The Perfect Woman

- By Paulo Coelho

Nasrudin was talking to a friend, who asked him,‘Have you never considered getting married, Mullah?’

‘I have,’ replied Nasrudin. ‘In my youth, I resolved to find the perfect woman. I crossed the desert and reached Damascus, and I met a lovely, very spiritual woman, but she knew nothing of the world. I continued my journey and went to Isfahan; there I met a woman who knew both the spiritual and the material world, but she was not pretty. Then I decided to go to Cairo, where I dined in the house of a beautiful woman, who was both religious and a connoisseur of material reality.’

‘Why didn’t you marry her then?’

‘Alas, my friend, she was looking for the perfect man.’

सर्वगुण सम्पन्न 

- पाउलो कोएलो  

नसिरुद्दिनका एक मित्रले सोध्यो,"बिहे गर्ने बारेमा कहिल्यै सोचेका छैनौ, नसिरुद्दिन?"

"सोचेको छु", नासिरुद्दिनले  जवाफ दियो,"म जवान हुँदा म सर्वगुण सम्पन्न महिलाको खोजीमा थिएँ। मरुभूमि पार गरी दमस्कसमा पुग्दा एक प्यारी आध्यात्मिक प्रकृतिकी केटीसंग भेट भयो।  तर उसलाई संसारको बारेमा केहि थाहा थिएन। यात्राको क्रममा इस्फाहन पुग्दा ज्यादै धार्मिक प्रकृतिकी सांसारिक ज्ञान पनि प्रचुर मात्रामा भएकी एक महिलासंग भेट भयो, तर उनी सुन्दरी थिईनन्। त्यसपछि म काइरोमा गएँ।  त्यहाँ एक ज्यादै नै सुन्दरी महिलासंग भेट भयो जो धार्मिक पनि थीई र सांसारिक ज्ञान भएकी पनि।"

"अनि उसंग किन बिहे नगरेको त?"

"अफ्शोज, ती महिला पनि सर्वगुण सम्पन्न पुरुषको खोजीमा थीईन्।"  

The Animal School

Once upon a time the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a “new world” so they organized a school. They had adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that, except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He also developed a “charlie horse” from overexertion and then got a C in climbing and D in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceeding well and also run, climb, and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school.

Does this fable have a moral?

Note: This story was written when George Reavis was the Assistant Superintendent of the Cincinnati Public Schools back in the 1940s! This content is in the public domain and free to copy, duplicate, and distribute.

Quit

 

One day, I decided to quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with the God.

“God”, I asked,“Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

His answer surprised me…

“Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo”, He said, “In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit. Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He asked me, “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don’t compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.” 

बाँस 

एकदिन मलाई आफ्नो काम, सम्बन्धहरु, आध्यात्मिकता, ……. , र जीवन नै त्याग्न मनलाग्यो। 

अन्तिम पटक भगवानसँग दुई शब्द बोल्नकालागि म जंगलमा गएँ। 

"भगवान", मैले सोधें,"म थाकिसकेको छु । म अझै बांचिरहनुपर्ने एउटा मात्र कारण दिनसक्नुहुन्छ?"

"हेर," भगवानले भन्नुभयो,"यहाँ घाँस र बाँस दुवै छन्।  मैले यी दुवै संगै रोपेको थिएँ।  घाँस चाहि रोप्ने बित्तिकै उम्रिहाल्यो र जंगल को भुइँ सबै हरियो बनाइदियो। तर एक बर्ष बित्दा पनि बाँसको चुलिसम्म पनि भुइँबाट निस्किएन। तैपनि मैले घाम-पानी लगाई नै रहें, हार मानिनँ। दोस्रो बर्ष पनि केहि भएन।  तेस्रो बर्ष बित्यो तर केहि निस्किएन। तर मैले दिनुपर्ने सम्पूर्ण घाम-पानी दिई नै रहें। चौथौं बर्षमा पनि केहि निस्किएन। पाँचौं बर्षमा बाँसको सानो चुली निस्कियो। घाँससंग तुलना गर्दा त्यो सारै सानो र नगन्य थियो।  तर त्यसको छ महिना मै त्यो बाँस १०० फीट लामो भयो। यत्रो बर्ष त्यो बाँसले जरा तयार गर्दैथियो।  तिमीले पनि जुन दुखहरु पाइरहेकाछौ र संघर्ष गर्दैथियौ, त्यो सबै जरा बनाइरहेका थियौ। त्यसैले तिमीले हिम्मत हार्नु हुदैन। घाँस र बाँस दुबैको बढ्ने आ-आफ्नै समय हुन्छ र तिनीहरु दुबैको आ-आफ्नै विशेषता हुन्छ। यी दुबैले जंगललाई सुन्दर नै बनाउछ। "   

   

Reverse the Statement

She said to him,"If I had brain like yours, I'd be a better person."

He replied,"Be a better person, and you'll have brain like mine!"

Lets see some of the statements we come across which we should reverse.

- If I had money, I'd do good business.

-If I had favourable environment, I'd achieve more.

-If I had time, I'd meditate.

भए…. 

उसलाई उनीले भनिन्,"मसंग तपाईको जस्तो बुद्धि भएको भए म अझ बढी राम्रो व्यक्ति हुन्थें।"

उसले भन्यो,"तिमी अझ राम्रो व्यक्ति बन्यो भने मेरो जस्तो बुद्धि हुनेछ!"

हाम्रा जीवनका यी जस्ता वाक्यहरुलाई पनि हामी उल्टाएर बिचार गर्न सक्छौं कि?

- मसंग पैसा भैदिए, म राम्रो ब्यापार गर्थें। 

-वातावरण अनुकूल भैदिएको भए, म अझ बढी उपलब्धि हासिल गर्न सक्थें। 

- मसंग अलि बढी समय भैदिएको भए, म ध्यान गर्ने थिएँ।