"Daily Inspiration"

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True Riches (Money Is Not True Wealth)

There was once a boy who was growing up in a very wealthy family. One day, his father decided to take him on a trip to show him how others lived who were less fortunate. His father’s goal was to help his son appreciate everything that he has been given in life.

The boy and his father pulled up to a farm where a very poor family lived. They spent several days on the farm, helping the family work for their food and take care of their land.

When they left the farm, his dad asked his son if he enjoyed their trip and if he had learned anything during the time they spent with this other family.

The boy quickly replied, “It was fantastic, that family is so lucky!”

Confused, his father asked what he meant by that.

The boy said, “Well, we only have one dog, but that family has four–and they have chickens! We have four people in our home, but they have 12! They have so many people to play with! We have a pool in our yard, but they have a river running through their property that is endless. We have lanterns outside so we can see at night, but they have the wide open sky and the beautiful stars to give them wonder and light. We have a patio, but they have the entire horizon to enjoy–they have endless fields to run around in and play. We have to go to the grocery store, but they are able to grow their own food. Our high fence protects our property and our family, but they don‘t need such a limiting structure, because their friends protect them.”

The father was speechless.

Finally, the boy added, “Thank you for showing me how rich people live, they’re so lucky.”

Moral Of The Story:

True wealth and happiness aren’t measured by material belongings. Being around the people you love, enjoying the beautiful, natural environment, and having freedom are much more valuable.

A rich life can mean different things to different people. What are your values and priorities? If you have whatever is important to you, you can consider yourself to be wealthy.

Author: Unknown

 

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The Wise Old Man And The Jokes (Don’t Moan About Things You Not Doing Anything About)

A wise man once faced a group of people who were complaining about the same issues over and over again. One day, instead of listening to the complaints, he told them a joke and everyone cracked up laughing.

Then, the man repeated the joke. A few people smiled.

Finally, the man repeated the joke a third time–but no one reacted.

The man smiled and said, “You won’t laugh at the same joke more than once. So what are you getting from continuing to complain about the same problem?”

Moral Of The Story: You’re not going to get anywhere if you keep complaining about the same problem but do nothing to fix it. Don’t waste your time complaining, expecting other people to continue to react to your complaints. Instead, take action to make a change.

Author: Unknown

 

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Richard never spoke much about Vietnam. All I knew was that he’d been wounded by a sniper, and that he kept a grainy black-and-white photo from a USO show tucked away—one he’d taken of Ann-Margret on stage, with Bob Hope faintly visible in the background. That photo meant the world to him.

Years later, we heard Ann-Margret would be signing books at a local store. Richard—quiet, reserved—was there by noon for a 7:30 p.m. event. All he wanted was to show her the photo. Maybe say thank you.

By the time I arrived after work, the line wrapped around the parking lot and down the street. Before it began, store staff made an announcement: she would only sign her book—no memorabilia allowed.

Richard understood. But when his turn came, he gently took out the photo anyway. Staff stepped in, reminding everyone of the rule.
Ann-Margret paused.

She looked at the photograph—her eyes softened, then filled with tears.

She turned to the crowd and said,
“This is one of my gentlemen from Vietnam. I will most certainly sign his photo.”

Then, in front of everyone, she leaned in and kissed him. She spoke about “her boys,” how much they meant to her, how proud and grateful she still was. The line went silent. People wiped their eyes.

In that moment, Richard wasn’t just a man in line.

He was seen. He was honored.

That night, something changed in him. At dinner, he sat quiet. And when I asked how he was feeling, my strong, steady husband finally broke.

“That’s the first time anyone ever thanked me,” he said.

I’ve never forgotten it. And now, I thank every veteran I meet.

Because sometimes, the smallest moment—a photo, a few words—can be everything.
~ The Two Pennies

 

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"They told him he was too old—so he outraced them all.

In 1951, 66-year-old Gustav Hakansson showed up to Sweden’s grueling 1,764km Sverigeloppet bike race... and got turned away. Too old, they said. Not fit, they scoffed. But as the official racers set off, Gustav—white beard flowing, homemade bike rattling—pedaled quietly behind them. Unregistered. Uninvited. Unstoppable.

He rode day and night, fueled by raw eggs, black coffee, and something stronger than muscle—pure willpower. While the younger athletes slept, Gustav kept riding. For 72 straight hours. No rest. No support team. Just a pensioner on a heavy steel bike, being cheered by growing crowds who saw in him something extraordinary: defiance, courage, and endurance.

When he finally crossed the finish line before every official racer, the crowd erupted. Race officials refused to crown him, but it didn’t matter. Sweden had already decided: Gustav ""Stålfarfar"" Hakansson wasn’t just a racer—he was a legend.

His ride wasn’t about winning a medal. It was about proving that limits are often just someone else’s doubts in disguise."

 

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Dirty Washing (Your Judgements Say More About You Than the Person You Judge)

A young couple moved into a new house. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the washing outside.

“That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better detergent.”

Her husband looked on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments.

A month later, the young woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband,
“Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”

The husband replied, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”

And so it is with life … What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look. So don’t be too quick to judge others, especially if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires.

“Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are.”

Source: Jonathan Kestenbaum

 

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The Donkey In The Well (For Anyone Going Through A Hard Time)

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway-it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all of his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Moral Of The Story: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!
Shake it off, and take a step up.
Author: Unknown

 

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Everyone Is Fighting A Personal Battle: Be Kind​

The day my father died, I went to the shop to buy bananas.

I remember thinking to myself, “This is insane. Your dad just died. Why the hell are you buying bananas?”

But we needed bananas. We’d be waking up for breakfast tomorrow morning, and there wouldn’t be any bananas—so there I was.

And lots of other stuff still needed doing too, so over the coming days I would navigate parking lots, wait in restaurant lines, take dogs for walks; pushing back tears, fighting to stay upright, and in general always being seconds from a total, blubbering, room-clearing freak out.

I wanted to wear a sign that said: I JUST LOST MY DAD. PLEASE GO EASY.

Unless anyone passing by looked deeply into my bloodshot eyes or noticed the occasional break in my voice and thought enough to ask, it’s not like they’d have known what’s happening inside me or around me. They wouldn’t have had any idea of the gaping sinkhole that had just opened up and swallowed the normal life of the girl next to them in the produce section.

And while I didn’t want to physically wear my actual circumstances on my chest, it probably would have caused people around me to give me space or speak softer or move more carefully—and it might have made the impossible, almost bearable.

Everyone around you; the people you share the grocery store line with, pass in traffic, sit next to at work, encounter on social media, and see across the kitchen table—they’re all experiencing the collateral damage of living. They are all grieving someone, missing someone, worried about someone. Their marriages are crumbling or their bond payment is late or they’re waiting on their child’s test results, or they’re getting bananas five years after a death and still pushing back tears because the loss feels as real as it did that first day.

Every single human being you pass by today is fighting to find peace and to push back fear; to get through their daily tasks without breaking down in front of the bananas or in the line or at the post office.

Maybe they aren’t mourning the sudden, tragic passing of a parent, but wounded, exhausted, pain-ravaged people are everywhere, everyday stumbling all around us—and yet most of the time we’re fairly oblivious to them:

• Parents whose children are terminally ill.
• Couples in the middle of divorce.
• People grieving loss of loved ones and relationships.
• Kids being bullied at school.
• Teenagers who want to end their lives.
• People marking the anniversary of a death.
• Parents worried about their depressed teenager.
• Spouses whose partners are deployed in combat.
• Families with no idea how to keep the lights on.
• Single parents with little help and little sleep.

Everyone is grieving and worried and fearful, and yet none of them wear the signs, none of them have labels, and none of them come with written warnings reading, I’M STRUGGLING. BE NICE TO ME.

And since they don’t, it’s up to you and me to look more closely and more deeply at everyone around us: at work or at the gas station or in the produce section, and to never assume they aren’t all just hanging by a thread. Because most people are hanging by a thread—and our simple kindness can be that thread.

We need to remind ourselves just how hard the hidden stories around us might be, and to approach each person as a delicate, breakable, invaluable treasure—and to handle them with care.

As you make your way through the world today and into the new year, people won’t be wearing signs to announce their mourning or to alert you to the attrition or to broadcast how terrified they are—but if you look with the right eyes, you’ll see the signs.

There are grieving people all around you.

Go easy.

Written by John Pavlovitz

 

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Everyone Is Fighting A Personal Battle: Be Kind​

The day my father died, I went to the shop to buy bananas.

I remember thinking to myself, “This is insane. Your dad just died. Why the hell are you buying bananas?”

But we needed bananas. We’d be waking up for breakfast tomorrow morning, and there wouldn’t be any bananas—so there I was.

And lots of other stuff still needed doing too, so over the coming days I would navigate parking lots, wait in restaurant lines, take dogs for walks; pushing back tears, fighting to stay upright, and in general always being seconds from a total, blubbering, room-clearing freak out.

I wanted to wear a sign that said: I JUST LOST MY DAD. PLEASE GO EASY.

Unless anyone passing by looked deeply into my bloodshot eyes or noticed the occasional break in my voice and thought enough to ask, it’s not like they’d have known what’s happening inside me or around me. They wouldn’t have had any idea of the gaping sinkhole that had just opened up and swallowed the normal life of the girl next to them in the produce section.

And while I didn’t want to physically wear my actual circumstances on my chest, it probably would have caused people around me to give me space or speak softer or move more carefully—and it might have made the impossible, almost bearable.

Everyone around you; the people you share the grocery store line with, pass in traffic, sit next to at work, encounter on social media, and see across the kitchen table—they’re all experiencing the collateral damage of living. They are all grieving someone, missing someone, worried about someone. Their marriages are crumbling or their bond payment is late or they’re waiting on their child’s test results, or they’re getting bananas five years after a death and still pushing back tears because the loss feels as real as it did that first day.

Every single human being you pass by today is fighting to find peace and to push back fear; to get through their daily tasks without breaking down in front of the bananas or in the line or at the post office.

Maybe they aren’t mourning the sudden, tragic passing of a parent, but wounded, exhausted, pain-ravaged people are everywhere, everyday stumbling all around us—and yet most of the time we’re fairly oblivious to them:

• Parents whose children are terminally ill.
• Couples in the middle of divorce.
• People grieving loss of loved ones and relationships.
• Kids being bullied at school.
• Teenagers who want to end their lives.
• People marking the anniversary of a death.
• Parents worried about their depressed teenager.
• Spouses whose partners are deployed in combat.
• Families with no idea how to keep the lights on.
• Single parents with little help and little sleep.

Everyone is grieving and worried and fearful, and yet none of them wear the signs, none of them have labels, and none of them come with written warnings reading, I’M STRUGGLING. BE NICE TO ME.

And since they don’t, it’s up to you and me to look more closely and more deeply at everyone around us: at work or at the gas station or in the produce section, and to never assume they aren’t all just hanging by a thread. Because most people are hanging by a thread—and our simple kindness can be that thread.

We need to remind ourselves just how hard the hidden stories around us might be, and to approach each person as a delicate, breakable, invaluable treasure—and to handle them with care.

As you make your way through the world today and into the new year, people won’t be wearing signs to announce their mourning or to alert you to the attrition or to broadcast how terrified they are—but if you look with the right eyes, you’ll see the signs.

There are grieving people all around you.

Go easy.

Written by John Pavlovitz

Sadly this article hits the truth very hard.
I have had my ups and downs over the past 5 years which has caused my family a lot of grief and wrenching at the heart strings, me included.
Would I ever walk again, would I ever be able to work again, and so on.
So much is hidden even by me from my family, as I didn't and wouldn't load them up with "what maybe, or could be" but instead let's just work at one day at a time.
Current health issues have a less stressful effect but once again I don't let all of the story out.
As I said to a good friend only yesterday who was given a couple of months to live recently, while we are upright and casting a good shadow, life has to be better than the opposite.
He is fighting and appears to be winning.
Sometimes the power of the mind will be the winner, not always, but just sometimes.
The light in tunnel is not always the freight train coming but an unexpected bonus that more time has been given.
Amen

 

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The Boy And The Ice Cream (Don’t Be So Quick To Judge First Appearances)

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?”

“50 cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.
“35 cents,” she said brusquely.

The little boy again counted the 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 departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.

Moral of the story: Don’t be so quick to judge others at first appearance. Very often the people we least expect to help, are those that give the most generously so share your warmth unabatedly with the world.

Author: Unknown

 

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How an uneducated man became one of the world’s greatest surgeons​

Dr Hamilton Naki Teaches Us: “You can only get more in life by saying YES!”

This is the story about a remarkable man called Dr Hamilton Naki who never attended a day of school in his life. He could neither read or write. And he obviously never went to University. Yet this man was awarded the honourary degree of MASTER OF MEDICINE from Cape Town Medical University which is respected around the world for its contribution to medicine.

This man taught over 30,000 surgeons and was an extra-ordinary teacher. The way he learnt and taught medicine surprised the human mind.

Hamilton was born in a small, quiet village in the Eastern Cape. His parents were shepherds. He wore goat skin, and he walked in the mountains barefoot all day. Until his father fell ill. So he left the sheep and goats and moved to Cape Town so he could earn money and send it home every month.

At the time they were doing construction on Cape Town University and he got a job as a labourer. He would leave home at 3:00am in the morning to walk to work. He walked 22km per day. He always got there every morning by 6:00am. He was never ever late. When the construction of the university ended he got a job as a gardener at the University. He did this for three years until the first turning point came in his life.

Professor Robert Joyce was researching giraffes and wanted to understand why a giraffe doesn’t have a seizure when it bends down to drink water. They laid a giraffe on the operating table, put it to sleep, but as soon as the operation started, the giraffe shook its head. So they needed a strong man to keep the giraffe’s neck still during the operation. The professor came out of the theatre. Hamilton was mowing the lawn. The professor saw that he was a young strong man. He asked him to grab the giraffe’s neck and hold the giraffe down. He said: “YES!”

The operation lasted eight hours. During this time, the doctor continued to take tea and coffee breaks, however Hamilton stood holding the giraffe’s neck. When the operation was over, he quietly went out and started mowing the lawn. The next day the professor called him again, he came and grabbed the giraffe’s neck and when the surgery was over, he left the building and carried on with his gardening work. His work was so good that this soon became his new routine. He worked double for many months. He never once complained and never asked for extra money.

Professor Robert Joyce was impressed by his hard work and attitude. He was promoted from Gardener to Lab Assistant. He now came to the university, went to the operating theatre and helped the surgeons. This process continued for years.

In 1958 came another turning point in his life. Dr Chris Barnard came to the university and started heart transplant operations. Hamilton became his assistant, during these operations. He soon went from Lab Assistant to Extra Surgeon. This meant that the doctors performed their operation and then Hamilton was given the task of stitching up the patients. He used to do excellent stitches. His fingers were clean and fast. He stitched fifty people in one day.

While working in the operating theatre, he began to understand the human body just as well, if not better, than the trained surgeons. So the senior doctors gave him the responsibility of teaching the junior doctors. He was a brilliant teacher who was adored and admired by all his students.

In 1970 the third turning point came in his life. Research began on the liver. Hamilton identified a very important artery during surgery which made liver transplants easier. The great minds of medical science were amazed by his knowledge. Today, when someone somewhere in the world has a successful liver transplant they can thank Hamilton!

Hamilton worked at the University for over 50 years and he never took a holiday. He died in 2005 and was buried at the University.

And you know how he achieved what he did? By saying YES! And then working hard and never giving up. If he had refused to hold down the giraffe’s neck that day, if he had said: “I am just a gardener”, he would never have become a surgeon.

This post is dedicated to my daughter, Rebecca Fryer.

In grade 3 she had to do an oral on a marvel. We looked up the definition of a marvel and found that it was an astonishing thing or person. At the time I had just read about Dr Naki and I was utterly mesmerized about his life story and told my family all about it at dinner. She decided there are then, she wanted to do her oral on Dr Hamilton as his story is without a doubt, astonishing. The above post was the shortened version that she wrote and told her class.

Source: Wikipedia and various online articles.

Content written by Rebecca Fryer and edited by Julia Fryer.

 

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View attachment 201309

Other people's opinions generally best kept to themselves.
There is enough in life to worry about.

 

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Listen Carefully When People Say, “I’m Okay”​

Listen to Hear

When people respond to your greeting saying they are “Okay,” listen carefully and look in their eyes. They may very well not be okay.

Why do we do that?

Why do we pretend that everything is “Okay” when our hearts are breaking?

I cannot tell you the number of times I have had a good cry in my car, only to get out, put on my glasses, smile and respond with the same greeting response: “I’m Okay thanks, and you?”

Is it because we don’t think anyone really cares so why share?

Do we not want to burden others with our troubles?

Do we not have the time to explain what’s really on our hearts?

Maybe we don’t trust the person asking enough to be real with our response.

Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above. But if there is one thing that I have learnt in life, it’s this:

If you do not let the sadness out, it makes itself a home in your heart and digs deeper and deeper into your joy. The moment you give that pain an outlet and share your troubles, the less alone and isolated you feel.

And do me a favour, do not say your troubles are “first world issues.” Do not say “I know I have many blessings and that I am being silly!” WHAT HOG WASH!!

If it’s hurting your heart, it’s real to you. Acknowledge the full depth of your sadness because you cannot release something you haven’t felt completely. Remember there is no going around pain and struggle. We have to go THROUGH struggles to deal with them. So face up to all the emotions warrior heart and do the hard work.

Remember as you open up and are vulnerable you give permission for others to do the same. Our troubles are all universal. Chances are what is hurting you now has hurt your friend at a time in their life too. If they have been lucky enough to escape it so far, no doubt at some point, that same pain will come knocking on their door and they will remember how you faced up to it with such courage.

So my friend, let it out and then let it go.

And next time you lie and say you are “Okay”, remember there are probably a whole host of people around you who are probably “Okay” too.

 

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When you're 18, you worry about
what everybody is thinking of you;
when you're 50 or 60, you don't much care
what anybody thinks of you;
when you're 70 or 80, you realize that
nobody's been thinking about you at all.
-Daniel Amen​

 

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Self-focus is a necessary phase on your journey,
but once you can see yourself realistically,
through objective self-observation,
it’s time to shift your attention
from yourself to the world.
When looking at a mirror,
notice the frame.
~~~~~
Meditation consists of two processes:
One is insight — mindful attention to
whatever appears in the field of awareness.
The other is surrender: seeing the illusory nature
of arising thoughts, and letting them flow on by.​

-Dan Millman​

 

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"He didn’t throw a punch—but that day, he may have saved a life with just his voice.

On a tense afternoon in 1981, a young Vietnam War veteran stood on the edge of a 9th-story window in Los Angeles, ready to jump. Police tried, friends pleaded—but nothing worked. Then someone had an idea: Call Muhammad Ali.

Within minutes, the heavyweight champion—famous for his speed in the ring and fire in his words—raced across town. No cameras. No entourage. Just Ali, standing below the man and shouting, “I’m your brother! I want to help you!”
When that didn’t work, he asked to go up.

Face-to-face, Ali sat with the man for over 20 minutes, listening. No bravado. No poetry. Just heart. Eventually, the man stepped back from the ledge. Ali led him to safety, arm around his shoulder.

No spotlight, no show. Just The Greatest doing something truly great!

 

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"He didn’t throw a punch—but that day, he may have saved a life with just his voice.

On a tense afternoon in 1981, a young Vietnam War veteran stood on the edge of a 9th-story window in Los Angeles, ready to jump. Police tried, friends pleaded—but nothing worked. Then someone had an idea: Call Muhammad Ali.

Within minutes, the heavyweight champion—famous for his speed in the ring and fire in his words—raced across town. No cameras. No entourage. Just Ali, standing below the man and shouting, “I’m your brother! I want to help you!”
When that didn’t work, he asked to go up.

Face-to-face, Ali sat with the man for over 20 minutes, listening. No bravado. No poetry. Just heart. Eventually, the man stepped back from the ledge. Ali led him to safety, arm around his shoulder.

No spotlight, no show. Just The Greatest doing something truly great!




View attachment 201401

An unsung moment that maybe should have had more coverage.

 

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Grew up in 50s, 60s, 70s, & 80s ·​

We were raised in a time when milk clinked at the doorstep in glass bottles.​

Saturday mornings were sacred reserved for cartoons and cereal.​

​

Christmas was simpler you got what you were given, and it meant the world.​

Phones had cords that tangled, just like the friendships that lasted a lifetime.​

​

We didn’t need clubs we danced under basement lights and shared real moments.​

Our idols spun on turntables, not screens.​

​

When something broke be it a toy or a heart we fixed it, not tossed it.​

​

Doors were left unlocked, bikes slept outside, and trust was our silent neighbor.​

​

We believed in working hard, blaring rock 'n' roll, and keeping Sundays slow.​

​

We didn’t just watch the world change we cranked the volume and made it unforgettable.​

​

 

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Are You Spending Your Time Or Wasting It?​

I will never forget the day my mentor called me to say that that cancer had taken over and that there was nothing further the doctors could do.

In essence his call to me was a goodbye call. He had been my mentor since I started working and we had always stayed in touch, even though our geographies were spluttered around the world.

In the silence that followed as I tried to digest the enormity of what he was telling me, he followed with these wise words:

“Use your time well.

None of us know how much time we are going to be given.

Always ask yourself: “Am I wasting time or am I spending time?”

If you hate what you do, and you are half good at it, imagine how well you could do if you actually loved what you did.”

This post is in memory of you Pod. Thank you for this beautiful lesson and thank you even more for the impact you had on my life.

Author: Unknown

 

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Grew up in 50s, 60s, 70s, & 80s ·​

We were raised in a time when milk clinked at the doorstep in glass bottles.​

Saturday mornings were sacred reserved for cartoons and cereal.​

​

Christmas was simpler you got what you were given, and it meant the world.​

Phones had cords that tangled, just like the friendships that lasted a lifetime.​

​

We didn’t need clubs we danced under basement lights and shared real moments.​

Our idols spun on turntables, not screens.​

​

When something broke be it a toy or a heart we fixed it, not tossed it.​

​

Doors were left unlocked, bikes slept outside, and trust was our silent neighbor.​

​

We believed in working hard, blaring rock 'n' roll, and keeping Sundays slow.​

​

We didn’t just watch the world change we cranked the volume and made it unforgettable.​

View attachment 201433​

​

@ShareSuccess those were the days my friend, those were certainly the days.
Long gone but not really forgotten.