wonderwomen

The Stonecutter

There was once a stonecutter, who was dissatisfied with himself and his position in life.

One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house and through the open gateway saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stonecutter. He became very envious, and wished that he could live like the merchant. Then he no longer would have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever dreamed of, envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. But soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around, who had to bow down before him as he passes.

It was a hot summer day, and the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!"

Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!"

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, pushed away by some great force, and he realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. I wish I could be the wind.

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs, uprooting trees, hated and feared by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that could not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it — a huge, towering stone. "How powerful that stone is!" he thought. "I wish I could be that stone!" Then he became the stone, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding on a chisel into the solid rock, and he felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful than I, the stone?" he thought. He looked down below and saw the figure of a STONECUTTER.

BE CONTENT WITH WHO YOU ARE, BUT BE YOUR BEST SELF!

CONGRATULATIONS, YA BIG LOSERS!

Well, the stats are in and we lost 18 lbs this week. DO NOT CELEBRATE YOUR LOSS BY EATING! And please don't feel frustrated if you gained or stayed the same. TODAY IS A NEW DAY! Eat smarter....live longer!

HOW NOT TO LOSE 50 POUNDS

DIET TIP

EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT OF ANY FOOD YOU DO NOT LIKE!

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

Facing the Scale is easy when you know you've had a great week. But we all know that some weeks are better than others and that the Battle of the Bulge is not over simply because we decided to make ourselves accountable to a group of our peers. It takes strength to show up when you know the scale may have edged back up. But you know what, we are strong! Strong enough to keep moving toward our goal weight even in the face of an occasional set back. We have to FACE THE SCALE EVERY THURSDAY, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE !!!!!!

NICE TRY!