Happy Miseries

A discontented man prays every night, “God, I am the unhappiest man on the Earth!  No sooner do I sort one problem, another one pops up.   I beg you to exchange my worries with someone else – anyone will do!” Then one night, God comes in his dream, “Gather all of your miseries into a bag and bring it to the temple hall.”  When the man wakes(..)

Stumped!

A father asks his 12-year-old son to go into the backyard and remove a tree stump.  The boy, eager to show his dad his ability to execute this manly task, runs out and begins to push the stump with all his might.  After about 20 minutes of huffing and puffing, the stump stood there without a change in position. Soon, the boy realizes that his dad was(..)

Duty in Despair

Once during a famine, a desperate man stepped out of his house to earn a living.  He came across a fruit farm.  Hungry, he decided to steal some fruits.  But, as he started plucking, the farmer came chasing after him with a stick.  The man ran into a nearby forest and climbed a tree to evade the farmer. From his vantage point, the man witnessed a(..)

The Clutch – Part 2

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A game changer… The human memory is short-lived.  Good and bad times pass, and we move on.  Two weeks ago, I was in darkness.  I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Today, on my birthday, I am on the path to recovery, but the past few days are still fresh in my mind.  It(..)

The Clutch – Part 1

The Clutch – Part 1

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Too sudden and steep… Sunday, May 19th.  I am writing from an(..)

An Optionless Choice

A rich, old man with no offspring decides to hold a competition to determine who should get his inheritance. He summons all the poor people in the locality, and gives each one a seed. “Plant this seed and nurture it. In one year, bring back the flower that grows from it. Whoever brings me the most beautiful flower is capable of nurturing my wealth, and(..)

Finding Order in Chaos

A master calls his ardent disciple home one day. The student finds the guru waiting for him in his fenced yard with four identical puppies. The guru lets them loose and asks the disciple to catch them all. The energetic puppies run haphazardly. The chase is chaotic. The disciple tries to catch one, then the other, and finally sits down exhausted after(..)

The Shackles of Liberty

An elitist private school was faced with a unique problem, where a bunch of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick. They would apply it in the restroom, which was fine. But after that, they would press their lips on the mirror, leaving dozens of little lip prints. The untidy marks on the mirror caused inconvenience for the rest of the girls during(..)

The Aching Joy

The Aching Joy

Shine & Shadows… What is tougher — the first or the last(..)

Donald, Hillary, & I

Donald, Hillary, & I

To rein a monster! 1994. I came back to India. And never looked(..)

If Only!

If Only!

Hide & See(k)… Mar 2, 2016. It was a rapid-fire round. All(..)

The Tidy Ways

A young priest was in charge of the garden within a famous Zen temple. Next to this temple there was a smaller temple where lived an old Zen master.  Once the priest was expecting special guests in the evening.  So he woke up early that day and spent a long time carefully raking up and arranging all the dry autumn leaves. As he worked, the old master(..)

To Ease, or Not to Ease!

A little boy brought home a cocoon from a picnic in the woods. He put the cocoon in his garden, and watched it daily in fascination, awaiting it to crack and a beautiful butterfly to emerge! However, the cocoon was too exposed—the urban setting did not protect it from wind, water, and sun. As it struggled to survive, one day a crow scooped down and(..)

Who Let The Wolves Out?

Who Let The Wolves Out?

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Unlaugh it out… Robin Williams is no more. The funniest man on(..)

The Wagging Days…

The Wagging Days…

The Big Picture The driver pulled the car up in the driveway and(..)

Bumps - Arun Nathani Blog