Be Smart

Isn't it interesting how we allow other people who are trying to make our lives miserable succeed. For me at least there seems to be certain people who just frustrate me more than usual. Most of the time, it is because I allow this to happen.

I was sent a story this week that really has helped my thinking toward this. I wanted to share it with you.

There was a little boy named Johnny who used to hang out at the local corner market. The owner didn't know what Johnny's problem was, but the boys would constantly tease him. They would always comment that he was two bricks shy of a load or two pickles short of a barrel.

To prove it, sometimes they would offer Johnny his choice between a nickel and a dime and Johnny would always take the nickel (they said) because it was bigger.

One day after Johnny grabbed the nickel, the store owner took him aside and said "Johnny, those boys are making fun of you. They think you don't know the dime is worth more than the nickel. Are you grabbing the nickel because it's bigger, or what?" With a big grin on his face, Johnny slowly turned toward the store owner. "Well," he answered, "If I took the dime, they'd stop doing it, and so far I've saved $20!"

Now that's smart! One of our members at Creekside named B.J. says, "Don't let others, who have less brains than you, dictate how you feel." That's smart too.