Five Important Lessons

Five Important Lessons To Make Us Think About The Way We Treat Other People.
By An Unknown Author

First Important Lesson - The Cleaning Lady. During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: ‘What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?’ Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman many times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her fifties, and even though she wore a name tag, I had no idea what her name was. I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘Hello’ to them. I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned the cleaning woman’s name was Dorothy.

Second Important Lesson - Pickup In The Rain. One night, at 11:30 PM, an elderly African-American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict filled days of the1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and then came a knock on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read: “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also me spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s side just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others. Sincerely, Mrs Nat King Cole”

Third Important Lesson - Always Remember Those Who Serve. In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a ten year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae,” the boy asked? “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream,” he inquired? By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she hurriedly replied. The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the boy’s empty ice cream dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, the little boy couldn’t have had the sundae, because he had to have enough money left to leave his waitress a tip.

Fourth Important Lesson - The Obstacle In Our Path. In ancient times, a King had his workers place a huge boulder in the middle of a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would try to clear the way of this big rock. Some of the Kings 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, where it would be out of the way for other travelers. After much pushing and straining he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked his load of vegetables back up, 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 us with an opportunity to improve our condition.
Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When It Counts. Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her five year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to the little boy and asked him if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save my sister.” As the transfusion progressed, the brave little boy lay next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then the boy’s face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor. He had thought that he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her life.

Remember these five lessons and work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody’s watching. The End By An Unknown Author