a COOL body part

A mother used to ask her son, "What is the most important part of the body?" The young boy would take many guesses throughout the years in hoping to get the correct answer. The woman's son at first thought sound was very important and guessed that the ears were the most important body part. His mother informed him that wasn't the correct answer, told him that many people are deaf, and to keep thinking about it and she would ask again soon.

Many years went past before the the woman asked her son again. Since the first attempt the little boy had been thinking about what the correct answer would be and was excited to guess the eyes because he thought sight was very important. Again, to his dismay, his mother informed him that many people were blind and that his answer was incorrect but commended him on his ability to really think.

As years past the young boy grew into a young man and continued to get his mother's question wrong. His mother informed him that he was getting smarter every year and was proud of the way he thought. Then one year the young man's grandfather died, everyone was crying and his mother asked him again as they were about to say there final good-byes, "Do you know the most important body part yet, my son?" He was surprised that she would ask him now. He had always thought that it was a game between just the two of them.

His mother informed him that though he was wrong in the past, his answers had showed how he had lived his life but today was the day he needed to learn this valuable and important lesson. His mother looked at him and said, "Dear, the most important body part is the shoulder."

The young man was puzzled at first and said, "Is it because it holds up my head?" His mother replied, "No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they are suffering. Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on sometime in their life and I hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder available when you need it."

That's when the man knew that the most important body part is not a selfish one-it is empathetic to the suffering and need of others.

If your shoulder is there for others I am positive that you will always have one available to you in your time of need. It's about having the time and strength to support others without wanting or expecting anything in return, that's what being COOL is all about. Stay positive, stay generous, and STAY COOL!

When was a time you offered your shoulder to someone or someone offered you one when you really needed it?