I think, I would not have been so struck with the relevance of attitude in everyday life, unless two powerful stories would have crossed me in sequence. The first story was about an old lady, who woke up one morning and noticed that she had only three hairs on her head. 'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.' So she did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. 'Hmm...,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.' So she did and she had a grand day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. 'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.' So she did, and that day also she had enough fun. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. 'Yeah!' she exclaimed. 'I don't have to fix my hair today!' That day also was equally funny for her.
The next story was that of a smart boy. The story says that long ago there lived a monster in a small village. The villagers were all terrified of it, and felt their village was cursed to have such a creature living in their midst. One man attacked the monster with a sharp sword. The monster grabbed the sword and almost magically pulled out another sword, twice as large, twice as sharp and cut the man into half. People were surprised, and despite their disbelief, went along to see a little boy take on the monster. As the boy looked up at the giant, the monster just flared his nostrils and glared back. The little boy then took out an apple and offered it to the monster. The monster grabbed it, held it to his mouth, and then thrust his clenched fist in front of the boy. Bang! As the fist slowly opened, the people were astonished to see two delicious apples there, twice as red and twice as large as the apple that the boy had offered. The people grew ecstatic. They suddenly realised that the monster is not a curse – but a boon to the village.
These stories might be fictitious; but not the moral. If we take a closer look at those situations that we brand to be problems, I think that right attitude is strong enough to burn them into ashes. Attitude is everything. Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
