Day with a Difference - July 28, 2006

Today's Inspirational Quote:

Unless we think of others and do something for them, we miss one of the greatest sources of happiness. - Ray Lyman Wilbur

Doing well by doing good - William R.Brody

There is a man who I'd like to tell you about. His name is Sandy Greenberg. In his youth, Sandy was a very good student, but he came from a poor family. And so he went to Columbia University on a scholarship and there he met his roommate who also was receiving financial aid. Now while he was a sophomore at Columbia University, Sandy contracted an eye disease that eventually proved to be glaucoma. But the trouble was, it wasn't detected early enough, and as a result he became legally blind. But something else happened to Sandy that may surprise you. Sandy said that when he lost his sight, his roommate would read his textbooks to him, every night.

And as a result, Sandy went on to graduate with honors. He got a Fulbright Scholarship, and he went off to study at Oxford. He was still quite poor, but he said he had managed to save about five hundred dollars as he went along. His roommate, meanwhile, also went on to graduate school. One day, Sandy got a call from him at Oxford. And his former roommate said, "Sandy I'm really unhappy. I really don't like being in graduate school, and I don't want to do this." "Sandy, I really love to sing. I have a high school friend who plays the guitar. But we need to make a promo record, and in order to do that I need $500."

So Sandy Greenberg told me he took all his life savings and sent it to his roommate. He told me, "You know, what else could I do? He made my life; I needed to help make his life." \nWhat you get will depend a lot on what you give. And that\'s the end of the story of doing well, by doing good. My hope today, as you commence to new beginnings, is you will always keep your eyes open for those opportunities to give and embrace them as your best sure way of doing well.

Expand your knowledge base

A clean joke to sign off your week with laughter

During the \'rush hour\' at Houston\'s Hobby Airport, a flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem. \nSince they needed the gate for another flight, the aircraft was backed away from the gate while the maintenance crew worked on it. The passengers were then told the new gate number, which was some distance away. Everyone moved to the new gate, only to find a third gate had been designated for them. \nAfter some further shuffling, everyone got on board, and as they were settling in, the flight attendant made the standard announcement, \'We apologise for the inconvenience of this last-minute gate change. This flight is going to Washington, \nD.C. If your destination is not Washington, D.C., then you should \'deplane\' at this time.\' \nA very confused-looking and red-faced pilot emerged from the cockpit, carrying his bags. \'Sorry,\' he said, wrong plane.\'

Have a memorable day and a fun-filled weekend!",
Priya