"A WISE SUITOR"

"A WISE SUITOR" (author unknown)

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, lived a king who had a beautiful daughter. She was twenty-five, and perhaps it was the time to marry.

One day, four suitors came from afar and asked for her hand in marriage. Each of them was handsome, strong-looking, and had the perfect male body.

The princess came up to them and said,

"I don't care about your looks, I don't care about your strength, I'm not going to marry because of that. I will only marry a man who is wise and intelligent. Now, my father is going to ask you a very puzzling question, and whoever answers the question correctly will marry me. Good luck!"

At that moment, the king asked the four suitors the question,

"There was a talented hunter who never failed to catch his targets. Whenever he went hunting, he always killed an animal and brought it home. One day, the hunter became sick with a respiratory illness caused by a type of bacteria. Ever since then, it had been impossible for him to catch an animal, and he always returned home from the forest empty handed. Why is that?"

For several minutes, the four suitor racked their brains over the challenging question. Just then, the first suitor answered,

"The hunter's illness affected his eyesight, which made him unable to identify his targets."

The king shook his head and muttered,

"Wrong answer!"

The second suitor said,

"The animals in the forest had known the hunter to be a threat, so they all went into hiding and never appeared again."

The king shook his head again and muttered,

"You are wrong!"

The third suitor said,

"The hunter's equipment had developed a fault, that was why he could no longer catch an animal."

The king shook his head yet again and muttered,

"Well, that's wrong too."

The fourth suitor thought for a long time and finally came up with the smartest answer. He said surprisingly,

"Well, since it's a respiratory illness that the hunter became sick with, I'd say it's a whooping cough. It means that all the times he went hunting, he was coughing and coughing, which scared all the animals away. A hunter with a whooping cough will never catch a prey."

Struck with amazement, the king widened his eyes and exclaimed,

"Wow, correct! You're such a wise and intelligent young man! You're the one who will marry my daughter!"

LESSON TO LEARN:

Nowadays in our world, smartness beats strength and good looks. Be smart, be Intelligent and be wise!

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"THE YOUNG BOY AND THE SIX COINS"

"THE YOUNG BOY AND THE SIX COINS"
(author unknown)

There was a boy who was always happy and cheerful. One day, he went to an old man and asked him,

"Sir, what is the biggest destroyer of happiness? I have a happy nature and I'm chatting and laughing most of the time. However, I fear that one day, I'll become sad and sorrowful. Tell me how to stay happy and positive everyday."

The old man thought for a moment, then nodded and said,

"Alright, I'll tell you what you want to know. But before I tell you, you have to agree to do something for me."

The boy asked, smiling at his serious face,

"Okay, sir, what is it?"

The old man answered,

"There's an empty drum in my backyard, I want you to fill it up with water. I'm too old and weak to fetch water from the river. If you do that, I'll reward you with two coins. Two coins, all for you, boy!"

The boy was suddenly filled with excitement and enthusiasm as he was in great need of money. He grabbed a bucket and hurried down the stream to fetch the water. A short while later, he went back to the old man and told him he had filled the drum with water.

However, the old man said,

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, there is another empty drum in my kitchen. Would you mind filling it up as well? I'll offer you another two coins as a reward, a total of four coins! You'll buy a lot of things for yourself with all that money. Four coins, all for you, boy!"

The boy was so determined to get the four coins, he didn't think twice about it. He quickly took the bucket and rushed down the stream. In no time, he had already filled the drum with water. However, when he returned to the old man, he said,

"Oh my goodness, I'm such a forgetful old man! I forgot that there is another empty drum in my garden. If you can fill it up with water too, I'll add extra two coins to your money and you'll get six coins altogether. You'll have a lot of money for yourself. Six coins, all for you, boy!"

A look of cheerful excitement flashed across the boy's face. He found himself thinking about what he would buy with all the money, he couldn't control his emotions. It didn't take long for him to fill up the third drum and return to the old man. He was tired and exhausted. However, instead of offering the boy the six coins, the old man frowned and mumbled,

"Oh, no, I think I'm the most forgetful old man in the whole world! I forgot that I have no coins with me. I'm so broke, I don't have any money to give to you. I'm sorry, but you have to go home empty handed! Nothing for you, boy!"

Upon hearing that, the smile on the boy's face suddenly vanished, replaced with a look of sad surprise. His happiness was completely lost and replaced with sadness and disappointment.

Just then, the old man surprisingly hugged him tightly for a moment, then smiled broadly and said to him,

"Don't worry, boy! The truth is, I've got some coins for you! Everything I did was an intention to teach you a valuable lesson about life. When you asked me to tell you what the biggest destroyer of happiness is, I came up with a plan to make you sad, so that I can teach you properly and effectively. Listen, the biggest destroyer of happiness is your EXPECTATIONS. It's because you expected six coins from me, that's why you became sad when you didn't get them. When we do something for others, we tend to expect some favour or feelings from them which may not happen. Most of the time, our expectations are too high or unrealistic to be fulfilled by someone. We expect people to love us because we love them. We expect people to be good to us because we are good to them. We always expect things to go our way. All of these things can easily cause frustration, disappointment, discouragement, stress, anger and resentment. However, if we lower our EXPECTATIONS of people and understand that they won't always live up to it, we can stay happy in life."

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"MOUNTAIN CLIMBING" by Becky Hemsley

"MOUNTAIN CLIMBING"
by Becky Hemsley

Grief is one of the biggest mountains you’ll ever have to climb.

Not least, because it’s one that you absolutely won’t want to.

And people may talk of ‘getting over it’.

But the truth is,

I don’t think we ever do.

And that’s not to say that we don’t end up on the other side of the mountain. I’m not saying that we’re stuck in one place forever.

But, rather than getting over it…

Perhaps we find a cave we can walk through which brings us out on the other side. It may be dark and dim and difficult, but we make it through into the light.

Perhaps we find a path around the mountain that leads to the other side. It may take a long time and it might be unsteady and precarious, but we make it round.

Or perhaps we just slowly edge our way past. A little up, a little through, a little round. Step by step.

No, I don’t think we get over it. It is too big, too overwhelming.

Too insurmountable.

So instead we get through it.

Round it.

Or quite possibly,

we just get by.

******

Becky Hemsley 2022

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful image by Snehal Pendurkar

"Mountain Climbing" is from the book 'When I Am Gone'

https://a.co/d/iTbpJ7E

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"WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW" by Becky Hemsley

"WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW"
by Becky Hemsley

Have you ever considered

that, at any given moment, you are exactly who the world needs?

That you're the tune to someone's lyrics when no other melody seems to fit.

That you're the stars to someone's sky when it is drowning in inky darkness.

That you're the moon to someone's ocean when it cannot find its way back to the sand.

And it might not be forever.

Songs end,

the sun rises

and the tide turns.

But maybe for a while - maybe in this moment -

you are exactly where you're supposed to be.

Because it gives you a chance

to sing, to shine and to make waves.

And your light,

your music,

your guide...

Oh the world needs it.

It really, really does.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful artwork by Ed Perkins (@ededperkins via Instagram)

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"LOOK AROUND" by Becky Hemsley

"LOOK AROUND"
by Becky Hemsley

People in myths pay no mind to the prince

Who was changed from a frog with just kisses

And none of them balk at the trees that can talk

And don’t doubt that the stars can grant wishes

They think very little of speaking to mirrors

That answer them back from the wall

They sing with the dryads and drink with the giants

Who tower one hundred feet tall

They do not imagine the fairies and dragons

‘Cause those things are already there

With captured princesses whose extra-long tresses

Mean people can climb up their hair

Yes, all of these creatures with fairy-tale features

Don’t notice the magic they make

So they overlook half of what’s in their book

‘Cause it’s part of the plot every day

And maybe we too are so blind to our view

‘Cause it’s one that we know very well

And so we don’t stop and don’t listen to what

Kinds of stories our world has to tell

The stories of trees as they’re shedding their leaves

Just to welcome them back come the spring

And the way we all stay – how we don’t float away

From this great ball of rock as it spins

The stories of skies full of water and fires

With the power to flood and ignite

The mountains, volcanoes, the rare double rainbows

The phases of moon every night

And once long ago, we would never have known

That we’d one day explain it somehow

We’d have marvelled at more, we’d have stared with such awe

And perhaps we should do the same now

Because without seeing and knowing, believing,

We’d say it’s a tale in a book

Yet there’s wonder abound in the world – all around

We just keep forgetting to look

*****

Becky Hemsley 2023

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Beautiful artwork by Lynne Bellchamber Fine Art

'Look Around' is from 'Letters from Life' https://a.co/d/1R5VZfo

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"THE LETTER BE" by Becky Hemsley

"THE LETTER BE"
by Becky Hemsley

Let her be confident

Let her be brave

Let her know beauty

Is more than her face

Let her be strong

Let her know her own mind

And for the most part

Let life be too kind

But when it’s not -

When the days feel tough

Let her know she’s

Bolstered fiercely by love

Let her keep dreaming

Awake or asleep

Let her know feelings

Do not make her weak

So let her be gentle

Compassionate too

But let her be bold

In her quest for the truth

Let the world listen

Whenever she speaks

Let her move mountains

And dance at their peaks

Let her catch galaxies,

Comets and stars

Let her ride moonbeams

Like rockets to Mars

No matter her stature

Let her stand tall

And most important

And vital of all

Let her be happy

And know her own worth

Know that sometimes

She must put herself first

And let her be proud,

Be determined and free

To be anything

That she chooses to be

******

Becky Hemsley 2022

https://www.facebook.com/talkingtothewild

Gorgeous artwork by LuciaVerdejostudio

‘The Letter Be’ is a poem I wrote for my niece. It's from my second book

https://a.co/d/3hrCwAa

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"THE FOOD HAD ALL GONE" by Anna Richards

"THE FOOD HAD ALL GONE"
by Anna Richards

They ran to the groceries, they filled up their carts,

They emptied the Tops and Price Chopper and Walmart,

They panicked and fought and then panicked some more,

Then they rushed to their homes and they locked all the doors.

The food will be gone! The milk eggs and cheese!

The yogurt! The apples! The green beans and peas!

The stores have run out, now what will we do?

They’ll be starving and looting and nothing to do!

Then they paused, and they listened a moment or two.

And they did hear a sound, rising over the fear,

It started out far, then began to grow near.

But this sound wasn’t sad, nor was it new,

The farms were still doing what farms always do.

The food was still coming, though they’d emptied the shelves,

The farms kept it coming, though they struggled themselves,

Though the cities had forgotten from where their food came,

The farms made them food every day, just the same.

Through weather and critics and markets that fall,

The farms kept on farming in spite of it all.

They farmed without thank yous.

They farmed without praise.

They farmed on the hottest and coldest of days.

They’d bought all the food, yet the next day came more,

And the people thought of something they hadn’t before.

Maybe food, they thought, doesn’t come from a store.

Maybe farmers, perhaps, mean a little bit more.

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