Penamoli

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point, he asked: ''Are you writing a story about what we've done? Is it a story about me?'' His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: '' I am writing about you, actually, but more important  than the words is the pencil I'm using. I hope you will be like the pencil when you grown up.'' Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn't seem very special. ''But it's just like any other pencil I've ever seen!'' ''That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.'' ''First quality : you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. we call that hand, God, and He always guide us according to His will.'' ''Second quality: now and then, I have...

A painter, a poet and a critic were crossing the desert. One night, to kill the time, they decided to describe the camel that was accompanying them. The poet  took ten minutes to describe the animal’s nobility in beautiful verses. In a few rapid strokes, the painter offered his friends a drawing. Finally the critic entered the tent. He came out two hours later, by which time they were all annoyed at how long he was taking. “I tried to be quick, but I discovered flaws in the animal,” said the critic. “It doesn’t run. It’s uncomfortable. It’s ugly.” And he handed his friends a wad of pages with the title: “The perfect camel, or how God should have made the camel.”   (Arab oral tradition)