Below is a poem by Valerie Cox. It will inspire you, entertain, educate, motivate and above all, teach you a great lesson.
Cookie Thief
A woman was waiting at an airport one night
With several long hours before her flight
She hunted for a book in the airport shop
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop
She was engrossed in her book but happened to see
That the man beside her as bold as could be
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene
She munched cookies and watched the clock
As this gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by
Thinking “If I wasn’t so nice I’d blacken his eye”
With each cookie she took he took one too
And when only one was left she wondered what he’d do
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh
He took the last cookie and broke it in half
He offered her half as he ate the other
She snatched it from him and thought “Oh brother
This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude
Why he didn’t even show any gratitude”
She had never known when she had been so galled
And sighed with relief when her flight was called
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat
Then sought her book which was almost complete
As she reached in her baggage she gasped with surprise
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes
“If mine are here” she moaned with despair
“Then the others were his and he tried to share”
“Too late to apologize she realized with grief”
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief
Application in our lives
We are all thieves but we think the other person is one who is the thief.
From the poem above, it clearly demonstrates how we are quick to blame.
It is important first to go within and evaluate ourselves before passing blame.
Most of the time, it is not the other person who is a gossiper, thief, bad, accuser, hater, barrier to your success.
Most likely you are the one who is practicing these unacceptable habits but you are living in denial.
In order to overcome such mentality of blaming others, I normally evaluate myself.
Below are some questions that I use to evaluate myself to see if I am the problem rather than the solution. I take atleast 2 minutes after every question to honestly answer it. You could also use them if you like them.
- Did I accuse anybody falsely today?
- Did I feel bad due to an achievement of another person today?
- Did I compliment somebody dishonestly?
- Did I feel jealousy of her new dress, car, house?
- Did I pass a negative comment about a friend/enemy? e.g.
-He is arrogant after buying that car.
-He is arrogant because he is educated.
-She is showing off with that dress, although it was bought by her boyfriend.
6. How many people did I compliment while we were together only to backbite?
7. Am I harbouring positive or negative thoughts about my colleagues?
8. Is it really my friend who is bad or it is me?
9. How much time do I spend making myself better rather than trying to change other people?
10. e.g. If a fellow wrongs me, I retreat into my inner self and ask, If I was Christ, how would I behave in this circumstance?
Action
Whenever, I feel some of the questions above require attention. I start acting immediately. Sometimes, it is not possible to do everything at the same time. But, slowly and step by step, I am becoming less blaming, criticizing and judgmental.
To change some of these habits, it takes time and there is a conflict between my mind and what I feel is the right thing to do.
Despite the internal conflict, I keep trying until I overcome the bad habit.
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Fantastic! Thanks and God bless u for such creativity.
Its a great lesson to avoid judging others while its a true picture of who we are that we are portraying.
Great Poem by Cox,Very Practical .
well said…more often than not, the problem is with 'I'
thats a good ONE, the kind you read with a smile. an eye opener to look at ourselves coz more often than not, The problem is with ‘I’
thats a good, those you read with a smile. an eye opener to look at ourselves coz more often than not, The problem is with ‘I’
Thanks for the poem Arimi,it teaches us on the basic morals
I love it. Thank u.
Nice,thank you.
Why look on the speck on your bros eyes while you can't see the log on yours?? Thank Arimi
Why look on the speck on your bros eyes while you can't see the log on yours?? Thank Arimi
Why look on the speck on your bros eyes while you can't see the log on yours?? Thank Arimi
heard this poem at church,then in school and now from you. What a repetative lesson. Definately, its a call to evaluate and reflect on my life and my reactions. Indeed, sharing and sharing more is the spirit we opt to nurtue.
wow, insightful & funny…
wow, insightful & funny…
So practical. We could be a mirror to other peoples problems and yet pretend to be beyond suspicion. Well done and thanks for this.
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.”THANK YOU MUCH!!!