One afternoon, I was in the back yard hanging the laundry when an old,
tired-looking dog
wandered into the yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly
that he had a home. But
when I walked into the house, he followed me, sauntered down the hall and
fell asleep in a
corner. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next
day he was back. He
resumed his position in the hallway and slept for an hour.
This continued for several weeks. Curious, I pinned a note to his collar:
"Every afternoon your
dog comes to my house for a nap."
The next day he arrived with a different note pinned to his collar: "He
lives in a home with ten
children - he's trying to catch up on his sleep."
By Susan F. Roman
from Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marty Becker and Carol
Kline
Once there was a girl in my class that I thought was beautiful and smart.
I believed that she was
perfect. When it came time for my birthday, I invited her to my party,
and she came.
A few months later, it was her birthday. I got her a special necklace for
her birthday. I was so
excited thinking about how happy she would be to receive my gift.
I asked her when her birthday party was going to be. She replied, "Why
do you want to know?
You’re not invited. You're just a dork with glasses!"
I felt really bad when she said that. I just stood there looking at her.
Everyone standing by her
came to stand next to me. Then we all left.
That day I figured out that even if someone looks perfect, there is a very
good possibility that
they aren’t! When it comes to perfection, it’s how someone treats you that
is more important
than how they look.
by Ellie Logan, 9
from Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen and Irene
Dunlap
Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to
meet the problems
of "a new world." So they organized a school.
They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming
and flying.
To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all
the subjects.
The duck was excellent in swimming, in fact better than his instructor,
but he made only
passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow
in running, he
had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running.
This was kept
up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming.
But
average was acceptable in school, so nobody worried about that except the
duck.
The rabbit started at the top of the class in running, but had a nervous
breakdown because of
so much make-up work in swimming.
The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in
the flying class
where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the
treetop down. He
also developed a "charlie horse" from overexertion and then got a C in
climbing and a D in
running.
The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing
class he beat all
the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to
get there.
At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well,
and also run, climb
and fly a little, had the highest average and was valedictorian.
The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the
administration
would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed
their children to
a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful
private school.
Does this fable have a moral?
By George H. Reavis
from Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1993 by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen
1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure
ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp, and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle
them gently.
13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
18. No matter how often you are criticized, don’t buy into the guilt thing
and pout. Run right back and
make friends.
Author Unknown
from Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
Copyright1998 Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marty Becker and Carol
Kline
