Key Word - Topic

Story

A young preacher went to preach is first sermon. He’d done so much work on this masterpiece that he was full of his own importance. He entered the pulpit with tremendous confidence, but once up there, he blanked out and couldn’t think of a thing. Finally, he came down from the pulpit utterly humiliated. As he slumped down the steps, an old preacher said to him, “Son, If you’d gone up the way you came down, you’d have come down the way you went up.”

Humility, Teachableness, Openness, Awe, Wonder

Stephen Spielberg, director of a number of successful movies such as "ET", "The Color Purple," and television's series, "Amazing Stories," was recently interviewed.
Q. There is a strong metaphysical, spiritual, almost religious element to your pictures. You haven't had much to say about this, and I wonder if you would discuss it now.
A. It's just that I've always believed there is a center to the universe, and everything sort of blasts off from the center in all directions. I've never felt that man was alone in the universe or that any of us were alone within ourselves. I believe that everyone has helpers. We are all tied together by the belief that there is something greater than us. It is a collective dream. I go outside and look at the stars and I know: We are not alone. It's almost mathematically impossible. And that why I was always interested in films and ideas about alien life forms, life off the planet. Since I was a child, my No. 1 fascination has been: What's out there?

Humility, Teachableness, Openness, Awe, Wonder

Everything Happens For A Reason

Sometimes people come into your life
and you know right away
that they were meant to be there...
to serve some sort of purpose,
teach you a lesson or help figure out who
you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may
be but when you lock eyes with them,
you know that every moment that they
will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to
you at the time that may seem horrible,
painful and unfair, but in reflection you
realize that without overcoming those
obstacles you would have never realized
your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason.

Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true
greatness and sheer stupidity all
occur to test the limits of your soul.
Without these small tests,
life would be like a smoothy paved,
straight, flat road to nowhere.

Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet affect your life.
The successes and downfalls that
you experience can create who you are,
and the bad experiences can be learned from.

In fact, they are probably the most
poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you
or breaks your heart, forgive them
because they have helped you learn
about trust and the importance of being
cautious to whom you open your heart to.

If someone loves you,
love them back unconditionally,
not only because they love you,
but because they are teaching you to love
and open your heart and eyes to little things.

Make every day count.

Appreciate every moment and take
from it everything that you possibly can,
for you may never be able to experience it again.

Talk to people you have never talked to before,
and actually listen.

Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high.
Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual
and believe in yourself,
for if you don't believe in yourself,
no one else will believe in you.

Create your own life and then go out and live it.

From Barbara Clevenger

Humility, Teachableness, Openness, Awe, Wonder

About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder  Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and WHUMP!-- it smashed into the Jag's black side door! SCREECH...!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly  spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?" building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jag. That brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please... I'm  sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" Pleaded the youngster, " I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's too heavy for me."

Humility, Teachableness, Openness, Awe, Wonder

He Equips the Called
Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert.  After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her.

Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE".

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.  Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage.  In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".

At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't Quit.  Keep playing."

Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligato.  Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with God.  What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy.  We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music.  But with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful. 

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully.
You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't Quit. Keep playing".   Feel His loving arms around you.  Know that His strong hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.
Remember, God doesn't call the equipped.  He equips the called.  And He'll always be there to love and guide you on to great things. 

Author unknown.

From Barbara Clevenger

Humility, Teachableness, Openness, Awe, Wonder

Psychological courage entails a cleansing of the doors of perception, allowing us to see things as they really are rather than through the distorted lens of the past. The more we are cleansed of expectations, the more we see what is and the more we can respond to it creatively.

MY HEART SOARS

By Chief Dan George and Helmet Hirnschall

The beauty of the trees,

the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grass,

            speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,

the thunder of the sky,

the rhythm of the sea,

            speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,

the freshness of the morning,

the dewdrop on the flower,

            speaks to me.

The strength of fire,

the taste of salmon,

the trail of the sun,

and the life that never goes away,

            they speak to me.

And my heart soars.

Humility, Teachableness, Openness, Awe, Wonder

In Los Angeles, there's a place called the Museum of Tolerance that has  two entrances: one is for tolerant people, the other for intolerant.
Should you try and walk through the door of tolerance, you'll find it's locked, because none of us is without bias. What matters is that you notice your own prejudices, those situations in which you react negatively instead of standing in non-reactive love. And the transformation begins.

Mary Manin Morrissey

03/22/01

 The Eyes Of A Child

 10/24/01

 THE SHOES
 
      My alarm went off -- it was Sunday again;
      I was tired -- it was my one day to sleep in.
      But the guilt I'd have felt the rest of the day
      Would have been too much, so I'd go; I'd pray.
 
      I showered and shaved, adjusted suit and tie,
      Got there and swung into a pew just in time.
      Bowing my head in humble prayer
      Before I closed my eyes,
      I saw that the shoe of the man next to me
      Was touching my own and I sighed.
 
      With plenty of room on either side,
      I thought, "why do our soles have to touch?"
      It bothered me so; he was glued to my shoe,
 
      But it didn't seem to bother him much.
      Then the prayer began: "Heavenly Father,"          someone said- -
      But I thought, "Does this man with the shoes have no pride?"
      They were dusty, worn, scratched end to end.
      What's worse, there were holes on the side!
 
      "Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.
      The shoe man said a quiet "amen."
      I tried to focus on the prayer,
      But my thoughts were on his shoes again.
 
      Aren't we supposed to look our best
      When walking through that door?
      "Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought,
      Glancing toward the floor.
 
      Then the prayer ended and songs of praise           began.
      The shoe man was loud, sounding proud as he       sang.
      He lifted the rafters; his hands raised high;
      The Lord surely heard his voice from the sky.
 
 
      Then the offering was passed; what I threw in       was steep.
      The shoe man reached into his pockets, so deep,
      And I tried to see what he pulled out to put in,
      Then I heard a soft "clink," as when silver hits        tin.
 
      The sermon bored me to tears--
      And no lie--
      It was the same for the shoe man,
      For tears fell from his eyes.
 
 
      At the end of the service, as is custom here,
      We must greet the visitors and show them good       cheer.
      But I was moved inside to want to meet this        man,
      So after the closing, I shook his hand.
 
      He was old, his skin dark, his hair a mess.
      I thanked him for coming, for being our guest,
      He said, "My name's Charlie, glad to meet you,       my friend,"
      And there were tears in his eyes--but he had a       wide grin.
 
 
      "Let me explain," he said, wiping his eyes.
      "I've been coming for months, and you're the        first to say, "Hi."
      I know I don't look like all the rest,
      But I always try to look my best."
      "I polish my shoes before my long walk,
      But by the time I get here they're as dirty as        chalk."
 
      My heart fell to my knees, but I held back my       tears,
      He continued, "And I must apologize for sitting       so near."
 
      "But I know when I get here, I must look a sight.
      And I thought . . . if I touched you, our souls        might unite."
 
      I was silent for a moment knowing anything I       said
      Would pale in comparison, so I spoke from my        heart not my head.
 
 
      "Oh, you've touched me," I said. "And taught me,       in part,
      That the best of a man is what's in his heart."
      The rest, I thought, this man will never know. . .
      How thankful I am that he touched my soul!
 
      -- Author Unknown

01/20/02

10/16/02

 A group of Geography students studied the Seven Wonders of the  World . At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what they  think were considered to be the present Seven Wonders of the World . Though there  was some disagreement, the following got the most votes: 1

1. Egypt 's Great Pyramids
2.    Taj Mahal
3.   Grand Canyon
4.   Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6.    St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted  that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the  girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes,  a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so  many."  The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we  can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of  the World are:
1. to touch
2. to taste
3. to see
4. to hear
She hesitated a little, and then
5. to feel
6. to  laugh
7. and to love

Then the room was so full of silence it was  deafening! It is far too easy for us to look at the exploits of man and refer to  them as "wonders" while we overlook all God has done for us, regarding them as  merely "ordinary". 

10/16/02

The following were written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words. Enjoy.......

 I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

 I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

 I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

 I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

 I've learned.... That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

 I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

 I've learned.... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

 I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

 I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

 I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.

 I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

 I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

 I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

 I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

 I've learned ... That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.

 I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.    

11/26/02

THE SECRET OF WISDOM

Words of wisdom. Most of us seek them. I immediately think of  two of my favorite sayings. Jonas Salk, the great scientific  pioneer observed: "Evolution is about getting up one more time  than we fall down, being courageous one more time than we are fearful...trusting one more time than being anxious." And along  with a sense of persistence, everyday struggle and appreciation  for even small triumphs is the need for serenity: "Grant me the  serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can...and the wisdom to know where to hide  the bodies." No...Just kidding. ;-) "And the wisdom to know  the difference." And the older I get, the more profound "The  Serenity Prayer" seems. Yet, a fundamental question remains: how the heck do you get the wisdom? Okay, folks. Here it  is...The Secret of Wisdom.

Once there was a young woman who heard that an old wise woman  had the secret of wisdom. The young woman was determined to  track the old woman down. After traveling many months, the  young woman found the old woman in a cave. She entered and  addressed the old woman: "Old Wise Woman, I hear you have  The Secret of Wisdom. Would you share it with me? The old  woman looked at the youth and said, "Yes, you seem sincere.  The Secret of Wisdom is good judgment." "Good judgment, of course," said the youth, thanked her mentor, and started to  leave. However, as she got to the entrance of the cave she  paused, turned back and said, "Old Woman, I feel funny, but,   if I may ask, how does one obtain good judgment?" "That's  a good question," said the sage. "One obtains good judgment  through experience." "Experience, of course," said the young  seeker, and proceeded to leave. But once again she stopped in  her tracks, and humbly walked back to her mentor. "Old Woman,"  said the young woman, "I feel foolish, but I have to ask: How  does one obtain experience?" The old woman paused, nodded her  head, then proceeded: "Now you have reached the right question.  How does one obtain experience?. . .Through bad judgment!"   Errors of judgment rarely mean incompetence; they more likely  reveal inexperience or immaturity, perhaps even boldness. Our so-called  "failures" can be channeled as guiding streams  (sometimes raging rivers) of opportunity and experience that  ultimately enrich - widen and deepen - the risk-taking  passage...If we can just immerse ourselves in the these  unpredictably rejuvenating waters.   And just remember...Practice Safe Stress!
 

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:  It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Submitted by Barbara Clevenger

Making a mistake and then judging yourself harshly is like paying compound interest on a bad investment.
The HeartMath Solution, Doc Childer and Howard Martin

Our For What It’s Worth Department is aware as you are that Charles Forte is London’s most renowned hotel man – distinguished – instantly recognizable by one and all.

A young man lunching at the Strand….Left his table…quickly sought out Mr. Forte…Asking for a  favor.

The young diner said he wanted to impress his table companions…So would the esteemed hotelier – Mr. Forte – drop by his table just to greet him.

At the South Central Bell office, Jackson, Mississippi…

A secretary returned from her coffee break to see her boss, Jim McGowan, sitting at HER desk.

HE SAID:

“Sorry, I had a headache and took the liberty of looking in your desk for some aspirin.”  Said he’s taken two and felt “better now.”

SHE SAID:

Eddie Stephens, Palmetto, Georgia, writes our For What It’s Worth Department…

About a local fledgling lawyer who was sitting in his new office waiting for his first client.

When he heard the outer door open, he quickly tried to sound very busy.

As the man entered the office, the young lawyer is on the telephone saying, quote:

“Bill, I’m flying to NY on the Mitchell Brothers thing; it looks like it’s going to be a biggie.  Also we’ll need to bring Carl in from Houston on the Cimarron case.  By the way, Al Cunningham and Pete Finch want to come in with me as partners.  Bill, you’ll have to excuse me, somebody just came in….”

He hung up.

Turned to the man who had just entered.

The young lawyer said, ‘Now, how can I help you?”

Larry Stone of Paducah, Kentucky, tells our For What Its Worth Department that he was recently on a plane from St. Louis preparing to land in Los Angeles. 

He was in the washroom…

When he heard a rap on the door and a woman’s voice said:  “Don’t forget to wash your hands, comb your hair and zip up your pants before you come out!”

Larry did as he was told.

Then came out to be greeted by a woman who suddenly turned beet red and almost fainted.

She said she’d thought her young son was in there.

07/02/01

Leil Lowndes, a professional speaker and author, has a friend named Bob who is a professional caricature artist.

He draws caricatures of celebrities for such magazines as Newsweek and Rolling Stone.

Caricatures are only successful when they capture some aspect of the subject's personality, and the best caricature artists are able, with only a few strokes of the pen, to convey the stubbornness, pride, or charisma of their subjects.

Strangely, Leil reports that when Bob shows his sketch to the person portrayed, that person often claims that he has missed the mark.

An old woman was sitting alone with her cat, polishing a dusty lamp she’d found in the attic, when a genie popped out and offered her three wishes. Thinking quickly, she said, “I’d like to be rich. I’d like to be young and beautiful again. And I’d like my cat to turn into a handsome prince.” There was a puff of smoke, and she found herself young and glamorous, surrounded by riches. The cat had disappeared, and a gorgeous prince stood beside her, holding out his arms. She melted into his embrace. “Now,” he whispered softly in her ear, “aren’t you sorry you had me neutered?”

Two priests died at the same time and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, "I'd like to get you guys in now, but our computer's down. You'll have to go back to Earth for about a week, but you can't go back as humans. What'll it be?" The first priest says, "I've always wanted to be an eagle, soaring above the Rocky mountains." "So be it," says St. Peter, and off flies the first priest. The second priest mulls this over for a moment and asks, "Will any of this week 'count', St. Peter?" "No, I told you the computer's down. There's no way we can keep track of what you're doing." "In that case," says the second priest, "I've always wanted to be a stud." "So be it" says St. Peter, and the second priest disappears. A week goes by, the computer is fixed, and the Lord tells St. Peter to recall the two priests. "Will you have any trouble locating them?" He asks. "The first one should be easy," says St. Peter." He's somewhere over the Rockies, flying with the eagles. But the second one could prove to be more difficult." "Why?" Asketh the Lord. "He's on a snow tire, somewhere in North Dakota. "

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

A preacher decides to sell his horse. The buyer was impressed with the animal. The preacher warns him that the horse only responds to “church talk.” Go is “Praise the Lord,” and stop is “Hallelujah.”
“I’ve worked with horses all my life, and I’ve never heard of anything like that,” says the buyer. Mounting horse, he said skeptically, “Praise the Lord.” Horse began to trot. He repeated “Praise the Lord” and the horse broke into a gallop.
Suddenly the buyer saw a cliff ahead. Frantic he yelled, “Hallelujah,” and they came to a stop just in time. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the buyer said, “Praise the Lord!”

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

The president of Sloan-Kettering Laboratories once told a medical convention, "My father was a country doctor. We now know scientifically speaking, that he didn't carry a thing in that black bag that could cure anybody. But people got well because he patted them and said, 'You're going to make it.'" That encouragement released the body's amazing power to heal itself.

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

A small boy sat solemnly by the side of a pool fishing. "What are you fishing for, little man?" asked an adult who was passing by. "Sharks," replied the boy. "But there are no sharks in that pool, my little man," said the stranger. "There ain't any fish in the pool at all," answered the child, "so I might as well fish for sharks as anything else."

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

One man went to his minister for help. He had many health problems and in a short while it was evident to the minister that this man was excessively negative. The minister invited the man to affirm twenty times a day, "Each day I am healthier and healthier."
The man returned in a week looking and feeling worse. His complaint this time was that he couldn't use the affirmation very well because he kept losing count. The minister said, "Take a string and tie twenty knots in it. Every time you say the statement move your fingers to another knot and you won't have to count." The man was pleased and left. When he came back the third time he was worse than ever.

"What are you doing asked the minister. "Just what you told me," said the man. "I say 20 times a day, 'Each day I am healthier and healthier, knot. Each day I am healthier and healthier, knot. Each day ...'"

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

Charles Kettering once bet an associate that if he had a bird cage in his living room, he'd have to get a bird to go in it. His friend, in good fun, accepted the bet and put a bird cage in his living room. Everyone who came to visit would ask, "What happened to the bird?" "Did the bird die?" "Did the bird fly away?" "Where's the bird?" He received so much inquiry and heard so much conversation about the absent bird that he did eventually feel that he had to put a bird in the cage. Kettering won the bet and made his point: when you create a condition in your life a receptivity for an answer you will eventually have to get that answer.

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

There were three men stranded on an island.

They had been there for a very long time, when one morning a magic lamp washed upon the shore. The men saw it and picked it up.

The men rubbed the lamp and a genie popped appeared.
After the genie rose up he granted the men one wish each.

The first man thought about his wish and made it count. After thinking the man finally said, "I wish I was back at home." Then poof, he disappeared.

The second man thought about his wish also and made
important. Finally the man said, "I wish I was at home with my family." Then poof, he vanished.

The last wish went to the last man on the island. He looked around and felt very lonely. It took a while to think of a good wish and finally an idea came into his mind.

The third man said, "I wish that my two best friends were back on this island with me," and poof, the two other men appeared on the island again.

From Barbara Cleavenger

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

What you think upon grows. Whatever you allow to occupy your mind you magnify in your own life.  Whether the subject of your thought be good or bad, the law works and the condition grows.  Any subject that you keep out of your mind tends to diminish in your life, because what you
do not use atrophies.

Emmet Fox, Around the Year with Emmet Fox

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.
Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But don't forget to remember
Those who have stuck by you.
Always remember to forget
The troubles that came your way.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

Positive mental energy, positive thinking, does not mean we think unrealistically or revert to denial. If we don't like something, we respect our own opinion. If we spot a problem, we're honest about it. If something isn't working out, we accept reality. But we don't dwell on the negative parts of our experience. Whatever we give energy to, we empower.    

Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting go

Mind Action, Consciousness, Belief, Power of the Word

There is a distance between believing the Truth and embodying that Truth.  We may know that we are children of God with divine capacities, but until we act on that belief, it remains a foggy awareness.  Using spiritual practices moves us from believing in God to becoming aware of the reality of God moving in and through us.

 --Mary Manin Morrissey

12/05/00

04/05/01   

04/05/01

04/09/01

One of my very favorite stories comes from Eric Butterworth, in his book UNITY OF ALL
LIFE. He tells a somewhat complicated but very revealing story about two men. It is a fictitious
story, but if you will follow me, I think the story will appeal to you. As I have already noted, it is
about two men.

        One was very wealthy but in poor health. The other was quite robust but very poor. The two
men were envious of one another. The wealthy man would have given anything for a healthy
body.  The poor man would have given anything to be rich. There was a world famous surgeon
who could give them both what they longed for. He had perfected a technique for doing brain
transplants. They were the perfect candidates. The wealthy man gave the poor man all of his
wealth for the poor man's robust body by just swapping their brains. 

        But this is not the end of the story. The operation was a complete success. Now the
formerly poor man was surrounded by wealth, but he did not know how to use it. He squandered
it on both foolish pleasure and bad investments. Soon he was poor again. However, the sickly
body that he had received in the brain transplant became healthy again because he was not
burdened with stress and anxiety. Meanwhile the formerly wealthy man with his new robust
body began to accumulate wealth again because he knew the principles for making money and
he exercised discipline in his spending. Soon he was wealthy again, but the stress and anxiety
that he subjected himself to took its toll on his body. Soon he was racked with aches and pains