The following short stories are a collection of some of my favourite ones. They were not written by me so I can’t take credit for them. Some of them are very well known and have been published many times so its not easy to find the origional authors. As I stumble across new inspiring short stories, I will add them to the top of this post. Each of them has a beautiful life lesson and touched my heart. I hope they mean something to you too. Enjoy!
Dirty Washing (Your Judgements Say More About You Than the Person You Judge)
A young couple moved into a new house. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the washing outside.
“That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better detergent.”
Her husband looked on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments.
A month later, the young woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband,
“Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”
The husband replied, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
And so it is with life … What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look. So don’t be too quick to judge others, especially if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires.
“Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are.”
Source: Jonathan Kestenbaum
True Riches (Money Is Not True Wealth)
There was once a boy who was growing up in a very wealthy family. One day, his father decided to take him on a trip to show him how others lived who were less fortunate. His father’s goal was to help his son appreciate everything that he has been given in life.
The boy and his father pulled up to a farm where a very poor family lived. They spent several days on the farm, helping the family work for their food and take care of their land.
When they left the farm, his dad asked his son if he enjoyed their trip and if he had learned anything during the time they spent with this other family.
The boy quickly replied, “It was fantastic, that family is so lucky!”
Confused, his father asked what he meant by that.
The boy said, “Well, we only have one dog, but that family has four–and they have chickens! We have four people in our home, but they have 12! They have so many people to play with! We have a pool in our yard, but they have a river running through their property that is endless. We have lanterns outside so we can see at night, but they have the wide open sky and the beautiful stars to give them wonder and light. We have a patio, but they have the entire horizon to enjoy–they have endless fields to run around in and play. We have to go to the grocery store, but they are able to grow their own food. Our high fence protects our property and our family, but they don‘t need such a limiting structure, because their friends protect them.”
The father was speechless.
Finally, the boy added, “Thank you for showing me how rich people live, they’re so lucky.”
Moral Of The Story:
True wealth and happiness aren’t measured by material belongings. Being around the people you love, enjoying the beautiful, natural environment, and having freedom are much more valuable.
A rich life can mean different things to different people. What are your values and priorities? If you have whatever is important to you, you can consider yourself to be wealthy.
Author: Unknown
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The Donkey In The Well (For Anyone Going Through A Hard Time)
One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway-it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all of his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Moral Of The Story: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!
Shake it off, and take a step up.
The Boy And The Ice Cream (Don’t Be So Quick To Judge First Appearances)
“How much is an ice cream sundae?”
“50 cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.
“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.
“35 cents,” she said brusquely.
The little boy again counted the 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 departed.
When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.
Moral of the story: Don’t be so quick to judge others at first appearance. Very often the people we least expect to help, are those that give the most generously so share your warmth unabatedly with the world.
A wise man once faced a group of people who were complaining about the same issues over and over again. One day, instead of listening to the complaints, he told them a joke and everyone cracked up laughing.
Then, the man repeated the joke. A few people smiled.
Finally, the man repeated the joke a third time–but no one reacted.
The man smiled and said, “You won’t laugh at the same joke more than once. So what are you getting from continuing to complain about the same problem?”
Moral Of The Story: You’re not going to get anywhere if you keep complaining about the same problem but do nothing to fix it. Don’t waste your time complaining, expecting other people to continue to react to your complaints. Instead, take action to make a change.
Author: Unknown
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