The CD Boy

A boy walked into a CD store and saw a girl behind the counter.

She smiled and he thought it was the most beautiful smile he has ever seen before and wanted to kiss her right there.

He said "Uh... Yeah... Umm... I would like to buy a CD."
He picked one out and gave her money for it.

"Would you like me to wrap it for you?"
she asked, smiling her cute smile again.

He nodded and she went to the back.

She came back with the wrapped CD and gave it to him. He took it and walked out of the store. He went home and from then on, he went to that store everyday and bought a CD, and she wrapped it for him. He took the CD home and put it in his closet. He was still too shy to ask her out and he really wanted to but he couldn't. His mother found out about this and told him to just ask her.

So the next day, he took all his courage and went to the store. He bought a CD like he did everyday and once again she went to the back of the store and came back with it wrapped. He took it and when she wasn't looking, he left his phone number on the desk and ran out...

!!!RRRRRING!!!
The mother picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

It was the girl!!! She asked for the boy and the mother started to cry and said,
"You don't know? He passed away yesterday..."

The line was quiet except for the cries of the boy's mother. Later in the day. The mother went into the boy's room because she wanted to remember him. She thought she would start by looking at his clothes. So she opened the closet. She was face to face with piles and piles and piles of unopened CDs. She was surprised to find all those CDs and she picked one up and sat down on the bed and she started to open one.

Inside, there was a CD and as she took it out of the wrapper, out fell a piece of paper. The mother picked it up and started to read it.

It said:
Hi... I think you are really cute. Do you wanna go out with me?
Love, Jacelyn

The mother opened another CD...

Again there was a piece of paper. It said:
Hi... I think you are really cute. Do you wanna go out with me?
Love, Jacelyn

A Painful Regret

10th grade

As I sat there in English class, I stared at the girl next to me. She was my so called "best friend". I stared at her long, silky hair, and wished she was mine. But she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it.

After class, she walked up to me and asked me for the notes she had missed the day before and handed them to her. She said "thanks" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I wanted to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

11th grade

The phone rang. On the other end, it was her. She was in tears, mumbling on and on about how her love had broke her heart. She asked me to come over because she didn't want to be alone, so I did. As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine. After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go to sleep.

She looked at me, said "thanks" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Senior year

The day before prom she walked to my locker. "My date is sick" she said; he's not going to go well, I didn't have a date, and in 7th grade, we made a promise that if neither of us had dates, we would go together just as "best friends". So we did. Prom night, after everything was over, I was standing at her front door step! I stared at her as she smiled at me and stared at me with her crystal eyes. I want her to be mine, but she isn't think of me like that, and I know it. Then she said "I had the best time, thanks!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Graduation Day

A day passed, then a week, then a month. Before I could blink, it was graduation day. I watched as her perfect body floated like an angel up on stage to get her diploma. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. Before everyone went home, she came to me in her smock and hat, and cried as I hugged her. Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said, "you're my best friend, thanks" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

A Few Years Later

Now I sit in the pews of the church. That girl is getting married now. I watched her say "I do" and drive off to her new life, married to another man. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn`t see me like that, and I knew it. But before she drove away, she came to me and said "you came!". She said "thanks" and kissed me on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Funeral:Years passed, I looked down at the coffin of a girl who used to be my "best friend". At the service, they read a diary entry she had wrote in her high school years. This is what it read:

I stare at him wishing he was mine, but he doesn't notice me like that, and I know it. I want to tell him, I want him to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love him but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why. I wish he would tell me he loved me!

I wish I did too... I thought to my self, and I cried.

A Wake Up Call.

By: Catherine Pulsifer

During the month of September, a dear friend of mine lost her husband suddenly in an accident. The tragedy was a shock to everyone.

This accident was sudden and certainly unexpected. It drove home the realization that you just don't know when a loved one is no longer going to be with you. We sometimes take our love ones for granted, and we expect that they will be with us forever. However, as we all know, life does not work that way and sometimes we get a wake up call that shocks us and makes us stand back and realize how short life is.

In consoling her, I tried to imagine if I was in her shoes how would I feel. It was impossible to imagine what she was going through. What words do I say to help her?

Sometimes words just can not express our feelings. Sometimes our actions are much more meaningful than words. A hug can sometimes express more than our words will ever express. Sometimes, just being there to listen is more meaningful and helpful to people.

A SECOND WAKE UP CALL.

As I was leaving the funeral parlor, I ran into a Marilyn. Marilyn has been a true friend to me over the years. She is one of those friends who is with you in the good times and is always by your side in the bad times. She has a sense of humor that makes everyone laugh and she makes everyone feel at ease. We chit chatted for a few moments, and then she asked me how my job was. So I started talking and talking and talking (am sure she wished she had never asked, ha) I was having a stressful week with my job and I was telling her all the issues and how I was feeling. She listened to me as I was raving about my frustrations, then without saying a word, she took her hands and placed them on my face, and said to me, "But at least you had a day."

The touch of her hands on my cheeks, the calmness in her voice, and the words she spoke, "BUT AT LEAST YOU HAD A DAY", hit me like a ton of bricks. All the frustrations, all the stress that was building up inside of me - came to a complete stop.

Since that day, when I start feeling stressed, I remind myself of Marilyn's words - but at least I had a day! Things could be a lot worse, the stress of the situation always could be worse, but I am alive and I have a lot to be thankful for - so I shall not waste my days with stress and frustrations - Life is too short!


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Catherine Pulsifer is one of the authors of Stress Less Country - A journey to simplicity and a frugal lifestyle!

How To Have Mentality Of A Winner

One day, there was a child who sold cakes made by his mother. He sold the cakes on the street or sidewalk where many people passed by. He did his routine activity by selling the cakes to other people who were passing by.

One day, he offered his cakes to a man on a street. But the man did not intend to buy his cakes. And then he took out his money and gave it to that child. He said, "Take this money, I give it to you." And the child then took the money. However, he did not take the money for himself. He gave the money to the beggar sitting next to him. Looking at what the child had done, he felt surprised. He asked the child, "I have given you my money, but why don't you keep it? Why do you give it to the beggar?" And the child immediately answered, "My mother always tells me not to receive the money from other people. We are not beggar. We take the money only when someone buys our cakes. Although we are not rich, we always work hard to earn money in the right way, we do not ask someone to give us money."

The man was so surprised and the words did not come out of his mouth after listening to what the child was saying. He was amazed at the child. And then he smiled and told the child, "OK. I will buy all of your cakes today. You have given me a very good lesson. How much do all your cakes cost?" Then the man paid the child for the cakes. The man got the valuable lesson and the child was so happy with the money that he earned so quickly.

Message for readers:

You can learn from the child at the illustrative story above. Although he was not rich, his mental is great. He did not take the money unless someone bought and paid for his cakes.

Often there are many people who are mentally poor. One of the factors of successful life is having the success mental or having the mental of a champion. If you have this type of mental or attitude, you will have bigger chances to reach the gateway of success although you have not been successful yet. It's not who you are today that determines your success in the future. It is your mental that determine your success in the future. People who have mental of a champion will always have high motivation to be a champion or successful although they were not successful in the past. Once again, who you were in the past will not determine your future. The past is not equal with the future.

If you are not successful today or if you feel that you are not destined to be successful, don't worry. By having mental of a successful person, you will have motivation to try once again. If you have mental of a loser, your action and effort will not be in full power that can cause you to achieve not-so-good results. A loser always has mental of a loser, a winner always has mental of a winner.