The Honest WoodCutter
A poor woodcutter accidentally dropped his ax into the river. He was very upset, as he had no money to buy another ax. Just then a fairy appeared in the river holding out a golden ax to him. “I found this ax in the river. Is this yours?”
“That’s not mine”, replied the woodcutter. The fairy then brought out a silver ax. The woodcutter disowned this one too. Finally, the fairy held out a wooden ax.
Smiling with happiness, the woodcutter said, “That’s mine. Thank you very much.”
The fairy felt very happy seeing his honesty and said, such honesty deserves a reward. She gave the poor man all the three axes and disappeared.
Moral: Honesty is the best policy. Always be honest.
Who Is Happy? The Crow and the Peacock
A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.”
He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”
The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”
The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days, I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.”
The Lion & the Poor Slave
A slave, ill-treated by his master, runs away to the forest. There he comes across a lion in pain because of a thorn in his paw. The slave bravely goes forward and removes the thorn gently.
The lion without hurting him goes away.
Some days later, the slave’s master comes hunting to the forest and catches many animals and cages them. The slave is spotted by the masters’ men who catch him and bring him to the cruel master. The master asks for the slave to be thrown into the lion’s cage.
The slave is awaiting his death in the cage when he realizes that it is the same lion that he had helped. The slave rescued the lion and all other caged animals.
Moral of the story: One should help others in need, we get the rewards of our helpful acts in return.
Remember, you are NOT alone! Until next time — Jenn
SoulNotAlone 