Hijacker of Joy

The Cookie Thiefby Valerie CoxA woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shops, bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.She was engrossed in her book but happened to see, that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be. . .grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”With each cookie she took, he took one too, when only one was left, she wondered what he would 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… oooh, 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 to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat, then she 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 in despair, “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.   We've got a story that's not just about cookies but about something much deeper – limiting beliefs.    Learning number 1  The cookies were never stolen!!!let's not jump to conclusions about ourselves and others. Sometimes, what we think is happening isn't the whole story.  Give those assumptions a reality check  Learning number  2 - The woman gets a little hangry, thinking, 'This guy has no manners!' But wait – he breaks the last cookie in half and offers a piece even though she was taking his stuff!  Let's  get good at being kind! Sprinkle a little gratitude into our lives. Even in frustrating moments,  try and find  a wee taste of – a wee nugget of sweetness. Gratitude  is so powerful and can turn anything around."  Conclusion:  Don't let limiting beliefs steal your joy! Daily decisions design the destiny of our lives!”