The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, conIused by the Iact that these huge
creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their Iront leg. No chains, no cages. It was
obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away Irom their bonds but Ior some reason,
they did not.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get
away. 'Well, trainer said, 'when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size
rope to tie them and, at that age, it`s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned
to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to
break Iree.
The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break Iree Irom their bonds but because
they believed they couldn`t, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many oI us go through liIe hanging onto a belieI that we cannot do
something, simply because we Iailed at it once beIore?
Failure is part oI learning; we should never give up the struggle in liIe.

LIFE-
Sometimes people come into your liIe and you know right away that they were meant to be there,
to serve some sort oI purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you Iigure out who you are or who
you want to become.
You never know who these people may be a roommate, a neighbor, a proIessor, a Iriend, a
lover, or even a complete stranger but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very
moment they will aIIect your liIe in some proIound way.
Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painIul, and unIair at Iirst, but in
reIlection you Iind that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your
potential, strength, willpower, or heart.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments oI true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits
oI your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, liIe would be like a smoothly
paved straight Ilat road to nowhere. It would be saIe and comIortable, but dull and utterly
pointless.
The people you meet who aIIect your liIe, and the success and downIalls you experience, help to
create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned Irom. In Iact,
they are sometimes the most important ones.
II someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they
love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and
eyes to things.
II someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, Iorgive them, Ior they have helped you
learn about trust and the importance oI being cautious to whom you open your heart.
Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take Irom those moments everything that
you possibly can Ior you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have
never talked to beIore, and listen to what they have to say.
Let yourselI Iall in love, break Iree, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you
have every right to. Tell yourselI you are a great individual and believe in yourselI, Ior iI you
don`t believe in yourselI, it will be hard Ior others to believe in you.
You can make anything you wish oI your liIe. Create your own liIe and then go out and live it
with absolutely no regrets.
And iI you love someone tell them, Ior you never know what tomorrow may have in store.
Learn a lesson in liIe each day that you live!
Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.
Think About it? Was it worth it?
ltary: A beaut1ul true love story

One day, a young guy and a young girl Iell in love.
But the guy came Irom a poor Iamily. The girl`s parents weren`t too happy.
So the young man decided not only to court the girl but to court her parents as well. In time, the
parents saw that he was a good man and was worthy oI their daughter`s hand.
But there was another problem: The man was a soldier. Soon, war broke out and he was being
sent overseas Ior a year. The week beIore he leIt, the man knelt on his knee and asked his lady
love, 'Will you marry me? She wiped a tear, said yes, and they were engaged. They agreed that
when he got back in one year, they would get married.
But tragedy struck. A Iew days aIter he leIt, the girl had a major vehicular accident. It was a
head-on collision.
When she woke up in the hospital, she saw her Iather and mother crying. Immediately, she knew
there was something wrong.
She later Iound out that she suIIered brain injury. The part oI her brain that controlled her Iace
muscles was damaged. Her once lovely Iace was now disIigured. She cried as she saw herselI in
the mirror. 'Yesterday, I was beautiIul. Today, I`m a monster. Her body was also covered with
so many ugly wounds.
Right there and then, she decided to release her Iiance Irom their promise. She knew he wouldn`t
want her anymore. She would Iorget about him and never see him again.
For one year, the soldier wrote many lettersbut she wouldn`t answer. He phoned her many
times but she wouldn`t return her calls.
But aIter one year, the mother walked into her room and announced, 'He`s back Irom the war.
The girl shouted, 'No! Please don`t tell him about me. Don`t tell him I`m here!
The mother said, 'He`s getting married, and handed her a wedding invitation.
The girl`s heart sank. She knew she still loved himbut she had to Iorget him now.
With great sadness, she opened the wedding invitation.
And then she saw her name on it!
ConIused, she asked, 'What is this?
That was when the young man entered her room with a bouquet oI Ilowers. He knelt beside her
and asked, 'Will you marry me?
The girl covered her Iace with her hands and said, 'I`m ugly!
The man said, 'Without your permission, your mother sent me your photos. When I saw your
photos, I realized that nothing has changed. You`re still the person I Iell in love. You`re still as
beautiIul as ever. Because I love you!