An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:Dear Son,I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison............. ......... ........Love, DadShortly, the old man received this telegram: "For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!"At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad......... ......... ........ It's the best I could do for you from here."Moral:No Matter Where You Are In The World, If You Have Decided To Do Something Deep From Your Heart, You Can Do It. It Is The Thought That Matters Not Where You Are Or Where The Person Is..

Missing Rib . . .

A girl in love asked her boyfriend...Girl: Tell me... who do you love most in this world..?By: You, of course! Girl: In your heart, what am I to you? Boy: The boy thought for a moment and looked intently in her eyes andsaid, "You are my rib. In the Bible, it was said that God saw that Adamwas lonely, during his sleep; God took one of Adam's rib and created Eve.Every man has been searching for his missing rib, only when you find thewoman of your life; you'll no longer feel the lingering ache in yourheart . . ." After their wedding, the couple had a sweet and happy life for a while.However, the youthful couple began to drift apart due to the busyschedule of life and the never-ending worries of daily problems...theirlife became mundane. All the challenges posed by the harsh realities of life began to gnawaway their dreams and love for each other.. The couple began to havemore quarrels and each quarrel became more heated. One day, after the quarrel, the girl ran out of the house.... At theopposite side of the road, she shouted, "You don't love me...!" The boy hated her childishness and out of impulse, retorted, "Maybe, itwas a mistake for us to be together..! You were never my missing rib...!" Suddenly, she turned quiet and stood there for a long while.... Heregretted what he said but words spoken are like thrown away water,you can never take it back. With tears, she went home to pack her thingsand was determined in breaking-up. Before she left the house, "If I'm really not your missing rib,please let me go..... She continued, "It is less painful this way... let usgo on our separate ways and search for our own partners..." Five years went by.... He never remarried but he had tried to find out about her lifeindirectly...... She had left the country and back.... She hadmarried a foreigner and divorced..... He felt anguished that she neverwaited for him. In the dark and lonely night, he lit his cigarette and felt thelingering ache in his heart. He couldn't bring himself to admitthat he was missing her.. One day, they finally met.... At the airport, a place where therewere many reunions and good-byes.... He was going away on a businesstrip. She was standing there alone, with just the security door separatingthem. She smiled at him gently. (b): How are you? (g): I'm fine. How about you... Have you found your missing rib...? (b): No. (g): I'll be flying to New York in the next flight. (b): I'll be back in 2 weeks time. Give me a call when you are back...You know my number... Nothing has changed. With a smile, she turned around and waved good-bye.. "Good-bye . . ." One week later, he heard of her death. She had perished in NewYork. In the event that shocked the world..Midnight..... Once again, he lithis cigarette..... And like before, he felt the lingering ache in hisheart.... He finally knew, she was the missing rib that he had carelesslybroken . . . "Sometimes, people say things out of moments of fury..... Most oftenthan not, the outcome could be disastrous and detrimental.... We ventour frustrations 99% at our loved ones.... And even though we know thatwe ought to "think twice and act wisely", it's often easier said thandone. Things happen each day, many of which are beyond our control. Letus treasure every moment and everyone in our lives. Tomorrow may nevercome; give and accept what you have today . . . "

Reflect

An ambitious and restless shishya was getting impatient with his guru's style of teaching one lesson at a time. He wanted to learn everything quickly and reap the rewards of this learning quickly. He finally expressed his desire to complete his course quickly and move to the next phase of his life. The guru nodded his head and told him to come to him early next morning.

Next morning when the student arrived, he found the guru waiting for him near the chicken coop. He then let the chickens free and asked the student to catch them all in the next one hour . The student ran about trying to catch one and then the other and finally at the end of his hour got exhausted and sat down dejected as he had not been able to catch any.

Then the master told him, now I ask you to catch only the one with the ribbon round its neck. The student got up and despite all the other chickens running around him just went after the ribboned one and caught it with time to spare!. The master smiled and said

"Focus is not our ability to stay attached to the 'one' but also the discipline to avoid the distractions of the 'ninety nine".

But does this story apply to us in the age of multitasking? There are many things that we want to achieve in our life, but the trick is to focus on the single most important goal at that time and work towards achieving it instead of running after many things at the same time and probably getting too exhausted to do justice to each.

Priorities and Focus on one thing at a time - then there will be time for all the other things as well.... and if you do it right... you may still have time to spare!!