Dear Readers, Happy New Year! 🎉 A new year always feels like a fresh notebook—blank pages, new chances, and a long list of resolutions we hope to keep. If you’re still deciding what to put on that list, here’s one I really hope makes it on there: Be yourself. You have a unique voice. Don’t let it get drowned out by copying others or trying to fit into someone else’s version of “cool” or “successful.” This reminder comes from a childhood tale that still feels surprisingly relevant. There was once a donkey whose master also owned a little lap dog. The dog was the clear favorite. He got pats, kind words, and even special treats from the master’s plate. Every day, the dog would run to greet the master, jumping around happily and licking his face. The Donkey watched all of this with growing jealousy. Even though he was well-fed, he worked hard every day and was mostly ignored. One day, the Donkey decided the solution was simple: act like the dog. So, he left his stable and clatter...

December invites reflection. As the year slows down and celebrations fill the air, it gently reminds us of humility, purpose, and quiet service. This story of Appu, a temple elephant, is not just about devotion and festivals, but about understanding where true honor really lives. Appu knew his place in the world. As the temple's largest elephant, his days followed a familiar rhythm: hauling timber at dawn, bathing in the river at noon, standing patiently as children offered him sugarcane through the stable bars at dusk. But once a year, everything changed. On festival morning, Appu woke to different sounds. Not the usual commands, but the gentle murmur of priests and the splash of ceremonial water. Hands he didn't recognize scrubbed his skin until it gleamed. They painted sacred symbols on his forehead: vermillion streaks that caught the early sunlight. Heavy silk cascaded down his sides, cool and unfamiliar against his rough hide. Golden bells, each one the weight of a coco...

  November is a time for thanksgiving - a time for reflection and for being thankful. Dear readers, let me narrate an incident that the family still remembers with laughter. Every year, the family celebrated Thanksgiving with a big outdoor lunch. The tables were set out in the yard under the bright afternoon sky. The main dishes stayed inside, warm and ready, while everyone served themselves outside. It had become their family ritual - full of sunshine, chatter, and good food. This year, the highlight of the meal was supposed to be Mother’s mashed potatoes — soft, creamy, and perfectly smooth. Just before lunch, she took a small taste and frowned slightly. “Oh dear,” she said, “it needs a little salt.” She turned to her friends, Aunty Jamina and Aunty Stacy , who were helping in the kitchen. “Can one of you please add a pinch of salt to the potatoes while I set the table?” They both nodded cheerfully. Then, just to be safe, Mother called out to the children. “If you...

  Hi everyone! As we are getting deeper into the school year, I know many of us may be experiencing burnout or facing a lot of stress. That's why I  wanted to share a story that shaped my approach to a particularly testing and challenging summer experience. Hopefully, by the end of this story, you too will be able to view things from a different perspective and gain some motivation! Once upon a time, there were two bricklayers. Both of them were building the same wall, laying brick after brick. Yet while one was always cheerful and full of energy, the other was miserable and dejected.  The construction supervisor, who cared about their well-being, became curious and asked them what they were doing and why they felt the way they did. The sad bricklayer sighed and said, “I’m just laying bricks all day.” But the second smiled and said, “I’m building a house.” The second bricklayer saw the bigger picture; he understood how his small task was the start of something mean...

Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well! How has the school year been so far? Today I have a short story to share with you: Long ago in the Far East , rulers expected their subjects to obey without question. One such ruler decided that his people were different; thus, normally accepted conventions did not apply to them. He abolished speech, claiming it was a waste of energy and open to interpretation. Instead, he decreed that everyone should use sign language. But it got worse; they had to convey the exact opposite , for after all, they were “unique.” A nod of the head meant no , while moving the head from side to side meant yes . The whole kingdom was thrown into chaos. At first, his subjects struggled but over time, they became masters of this reversed sign language.  Over generations, they developed the belief that the outside world could never understand them. Then came a season of heavy rains. A great flood swept through their land, submerging villages. Neighbors from surr...

Hey everyone! To celebrate the start of the new school year, I have a story to share.  Before our generation, when transport was not available, walking was the only means of travel. Emma was a little girl who walked to school every day. Her school was on the other side of a hill, and she knew the path well. One afternoon, as she was coming home, dark clouds filled the sky. Soon, rain began to fall, and the path became muddy and slippery. Emma hurried along, but in her rush, she lost her way. The forest grew darker as night came. Emma felt scared, but then she remembered what her grandmother had once told her: “When you are lost, look to the sky. The stars will guide you home.” Emma looked up. The clouds were moving away, and in the dark sky, one bright star shone above all the others. It was the North Star. She thought carefully. “When I stand outside my home, the North Star is always in front of me. Now I see it behind me. That means I must go the other way.” So Emma turned around...