this poem is B. J. Morbitzer.

5. What kind of attitude does the poet advise everybody to have?

Answer - The poet advises is to be positive and have an optimistic attitude. He wants us to believe that everyday comes with new opportunities and has a new beginning and miracles do happen. 

6. What does the poet have to say about nurturing?

Answer - Nurturing is caring. When someone nurtures us, be it our parents or our teachers; we should believe and try to value what they tell us based on their vast experience and wish to give us an advice. 

7. Any five qualities that you can pick up from the poem?

Answer - Love, Trust, Courage, Belief, Strength.

8.A. Write words from the poem that describe the following:

a) sky   -  stardust sky.

b) heart -  nurturing heart.

c) hand  -  ageing hand.

d) beginning - new beginning.

e) surprises - wonderful surprises.

8.B. Rearrange the letters to make meaningful words:

a) "clearmis" - miracles.

b) "sowmid"   - wisdom.

c) "gearuoc"  - courage.

d) "rissupser" - surprises.

e) "tabyue" - beauty.

f) "madres" - dreams.

g) "laveu" - value.

h) "downre" - wonder.

8.C. What do the following words mean?

a) aging - growing old.

b) nurturing - to provide nourishment and care.

c) pick up the pieces - return to normal after a shock.

d) cherish - hold something dearly and of great value.

The Boy with a Green Cloth - Motivational Story

A building construction work was going on nearby. Lots of poor laborers were working there and their small children used to hold onto one another's shirt and play "train-train". Someone would become the engine and others would become bogies. Every day these children used to take turns becoming the engine and bogies but there was one small boy wearing only a half pant who used to hold one small green cloth in his hand and become the guard daily. 

I went to him and asked him, "Child, don't you also wish to become an engine or a bogie some time?" He softly replied, " Sir , I don't have a shirt to wear so how will the other children catch me to make the train?" I could see the slight wetness in his eyes.

But it gave me a lesson - he could have cried and sat at home and abused his parents for not affording to buy him a shirt but instead he chose another way to play and enjoy himself. In life, we don't get all things we desire and we keep complaining, "I don't have a bike,  I don't have car, I don't have this or that etc."

 Life is like that ....we need to make it beautiful and be grateful of what we have. 

O Beautiful Butterfly Poem

O Beautiful Butterfly!

- Poem by me

O Beautiful Butterfly,

How did you die?

Did someone clip your wings?

Did someone asked you not to fly?

I am sure you wanted to soar high.

I am sure you wanted to fly.

But I am not sure what went wrong,

I wonder how you died?

Did some bird peck you,

Unaware of the harm it could cause to you?

Did some passerby step on you,

Unknown to your existence?

I am sure they meant no harm,

But it won't bring you back.

Back to life that you wished to live,

Back to soar high.

I know you wanted to live.

I know you wished to survive.

But I will always remember you,

As I saw you die, o beautiful butterfly!

New Year Resolution Poem for Children - 1

 New Year Resolution Poem 1

Just think, think, think,

of the things you can do,

to make yourself better,

before the year's through.

Resolutions can be tough,

but here's the thing,

once you get going,

there is no stopping you.