Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 44 – The Five Lessons
Good morning guys.
A good friend passed these lessons along. She had received them
from her cousin and they have been passed along many times I am sure.
They bring some valuable advice for all of us during this hectic holiday
season and indeed the entire year. I have taken the liberty of doing some
minor editing but in general they speak for themselves. More than one of them
brought a few tears to this man’s eyes and I am not ashamed to say that.
Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.
1 - First Important Lesson – The Cleaning Lady.
During the second month of college, a professor gave his students a pop quiz.
There was a conscientious student who had breezed through the
questions until he read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman
who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. He had
seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in
her 50s, but how would he be expected to know her name? He handed in
his paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, he asked
if the last question would count toward their quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people.
All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all
you do is smile and say "hello". The young man never forgot that lesson.
He also learned that her name was Dorothy.
2 - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain.
One night at 11.30p.m., an elderly black woman was standing on the side
of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm.
Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to
help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s.
The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.
Several days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his
surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.
A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the
highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits.
Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's
bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly
serving others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson – Those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 -year-old boy entered
a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people
were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents,"
she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice
cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and
walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the
waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.
You see, the little boy couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough
left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.
Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply
walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear,
but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a heavy load. Upon approaching the boulder,
the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.
After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. He then picked up his load
again but in doing so he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.
He put his load down again and picked up the purse. Opening it to see if he could find
some clue as to the owner’s identity he found that the purse contained many gold coins
and a note from the King. The note indicated that the gold was for the person who
removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us
never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts.
Many years ago, a volunteer at a hospital, got to know a little girl named Liz who was
suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be
a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the
same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he
would be willing to give his blood to his sister. The child hesitated but only for a moment
before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save my sister."
As the transfusion began, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as did everyone
upon seeing the color return to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".
You see being a child he saw things so simply and thought he was going to have to give
his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
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Feel free to share this with friends and family over the holidays. I am sure that it will make
a difference. Have a great week.
"Work like you don't need the money;
love like you've never been hurt;
and dance like you do when nobody's watching."
In Fitness & Friendship,
Mahler
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
__________________
"It's what you've got inside that matters. The details and technological things will take you only so far. You still have to pedal the bike. Some people are always looking for the magic secret. There's no secret. Just bust your ass." -Dave Zabriskie
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