Anecdote: How Much Damage Is The “Education” System Doing?

Squirrels Going To School“The animals got together in the forest one day and decided to start a school. There was a rabbit, a bird, a squirrel, a fish and an eel, and they formed a Board of Education. The rabbit insisted that running be in the curriculum. The bird insisted that flying be in the curriculum. The fish insisted that swimming be in the curriculum, and the squirrel insisted that perpendicular tree climbing be in the curriculum. They put all these things together and wrote a curriculum guide. Then they insisted that all of the animals take all of the subjects.

Although the rabbit was getting an A in running, perpendicular tree climbing was a real problem for him; he kept falling over backwards. Pretty soon he got to be sort of brain damaged, and he couldn’t run anymore. He found that instead of making an A in running, he was making a C and, of course, he always made an F in perpendicular climbing.

The bird was really beautiful at flying, but when it came to burrowing in the ground, he couldn’t do so well. He kept breaking his beak and wings. Pretty soon he was making a C in flying as well as an F in burrowing, and he had a hell of a time with perpendicular tree climbing.

The moral of the story is that the person who was valedictorian of the class was a mentally retarded eel who did everything in a halfway fashion. But the educators were all happy because everybody was taking all of the subjects, and it was called broad based education.” -Leo Buscaglia

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote Of The Week: When Your Blessing Is Served To You On A Platter And You’re Still Hungry

Farmland“Bob put me through my workout paces and encouraged a lifestyle bullet around eating whole foods (long before I’d ever heard of the story that shares that name and mission).

I resisted. But even as different diets came and went, his advise remained consistent and wise: Eat foods that make you thrive.

A few years ago, I finally got the big aha and started growing my own vegetables. And what began with a few rows of lettuce, some tomatoes, and basil (my favorite herb) in my backyard in Santa Barbara eventually became a genuine farm in Maui. My gardening interest grew into a passion…

In rural Mississippi, where I was born, a garden meant survival. In Nashville, where I later lived, my father always cleared a “patch” by the side of our house, where he would grow collard greens, tomatoes, crowder peas, and butter beans.

Today that’s my favorite meal; add some cornbread and I’m clicking my heels. But when I was say girl, I saw no value in eating freshly grown foods. “Why can’t we have store bought food like other people?” I’d complain. I wanted my vegetables to come from the “valley of the jolly- ho, ho, ho- Green Giant”! Having to eat from the garden made me feel poor.

I now know for sure how blessed I was to have access to fresh food- something not every family today can take for granted.

Thank you, Lord, for growth.

I’ve worked hard to sow the seeds for a life in which I get to keep expanding my dreams. One of those dreams is for everyone to be able to eat fresh food that goes from farm to table- because better food is the foundation for a better life.”-From, “What I Know For Sure” By: Oprah Winfrey

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote Of The Week: Fighting A Pride

Lion FamilyA tiger, when attacked, fights alone. Even when the imperiled tiger is surrounded by fellow tigers, the tigers that are not in imminent danger do nothing to help. Lions defend against attack as a pride. No tiger attacks a lion within sight of another lion. A single lion, however, had it the will to, could slaughter every tiger on the planet, lined up cheek to jowl, one at a time.” -From, “The Reckoning” By: Randall Robinson

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote Of The Week: Are You Allowing Yourself To Be Lulled By Convenience, So You Can Easily Be Lead To Slaughter?

“One day, a sparrow flies into a stinking piggery where she watches a swine gobble down his food.

Seeing his unexpected visitor, the swine starts boasting about his life. ‘I live like a king here. I don’t even have to lift a paw to get something to eat. Several times a day, someone comes to bring me food. I do nothing but eat and sleep- what a life!’

The little bird says nothing.

‘How you must envy me,’ says the swine, as he fills his mouth with swill.

‘It is you who must be envious of me,’ trills the sparrow.

‘I? Envy you? Never!’ protests the swine loudly. ‘I am like a king in this pen while you have to work for your food. You are a slave to your needs!’

At this the sparrow flies away, leaving the swine munching his meal noisily.

After sometime, the sparrow returns to the piggery. Piercing screams are coming from the pen. Flying nearer, she sees the plump swine being led to a nearby slaughterhouse.

The swine looks up and sees the sparrow. While he strains again the rope that binds him, the swine tells the little bird, ‘I lived like a king and now I shall die like a slave.’

After uttering these words, the swine sees the butcher sharpening his knife. As he follow the flight of the sparrow with envious eyes, he feels the knife at his throat.” -Author Unknown

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote Of The Week: The Law of the Garbage Truck

“How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, for an instant, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she/he can get back her/his focus on what’s important.

Five years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a taxicab in Indianapolis. Here’s what happened:

I hopped in a taxi and we took off for Indianapolis Airport. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And, I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy you did.

“So this was it: The ‘Law of the Garbage Truck.’ I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets?

It was that day I said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore.’ I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie ‘The Sixth Sense,’ the little boy said, ‘I see Dead People.’ Well, now ‘I see Garbage Trucks.’ I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my taxi driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best, for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you?

What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

You’ll be happier. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.

Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, TAKE IT! If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it!” -Author Unknown

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote Of The Week: Never Be Afraid To Ask Questions

“I was ten days past my due date with my first child and my doctor continued to tell me not to worry. But I went on the internet and saw some research that said there was a higher risk of stillbirth when you are overdue. That freaked me out. At my next appointment the doctor did a stress test, and said we were both fine, and was about to send me home. But I happened to ask the technician what other tests were important at this stage, and she mentioned one that measured your amniotic fluid level. My husband and I asked if we could have that test. It showed my fluid was dangerously low, which is what can cause stillbirths. They wouldn’t let me go home. I went to Labor & Delivery immediately.

Later at the hospital, my husband and I asked the nurse why the line disappeared on the baby’s heartbeat monitor whenever I had a contraction. She panicked, ran for the doctor, who yelled at her for not noticing it sooner. The baby was in distress because of low fluid. In ten seconds, the delivery room turned into an operating room. It was traumatic. I learned to never turn over the ultimate responsibility of your and your baby’s life to the doctor. What if we never asked those questions? No matter how many degrees they have, or how much you would like to trust them, you really cannot.” -From, “The Mocha Manual To A Fabulous Pregnancy” By: Kimberly Seals-Allers

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote Of The Week: The Power of Fear


“According to legend, one day a man was wandering in the desert when he met Fear and Plague. They said they were on their way to a large city where they were going to kill 10,000 people. The man asked Plague if he was going to do all the work. Plague smiled and said, ‘No, I’ll only take care of a few hundred. I’ll let my friend Fear do the rest.'” -Anonymous

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote Of The Week: What Are The Movements Of A Great Leader?


“One of the ways I measure a good leader is by assessing the strength of the number two person. Would the organization function if the leader was not present? Insecure leaders make it difficult for the number two person to grow to their full potential.

I have had the privilege of observing geese fly south for the winter. It is amazing to see them fly. It is majestic the way they fly so effortlessly. If you look closer at geese, you will find that there is an order, a science, in the way they position themselves when they fly. They fly in a “V” formation.

There is a scientific reason for this. Researchers found that as each goose flaps its wings, an updraft is created for the bird immediately following. Studies show that this “V” formation adds at least 71 percent greater power than if the birds had flown alone.

There really is benefit in doing thing together. The real beauty is not just the strength that they gain from each other in the “V” formation, but the lead geese on both sides of the “V” are encouraged by each other. The noise being made are geese cheering for the leaders to keep the faith and keep the speed. When the lead geese are tired, they rotate to the back of the “V” and others will assume the point position. It is truly remarkable to observe.

If one goose becomes ill…and falls out of formation, two other geese will follow and nurture the goose hopefully to health. Wouldn’t it be nice if people would function the same way?” -From, “Sankofa: Stories of Power, Hope, and Joy”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote: “How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood?”


“How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, for an instant, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she/he can get back her/his focus on what’s important.

Five years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a taxicab in Indianapolis. Here’s what happened:

I hopped in a taxi and we took off for Indianapolis Airport. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And, I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy you did.

“So this was it: The ‘Law of the Garbage Truck.’ I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets?

It was that day I said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore.’ I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie ‘The Sixth Sense,’ the little boy said, ‘I see Dead People.’ Well, now ‘I see Garbage Trucks.’ I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my taxi driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best, for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you?

What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

You’ll be happier. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.

Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, TAKE IT! If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it!” -Author Unknown

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email

Anecdote: What Kind Of King, Or Queen, Are You?

“There was once a beloved king whose castle was on a high hill, overlooking his shire. He was so popular that the nearby townspeople sent him gifts daily, and his birthday celebration was enjoyed throughout the kingdom. The people loved him for his renowned wisdom and fair judgments.

One day, tragedy struck the town. The water supply was polluted, and every man, woman, and child went insane. Only the king, who had a private spring, was spared.

Soon after the tragedy, the mad townspeople began speaking of how the king was acting ‘strangely’ and how his judgments were poor and his wisdom a sham. Many even went so far as to say that the king had gone crazy. His popularity soon vanished. No longer did the people bring him gifts or celebrate his birthday.

Then one day, the king, desperately lonely, paid a visit to the town and knowingly drank from the public fountain. That night marked a great celebration, because the king had ‘regained his sanity.'” -Dan Millman

Since we are all rulers of our own domain, in one way or another; the aforementioned tale provokes me to rhetorically ask, “What kind of king, or queen, are you?” What would you do in the king’s situation? [SIDEBAR: Way too many have drank the kool aid.]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plusone Linkedin Tumblr Email