Stories & Poems
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
Terri McNerney
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in
I am lost … I am helpless
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Boldness
Until one is committed
there is hesitancy,
the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.<
Individual Contributions
Early one morning a man was walking along the beach, watching the ocean waves breaking on the shore, and he saw a most unusual thing. He saw that the beach was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed up on the shore and were dying in the sun.
Instructions for Life in the New Millennium
From the Dalai Lama:
- Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
- When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Life Choices
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!'
He was a natural motivator.
Reaping What You Sow
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to carve out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself.
The Development of Group Attitude
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string, and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.
The River and the Clouds
Once upon a time there was a beautiful river finding her way among the hills, forests, and meadows. She began by being a joyful stream of water, a spring always dancing and singing as she ran down from the top of the mountain. She was very young at the time, and as she came to the lowland she slowed down.
Time
A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.
Win-Win
Two sisters were arguing over who should have the last orange. They were becoming very angry and upset. Their mother couldn’t stand it any longer, and was tempted to cut the orange down the middle and give them half each, just to get some peace.