Good morning! The following story was sent to me, and I want to share it with you all today. Enjoy!
Are You a Carrot, Egg, or Coffee?
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its richness and savored its aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak..
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get even better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
MAY WE ALL BE COFFEE!
Make it a great day!
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Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Robin Williams - The Plan for the United States
Robin Williams, wearing a shirt that says "I love New York" in Arabic. You gotta love Robin Williams...... Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the *perfect* plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message.
Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!) "I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I haven't heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan."
1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs...past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good 'ole' boys", oh no...we will never "interfere" again.
2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world. We'll start off with Germany,South Korea, the Middle East, and the Philippines. They don't want us there.
Now we'll have enough guys, we'll station troops at OUR borders. No more sneaking through holes in the fence, no WAY!
3) All illegal aliens would have 90 days to get their affairs together and LEAVE. [We'll even give them a free trip home]. After 90 days, the remainder would be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of who or where they were, or who they were related to! They're illegal!!! France will LOVE them!
4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don 't hide here. Political asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.
5) No foreign "students" over age 21...the older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby!!!
6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a *temporary* drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while .
7) We will offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we'll go someplace else. *They* can go somewhere else too, to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)
8) If there's a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides, most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.
9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer.
Oh , I almost forgot,The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE...
Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?
"The Statue of Liberty will no longer say "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?'" [It's about time for a change for the Old Girl....after all, remember, she came from FRANCE!]
Make it a great day!
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Sunday, September 17, 2006
Success Mantra for Today
Today, a simple Success Mantra from SuccessTheory.com:
EVERYDAY Learn Something New
EVERYDAY Learn HOW TO DO SOMETHING
EVERYDAY Attack a BAD Habit
EVERYDAY Plan Something
EVERYDAY DO Something for Someone Else
EVERYDAY Surprise Someone or Yourself
Make it a great day!
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EVERYDAY Learn Something New
EVERYDAY Learn HOW TO DO SOMETHING
EVERYDAY Attack a BAD Habit
EVERYDAY Plan Something
EVERYDAY DO Something for Someone Else
EVERYDAY Surprise Someone or Yourself
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Thursday, September 14, 2006
Little Things That Count
This article is from MensHealth.com. It's geared towards men, but is equally important for women:
1. Paying attention--real attention--to a small child. I still remember the adults who did that when I was a kid. They also happen to be my role models.
2. The lid on a jar of pickles. It's not that women really need your help twisting it loose from the jar. They could use a hammer. But they like to make you appear strong, even if you are built like Mick Jagger.
3. A breath mint.
4. A brown bag. Pack a turkey-on-wheat most of the workweek and you'll save enough for a plasma TV by year's end.
5. A lunchtime reservation--one that doesn't involve a drive-thru. All those sack lunches earn you a fine meal in a steak house every couple of weeks. Life ain't a gulag.
6. A 50-minute CPR class.
7. Distance. "From 30 feet away, she looked like a lot of class," wrote Raymond Chandler. "From 10 feet away, she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away."
8. Gratitude. It takes 15 seconds to thank someone for their time or gift. It takes 15 years for them to forgive you when you don't.
9. A single glance. That glance. If you have to ask, it's been too long since you've made it.
10. Five degrees. Go easy on the thermostat overnight this winter and you'll save 5 percent on heat. Mother Nature thanks you.
11. Checking your spelling. Because the difference between Public Relations and Pubic Relations could be your job.
12. Listening--really listening--to your grandfather when he tells you, for the ninth time, about that seafood shop back in South Philly that sold littleneck clams for a penny each. Forget the clams. He's trying for a little bit of immortality by passing along the story to you.
13. A handwritten note. I landed myself a hot redhead because I sent her a goofy Far Side card with a dashed-off question along the lines of "So, how have you been?" Ten years later, we have a house and two kids.
14. That last drink. If you're drunk enough to absolutely need it, you absolutely don't.
15. The right to remain silent. People never remember you for being quiet. They remember you for a stupid joke about a venereal disease, your boss, and a transvestite hooker.
16. Getting off your butt. Time was, you stood up when being introduced to someone new. You meet eye-to-eye and shake, which is a small way of saying, "I'm not above or below you."
17. Getting off your butt, period. Even 10 minutes of activity a day can drop your blood pressure, boost your mood, and prevent you from forming a covalent bond with your couch.
18. A single detail. About someone else. Could be a wife's name, or a kid's sport, or the gum disease their hound had. Wield details wisely and you'll be a charm machine. Flub them and you'll make people feel like they're interchangeable cogs in a cosmic mishmash.
19. A single date. I have it easy. My wedding anniversary is September 11. Plant a Post-it, set an Outlook alert, or write it on your hand in permanent marker. A Sharpie fades. Her memory doesn't.
Make it a great day!
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1. Paying attention--real attention--to a small child. I still remember the adults who did that when I was a kid. They also happen to be my role models.
2. The lid on a jar of pickles. It's not that women really need your help twisting it loose from the jar. They could use a hammer. But they like to make you appear strong, even if you are built like Mick Jagger.
3. A breath mint.
4. A brown bag. Pack a turkey-on-wheat most of the workweek and you'll save enough for a plasma TV by year's end.
5. A lunchtime reservation--one that doesn't involve a drive-thru. All those sack lunches earn you a fine meal in a steak house every couple of weeks. Life ain't a gulag.
6. A 50-minute CPR class.
7. Distance. "From 30 feet away, she looked like a lot of class," wrote Raymond Chandler. "From 10 feet away, she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away."
8. Gratitude. It takes 15 seconds to thank someone for their time or gift. It takes 15 years for them to forgive you when you don't.
9. A single glance. That glance. If you have to ask, it's been too long since you've made it.
10. Five degrees. Go easy on the thermostat overnight this winter and you'll save 5 percent on heat. Mother Nature thanks you.
11. Checking your spelling. Because the difference between Public Relations and Pubic Relations could be your job.
12. Listening--really listening--to your grandfather when he tells you, for the ninth time, about that seafood shop back in South Philly that sold littleneck clams for a penny each. Forget the clams. He's trying for a little bit of immortality by passing along the story to you.
13. A handwritten note. I landed myself a hot redhead because I sent her a goofy Far Side card with a dashed-off question along the lines of "So, how have you been?" Ten years later, we have a house and two kids.
14. That last drink. If you're drunk enough to absolutely need it, you absolutely don't.
15. The right to remain silent. People never remember you for being quiet. They remember you for a stupid joke about a venereal disease, your boss, and a transvestite hooker.
16. Getting off your butt. Time was, you stood up when being introduced to someone new. You meet eye-to-eye and shake, which is a small way of saying, "I'm not above or below you."
17. Getting off your butt, period. Even 10 minutes of activity a day can drop your blood pressure, boost your mood, and prevent you from forming a covalent bond with your couch.
18. A single detail. About someone else. Could be a wife's name, or a kid's sport, or the gum disease their hound had. Wield details wisely and you'll be a charm machine. Flub them and you'll make people feel like they're interchangeable cogs in a cosmic mishmash.
19. A single date. I have it easy. My wedding anniversary is September 11. Plant a Post-it, set an Outlook alert, or write it on your hand in permanent marker. A Sharpie fades. Her memory doesn't.
Make it a great day!
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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Bartender Gets Cash From $10,000 Tip
Here's proof it pays to just be nice. This story is from HappyNews.com:
"A bartender who last week was left a $10,000 tip by a regular customer now has more than the excitement of the offer: she has the cash.
Cindy Kienow received a check Tuesday from Applebee's franchise owner JS Stevens for about $6,300, her share of the tip after taxes.
The customer gave Kienow the hefty tip Aug. 27 on a $26 meal. But since he paid by credit card, the restaurant wanted to make sure it was a valid charge before giving Kienow the money.
"I've had a lot of fun," Kienow said of the last week, which has included interviews with media from across the globe. "A lot of customers are like, 'I can't afford to sit at the bar anymore.' It's been really crazy."
Restaurant officials have declined to identify the tipper.
"I hate to say it, but I really don't know him," Kienow said. "You become friends with your customers ... I think he just appreciated the fact that I took the time to talk with him."
Kienow, 35, said now that the media frenzy has died down, she is content to keep serving customers at the restaurant, where she has worked for the last eight years.
"That's the pure joy of my job, that I just get to talk with people," she said.
As for what she'll do with the money, Kienow has said she got the impression her customer wanted her to buy something special, adding that "there's a Jeep that I've had my eye on for a while."
Make it a great day!
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"A bartender who last week was left a $10,000 tip by a regular customer now has more than the excitement of the offer: she has the cash.
Cindy Kienow received a check Tuesday from Applebee's franchise owner JS Stevens for about $6,300, her share of the tip after taxes.
The customer gave Kienow the hefty tip Aug. 27 on a $26 meal. But since he paid by credit card, the restaurant wanted to make sure it was a valid charge before giving Kienow the money.
"I've had a lot of fun," Kienow said of the last week, which has included interviews with media from across the globe. "A lot of customers are like, 'I can't afford to sit at the bar anymore.' It's been really crazy."
Restaurant officials have declined to identify the tipper.
"I hate to say it, but I really don't know him," Kienow said. "You become friends with your customers ... I think he just appreciated the fact that I took the time to talk with him."
Kienow, 35, said now that the media frenzy has died down, she is content to keep serving customers at the restaurant, where she has worked for the last eight years.
"That's the pure joy of my job, that I just get to talk with people," she said.
As for what she'll do with the money, Kienow has said she got the impression her customer wanted her to buy something special, adding that "there's a Jeep that I've had my eye on for a while."
Make it a great day!
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Friday, September 08, 2006
Stinky Monkey - Knocks Himself Out
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Today's fun poll question:
***Which is the better first date spot: Movies or Picnic?*** Vote NOW & GET a FREE* Year's Membership to the Dating Site of Your Choice!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Did You Know?
I just heard this today and thought I'd share:
Did you know that you are 750 times more likely to be hit by a falling Asteroid than to win the lottery?
Save your dough and put it to better use like buying a helmet to protect your head when you get hit by that asteroid....
Did you know that you are 750 times more likely to be hit by a falling Asteroid than to win the lottery?
Save your dough and put it to better use like buying a helmet to protect your head when you get hit by that asteroid....
Amazing Medevac in Afghanistan
This photo was taken by a soldier in Afghanistan of a helo rescue mission. The pilot is a PA Guardsman who flies EMS choppers in civilian life. Now how many people on the planet you reckon could set the tail end of a chopper down on the roof top of a shack on a steep mountain cliff and hold it there while soldiers load wounded men in the rear???If this does not impress you ... nothing ever will.
Make it a great day!
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Wednesday, September 06, 2006
I'm Mad As He** At Mainstream Media
Pardon my French in the headline of this post, but I'm fired up this morning. Why? Because it is becoming harder and harder for me to find one positive story on any of the mainstream news websites. This is one of the reasons why you've probably noticed that my posts have been sporadic. Some nights, it's taken me a long time to find an appropriate story to post.
I NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!!
I am asking you to contact me using the comment link below this post, or you can email me at PositivePelham@yahoo.com. If you see a positive, funny, entertaining, inspirational or provocative story that you would like for me to share with my readers, please send it to me.
Also, please forward my blog address, www.PositivePelham.com, to as many people as you can possibly think of who would be interested in reading positive news each day. The more people I have reading the blog means the more stories I'll be able to feature.
And, your story doesn't have to come from the news. If you have had something great happen to you lately or if you heard a great story, let me know about it. If you don't want me to use your name, I won't.
This morning, all I heard on the radio coming into work was negative news. In my opinion, the news would be so much more valuable if everytime they reported a negative story, it was followed up with a positive one.... That is fair and balanced in my opinion.
The death of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, was horribly tragic, but it does show how one person can have a tremendous positive influence on a huge number of people. He lived his life to the fullest and was always in a positive mood. He was trying to change the world for the better not bring it down for the worse.
So, I'm going to continue posting positive and uplifting stories as I find them, and I hope you will help me. Send me your thoughts and stories and forward the blog address to everyone you know. Together, we just might be able to change the way people look at news.
Thanks and have a great day!
J. Anthony
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I NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!!
I am asking you to contact me using the comment link below this post, or you can email me at PositivePelham@yahoo.com. If you see a positive, funny, entertaining, inspirational or provocative story that you would like for me to share with my readers, please send it to me.
Also, please forward my blog address, www.PositivePelham.com, to as many people as you can possibly think of who would be interested in reading positive news each day. The more people I have reading the blog means the more stories I'll be able to feature.
And, your story doesn't have to come from the news. If you have had something great happen to you lately or if you heard a great story, let me know about it. If you don't want me to use your name, I won't.
This morning, all I heard on the radio coming into work was negative news. In my opinion, the news would be so much more valuable if everytime they reported a negative story, it was followed up with a positive one.... That is fair and balanced in my opinion.
The death of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, was horribly tragic, but it does show how one person can have a tremendous positive influence on a huge number of people. He lived his life to the fullest and was always in a positive mood. He was trying to change the world for the better not bring it down for the worse.
So, I'm going to continue posting positive and uplifting stories as I find them, and I hope you will help me. Send me your thoughts and stories and forward the blog address to everyone you know. Together, we just might be able to change the way people look at news.
Thanks and have a great day!
J. Anthony
Click here to send this page to a friend!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The French
While it's not necessarily positive to poke fun at someone else, it is positive to laugh and since the French seem to continue to do stupid things that make us all laugh, I thought this email I received this morning was pretty funny. And, sadly, it's true. Enjoy and have a great day!
"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been governed by prostitutes." -- Mark Twain
"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me." --General George S. Patton
"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion." --Norman Schwartzkopf
"We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." --Marge Simpson
"As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure." --Jacques Chirac, President of France "As far as France is concerned, you're right." --Rush Limbaugh
"The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee." --Regis Philbin
"You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who was still trying to dine out on her looks, but doesn't have the face for it."-- John McCain , U. S. Senator from Arizona
"The last time the French asked for 'more proof' it came marching into Paris under a German flag." -- David Letterman
"Only thing worse than a Frenchman is a Frenchman who lives in Canada."--Ted Nugent
"War without France would be like ... World War II." --Unknown
"The favorite bumper sticker in Washington D. C. right now is one that says 'First Iraq, then France.'" --Tom Brokaw
"What do you expect from a culture and a nation that exerted more of its National will fighting against DisneyWorld and Big Macs than the Nazis?"--Dennis Miller
"It is important to remember that the French have always been there when they needed us." --Alan Kent
"They've taken their own precautions against al-Qa'ida. To prepare for an attack, each Frenchman is urged to keep duct tape, a white flag, and a three-day supply of mistresses in the house." --Argus Hamilton
"Somebody was telling me about the French Army rifle that was being advertised on eBay the other day -- the description was, 'Never shot. Dropped once."--Rep. Roy Blunt, MO
"The French will only agree to go to war when we've proven we've found truffles in Iraq. " --Dennis Miller
Q. What did the mayor of Paris say to the German Army as they entered the city in WWII? A. Table for 100,000 m'sieur?
"Do you know how many Frenchmen it takes to defend Paris? It's not known, it's never been tried."---Rep R. Blount, MO
"Do you know it only took Germany three days to conquer France in WWII? And that's because it was raining." --John Xereas, Manager, DC Improv
The AP and UPI reported that the French Government announced after the London bombings that it has raised its terror alert level from Run to Hide. The only two higher levels in France are Surrender and Collaborate. The rise in the alert level was precipitated by a recent fire which destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively disabling their military.
French Ban Fireworks at Euro Disney (AP), Paris, March 5, 2003. The French Government announced today that it is imposing a ban on the use of fireworks at Euro Disney. The decision comes the day after a nightly fireworks display at the park, located just 30 miles outside of Paris, caused the soldiers at a nearby French Army garrison to surrender to a group of Czech tourists.
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"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been governed by prostitutes." -- Mark Twain
"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me." --General George S. Patton
"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion." --Norman Schwartzkopf
"We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." --Marge Simpson
"As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure." --Jacques Chirac, President of France "As far as France is concerned, you're right." --Rush Limbaugh
"The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee." --Regis Philbin
"You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who was still trying to dine out on her looks, but doesn't have the face for it."-- John McCain , U. S. Senator from Arizona
"The last time the French asked for 'more proof' it came marching into Paris under a German flag." -- David Letterman
"Only thing worse than a Frenchman is a Frenchman who lives in Canada."--Ted Nugent
"War without France would be like ... World War II." --Unknown
"The favorite bumper sticker in Washington D. C. right now is one that says 'First Iraq, then France.'" --Tom Brokaw
"What do you expect from a culture and a nation that exerted more of its National will fighting against DisneyWorld and Big Macs than the Nazis?"--Dennis Miller
"It is important to remember that the French have always been there when they needed us." --Alan Kent
"They've taken their own precautions against al-Qa'ida. To prepare for an attack, each Frenchman is urged to keep duct tape, a white flag, and a three-day supply of mistresses in the house." --Argus Hamilton
"Somebody was telling me about the French Army rifle that was being advertised on eBay the other day -- the description was, 'Never shot. Dropped once."--Rep. Roy Blunt, MO
"The French will only agree to go to war when we've proven we've found truffles in Iraq. " --Dennis Miller
Q. What did the mayor of Paris say to the German Army as they entered the city in WWII? A. Table for 100,000 m'sieur?
"Do you know how many Frenchmen it takes to defend Paris? It's not known, it's never been tried."---Rep R. Blount, MO
"Do you know it only took Germany three days to conquer France in WWII? And that's because it was raining." --John Xereas, Manager, DC Improv
The AP and UPI reported that the French Government announced after the London bombings that it has raised its terror alert level from Run to Hide. The only two higher levels in France are Surrender and Collaborate. The rise in the alert level was precipitated by a recent fire which destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively disabling their military.
French Ban Fireworks at Euro Disney (AP), Paris, March 5, 2003. The French Government announced today that it is imposing a ban on the use of fireworks at Euro Disney. The decision comes the day after a nightly fireworks display at the park, located just 30 miles outside of Paris, caused the soldiers at a nearby French Army garrison to surrender to a group of Czech tourists.
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