how to treat others

while stumbling [stumbleupon.com], i came across an article entitled "how to treat others : 5 lessons from an unknown author".  these 5 lessons really got me thinking.  number 4 was my favorite.  i think you'll enjoy it too.


in ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway.  then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.  some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.  many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.


then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.  upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.  after much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.  after the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.  the purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.  the peasant learned what many of us never understand -- "every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."


every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.  what a phenomenal life lesson in under 10 words.  everyone has something, as my mother always reminds me, and i think our "obstacles" are what makes our life worth living.  hear me out -- if we didn't have hardships and life didn't have any challenges, what would be the purpose of living?  obstacles help us to learn and grow, which is ultimately the purpose of life.  


my tourettes helps me appreciate life in different ways than others just as my weight struggles have helped me appreciate the ability to be healthy.  the obstacles that have been placed in my life have given me the comedian like/care free personality one could only dream of.


i am grateful for the [wonderful] little life lessons that we can learn from by being different.