Humor 8/30/99: Words for the 90's & The Rocks of Life

Hi everyone,

This weekend I did two things I loved to do when I was in high school,
play ping pong and play chess, especially speed chess. I also went to a
church friend's birthday party. What's interesting is that he had
everyone bring their own fast food for dinner, and then we watched a Jet
Li martial arts movie, "Once Upon a Time in China III". If you haven't
seen this series of movies and you like kung fu movies, I'd definitely
recommend it.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could foresee a
single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Reiko Muto, followed by an
inspirational story forwarded by Jenny Liang (I think the expert in the
story is Stephen Covey. I've read this somewhere before). Enjoy!

-Josh.

P.S. By the way, my permanent email address is still
joshli@post.harvard.edu. Please send all emails to this address and do
not reply to this email. Thanks!
_________________________________________

Dilbert's latest vocabulary additions ---- NEW WORDS FOR THE 90's

BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was
missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on
everything, and then leaves. CHAINSAW CONSULTANT: An outside expert
brought in to reduce the employee headcount, leaving the top brass with
clean hands.

CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.

IDEA HAMSTERS: People who always seem to have their idea generators
running.

MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch
potato.

PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube
farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.

SITCOMs: (Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage) What yuppies
turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay
home with the kids.

SQUIRT THE BIRD: To transmit a signal to a satellite.

STARTER MARRIAGE: A short-lived first marriage that ends in divorce with
no kids, no property and no regrets.

STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and
whiny.

XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's
workplace.

GOING POSTAL: Euphemism for being totally stressed out, for losing it.

Makes reference to the unfortunate track record of postal employees who
have snapped and gone on shooting rampages.

ALPHA GEEK: The most knowledgeable, technically proficient person in an
office or work group.

CHIPS & SALSA: Chips = hardware, Salsa = software. "Well, first we
gotta figure out if the problem's in your chips or your salsa.

FLIGHT RISK: Used to describe employees who are suspected of planning to
leave a company or department soon.

GOOD JOB: A "Get-Out-Of-Debt" Job. A well-paying job people take in
order to pay off their debts, one that they will quit as soon as they
are solvent again.

IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but
you find your-self unable to stop watching them. The O.J. trials were a
prime example. Bill Clinton's shameful video Grand Jury testimony is
another.

PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the heck out of an
electronic device to get it to work again.

UNINSTALLED: Euphemism for being fired. Heard on the voice-mail of a
vice president at a downsizing computer firm: "You have reached the
number of an Uninstalled Vice President. Please dial our main number
and ask the operator for assistance. *(Syn: decruitment.)

VULCAN NERVE PINCH: The taxing hand position required to reach all the
appropriate keys for certain commands. For instance, the arm re-boot for
a Mac II computer involves simultaneously pressing the Control key, the
Command Key, the Return Key, and the Power On key.

YUPPIE FOOD STAMPS: The ubiquitous $20 bills spewed out of ATMs
everywhere. Often used when trying to split the bill after a meal, "We
each owe $8, but all anybody's got are yuppie food stamps."

SALMON DAY - The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream
only to get screwed and die in the end.

CLM - Career Limiting Move - Used among microserfs to describe
ill-advised activity. Trashing your boss while he or she is within
earshot is a serious CLM.

ADMINISPHERE - The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above
the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often
profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were
designed to solve.

DILBERTED- To be exploited and oppressed by your boss. Derived from the
experiences of Dilbert, the geek-in-hell comic strip character. "I've
been dilberted again. The old man revised the specs for the fourth time
this week."

404 - Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web error message "404
Not Found," meaning that the requested document could not be located.
"Don't bother asking him . . . he's 404, man."

GENERICA- Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same
no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls,
subdivisions. Used as in "We were so lost in generica that I forgot what
city we were in."

OHNOSECOND- That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that
you've just made a BIG mistake.

UMFRIEND- A sexual relation of dubious standing or a concealed intimate
relationship, as in "This is Dyan, my ... um ... friend."
____________________________

The Rocks of Life

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business
students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration the students
will never forget.

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers,
he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon,
wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him.

Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed
them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top
and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached
under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some
gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves
down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the
class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket
of sand. He started dumping the sand in, and it went into all the spaces
left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question,
"Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began
to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at
the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how
full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some
more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this
illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first,
you'll never get them in at all."

What are the '"big rocks'" in your life? Time with your loved ones? Your
faith, your education, your dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or
mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll
never get them in at all.

So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short
story, ask yourself this question: What are the "big rocks" in my life
or business? Then, put those in your jar first.
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
420 James Road #1
Palo Alto CA 94306
(650)565-8674
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

Humor 8/23/99: Buzz Word Bingo & God's Wings

Hi everyone,

It was great to see many of you in Boston this past weekend.
Congratulations to Moses & Karen for a great wedding. One memorable
thing was the video of what they did for the bachelor party. Mo and the
rest of the guys acted out the Star Wars storyline, with Mo as Mo
Skywalker and Karen as Princess Karen. They even spliced in scenes from
the movie. It was pretty funny. Also, at the wedding banquet, a large
group of people sang a modified version of the song from Grease, "Summer
Nights". That was great.

Finally, Mo & Karen implemented the game where when people knocked on
their glasses to have them kiss, they pulled out the names of a married
couple at the banquet. However the couple kissed, Mo & Karen were to
kiss in the same way. Some of the couples' kisses were fairly
creative. But alas, Mo & Karen didn't always follow exactly. If you're
going to get married soon and would like me to describe how this idea
works, let me know.

It was also good to see some friends who I haven't seen in a while, see
some Andersen Consulting friends, and meet some new people at the
wedding and at church.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could have
personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have
seen?"

This week's humor was forwarded by John Chao, followed by an
inspirational story also forwarded by John Chao. Enjoy!

-Josh.

P.S. By the way, my permanent email address is still
joshli@post.harvard.edu. Please send all emails to this address and do
not reply to this email. Thanks!
_________________________________________

Buzzword Bingo

I've been guilty of using many of these buzz-word both in and out of
these meetings. I'll have to think outside the box and proactively
perform a gap analysis to develop best practice communication
methodologies to achieve a win-win situation! BINGO!! I've been in
consulting too long!!

---- snip snip ----

For those of you who attend a lot of meetings, this should make those
meetings go faster! If you don't attend lots of meetings, consider
yourself lucky.

How to play: Simply tick off 5 words heard in one meeting from the
following list and shout out BINGO! It's that easy!

Synergy

Proactive, not Reactive

Win-Win Situation

Think Outside the Box

Take That Offline

On the Same Page

Client-Focused

Strategic Fit

Gap Analysis

Best Practice

The Bottom Line

Core Business

Lessons Learned

Touch Base

Revisit

Game Plan

Bandwidth

Hardball

In the Loop

Out of the Loop

Go the Extra Mile

Benchmark

The Big Picture

Value-Added

Movers and Shakers

Ball Park

Fast Track

Result-Driven

A Done Deal

Empower Employees

No Blame

Stretch the Envelope

Knowledge Base

Total Quality

Mindset

Put The One to Bed

Quality-Driven

Move the Goal Posts

Peel the Onion Back

Testimonials from other players:
- "I had only been in the meeting for five minutes when I yelled BINGO."

- "My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically."
- "The facilitator was gobsmacked as we all screamed BINGO for the 3rd
time."
- "I feel that the game has enhanced the overall quality of meetings per
se on a quid pro quo basis."
- "People are even listening to mumblers, thanks to Buzzword Bingo!"
____________________________

God's Wings

An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a
penetrating picture of God's wings... After a forest fire in Yellowstone
National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess
the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in
ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree.
Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a
stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their
dead mother's wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her
offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings,
instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have
flown to safety, but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze
had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had
remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the
cover of her wings would live...

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find
refuge..." Psalms 91:4

Being loved this much should make a difference in your life. Remember
the One who loves you and then be different because of it.
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
420 James Road #1
Palo Alto CA 94306
(650)565-8674
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

Humor 8/15/99: Life in the 1500's & This is Good

Hi everyone,

I finally watched "Tarzan" with a group of friends. I highly recommend
it, if you haven't seen it yet.

I can't wait to come back to Boston this coming weekend. I hope to see
many of you then. I'll be staying with my former roommate Rich Sahara.
If you want to reach me, you can call me at: 617-923-8259.

As most of you know, I am working at an Internet startup this summer in
marketing. One of my projects is to develop and implement a viral
marketing strategy. This is where friends send emails to other friends
asking them to do something. A friend of mine sent me a viral marketing
email from PlanetRx that I thought was pretty good. I actually went to
their site and got the three free products. Then they sent me an email
to pass on to my friends.

I'm curious to see how powerful their viral marketing strategy is and
how to adapt their strategy for use at my company. So I'm sending you
the information below, and if you find the PlanetRx offer to be a good
offer, then go to their website and choose your 3 free items. Here's
their email:

ALL ABOUT "3 FOR FREE" - WHAT YOUR FRIENDS NEED TO KNOW:

Don't miss this -- PlanetRx is now offering a special "3 for Free"
promotion. You can go to the PlanetRx website and choose 3 health &
beauty products, absolutely FREE. You pay only the shipping ($3.95).
PlanetRx is an online pharmacy offering a complete selection of
nonprescription medicines, personal care items, cosmetics, medical
supplies, vitamins, herbs, and supplements. To pick your 3 for Free,
click on the link below, or copy and paste the entire link into your
browser:

http://www.planetrx.com/3forfree/3forfree.asp?mi=eUHPIf5l0WQ%3D

WHAT YOU GET IF YOU TELL YOUR FRIENDS:

When your friends participate in "3 for Free" or make a purchase at
PlanetRx, you'll earn MORE free products for yourself. Here's how it
works:

1. Forward this email message to your friends. Your friends must visit
PlanetRx through the specially coded URL link above, so be sure to
forward this email to them.
2. You'll get two free products or a batch of frequent flyer miles for
EVERY friend who participates. The more friends you tell, the more you
win.
3. Your friends get to take advantage of the amazing "3 for Free" offer.

We'll keep track of your referrals and notify you by email whenever one
of your friends participates. Then you can go to a special page of
PlanetRx and choose your free products from among a great selection of
name-brand health & beauty items, or get frequent flyer miles, good for
travel on major airlines.

*************************
This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could go back to any
age and start a different life, what age would that be?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Jennifer Chin, followed by an
inspirational story forwarded by Tenny & Susan Hasegawa. Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

LIFE IN THE 1500's:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in
May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they were
starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the
odor.

Baths equaled a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had
the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other men, then the
women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the
water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the
saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

Houses had thatched roofs. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood
underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the
pets - dogs, cats - and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs lived in
the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals
would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats
and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This
posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could
really mess up your nice clean bed. So, they found if they made beds
with big posts and hung a sheet over the top, it addressed that problem.
Hence those beautiful big four poster beds with canopies.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt,
hence the saying "dirt poor". The wealthy had slate floors which would
get slippery in the winter when wet. So they spread thresh on the
floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on they kept
adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start
slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed at the entry way, hence a
"threshhold."

They cooked in the kitchen in a big kettle that always hung over the
fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They
mostly ate vegetables and didn't get much meat. They would eat the stew
for dinner leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then
start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had
been in there for a month. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas
porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

Sometimes they could obtain pork and would feel really special when that
happened. When company came over, they would bring out some bacon and
hang it to show it off. It was a sign of wealth and that a man "could
bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests
and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid
content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food. This happened
most often with tomatoes, so they stopped eating tomatoes - for 400
years.

Most people didn't have pewter plates, but had trenchers - a piece of
wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Trenchers were never
washed and a lot of times worms got into the wood. After eating off
wormy trenchers, they would get "trench mouth."

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of
the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the
"upper crust."

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would
sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along
the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.
They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the
family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they
would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."

England is old and small and they started running out of places to bury
people. So, they would dig up coffins and would take their bones to a
house and reuse the grave. In reopening these coffins, one out of
25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they
realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would
tie a string on their wrist and lead it through the coffin and up
through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out
in the graveyard all night to listen for the bell. Hence on the
"graveyard shift" they would know that someone was "saved by the bell"
or he was a "dead ringer".
____________________________

"This is Good"

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom
he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that
ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is
good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The
friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had
apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after
taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was
blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To
which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send
his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have
known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their
village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and
bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king
was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was
less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he
returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and
felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the
jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good
that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all
that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail
for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!" "What do you mean, 'This is
good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."

Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the
promise of God is clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to
His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be
turned by God for His glory and our benefit. Hold on, God is faithful!

May God bless you this week as you seek His will in every situation.

---Author unknown

The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory
of God and the refreshment of the soul.
---- J. S. Bach ---
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
420 James Road #1
Palo Alto CA 94306
(650)565-8674
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

Humor 8/8/99: Cow Pies & Keep Your Fork

Hi everyone,

On Saturday I went to the progressive dinner hosted by several people
from the Young Adult Fellowship at my church for the summer. It
reminded me of the time we hosted a progressive dinner in Watertown for
the young adults in my church in Boston. For those of you who don't
know what a progressive dinner is, basically, you go to one house for
appetizers, one for the main meal, and another for dessert. It's a lot
of fun. You should try to organize something like that with your
friends.

I'll be in Boston from Friday, August 20th to Sunday, August 22nd for
Karen and Moses' wedding. I hope to see some of you that weekend!

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could invent one new
home appliance, what would it do?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Elaine Wong, followed by an
inspirational story forwarded by John Chao. Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

A door-to-door vacuum salesman goes to the first house in his new
territory. He knocks, a real mean and tough looking lady opens the
door, and before she has a chance to say anything, he runs inside and
dumps cow patties all over the carpet.

He says, "Lady, if this vacuum cleaner don't do wonders cleaning up that
horse manure, I'll eat every chunk of it."

She turns to him with a smirk and says, "You want ketchup on that?"

The Salesman says, "Why do you ask?"

She says "We just moved in and we haven't got the electricity turned on
yet."
____________________________

Keep Your Fork

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had
been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in
order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to
discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs
she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and
what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be
buried with her favorite Bible.

Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the
woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one
more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's
reply. "This is very important," the woman continued..."I want to be
buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the
woman, not knowing quite what to say... "That surprises you, doesn't
it?" the woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The
woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and
potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main
course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say,"
keep your fork." It was my favorite part because I knew that something
better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.
Something wonderful, and with substance!

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my
hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you
to tell them: "Keep Your Fork"...."The best is yet to come."

The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman
goodbye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her
before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of
heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw
the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork
placed in her right hand. Over and over the pastor heard the question
"What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message,
the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman
shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what
it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop
thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be
able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it
remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come...
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
420 James Road #1
Palo Alto CA 94306
(650)565-8674
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

Humor 8/3/99: Meaningful Phrases & Shake It Off

Hi everyone,

Even though I went to the SF Symphony during the previous week, I went
again on Friday night because a friend had an extra ticket. Keith
Lockhard, the conductor of the Boston Pops, was the conductor. I
enjoyed the concert very much, and even remembered to wear enough
clothing this time.

On Sunday afternoon, some friends from church and I went on a cruise and
tour of Alcatraz Island. It's pretty interesting. Afterward, we had
Korean BBQ for dinner.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could change one
election result from the past so that the loser had won, which one would
it be?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Anna Man, followed by an
inspirational story forwarded by Jenny Liang. Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

Try to constantly remind ourselves with all these phrases.
Although it's not easy, but it does help.
--------------------------------------------------------

It is better to be silent and be considered a fool than to speak and
remove all doubt of it.

A person's true character is revealed by what he does when no one is
watching.

Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others
praise Him for putting roses among thorns.

Although the tongue weighs very little, very few people are able to hold
it.

Success in a marriage is more than finding the right person. It's
becoming the right person.

Falling down doesn't make you a failure, but staying down does.

Don't be afraid of pressure. Remember that pressure is what turns a lump
of coal into a diamond.

Even a woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head.

The poorest of all men is not the man without a cent but the man without
a dream.

The only preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today.

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Temper is what gets most of us into trouble. Pride is what keeps us
there.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little
"extra."

One thing you can learn by watching the clock is that it passes time by
keeping its hands busy.

The heart is the happiest when it beats for others.
____________________________

Shake It Off And Step Up

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into
the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever
mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the
situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that
neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead,
he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and
enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put
him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his
neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought
struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of
dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he
did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step
up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No
matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the
old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND
STEPPING UP!

You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and
exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed
like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner
in which he handled his adversity. THAT'S LIFE! If we face our
problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic,
bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US
USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember
that FORGIVENESS--FAITH--PRAYER-- PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent
ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find
ourselves!

Thought A Day ©1998
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_____________________________________

Joshua Li
420 James Road #1
Palo Alto CA 94306
(650)565-8674
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/