Feedback Thoughts

Giving and getting feedback is not necessarily an easy thing. Some times people will take it the wrong way. I think it just really depends on the person. If you are willing to better yourself, then you will be more open to different ways on how you can do that. For me, getting feedback is not the easiest thing but I feel like if I am more open about it then it won’t be as bad. Also, one thing that helps me is that if I am expecting feedback I will take it more easily than just randomly getting feedback. I enjoyed reading the article, “5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like A Champ” because it really prepares you for the feedback. It tells you to be positive about it because feedback can only help you grow as a person.   

(Quote image: Flickr)

Story: A Good Fortune

(Field nature: Pixabay)

Long ago, there was a man name Adir. He was generous and loving. He didn’t have much money but always thought of others. He was wise and people always went to him for advice. Adir had two sons. One of them was his real son, Hanina, and the other one he adopted, Ranon. Adir adopted him because his parents died and left him behind as an orphan. Being the generous man that Adir was, he could not leave this boy by himself. He was surely not capable of providing for himself.

Hanina was different from his father. He wasn’t hardworking or generous. He was more careless about others. When his father would ask him to do chores, Ranon would be the one who ends up doing them. Ranon was a hard worker. He was extremely thankful that Adir took him in so anything that Ranon needed help with he was right there.

Many years went by and Adir got really sick. His sons Hanina and Ranon did not know what to do. They made many herbal remedies to help, but nothing was working. Finally, Adir told them that it was his time to go. He gave them a long lecture about helping each other and working hard to achieve a good life. Before he took his last breath he said to his sons, “Hanina and Ranon, if you take the road north of the river there will be land. On the land, find the biggest rock and start digging around it. You should be able to find something and that will bring you good fortune. Work together, my sons, and you will find wealth.”

After their father’s funeral, they did exactly what he said. They walked along the road north of the river and found the biggest rock. They started digging and digging. They could not find anything. Day and night, they kept on digging. They finally realized that they had dug so many acres of land and still could not find anything. Hanina suggested that they just leave because they weren’t going to find good fortune anywhere. Ranon felt the same way, but he thought maybe they could put this land to use.

Hanina did not feel the same way at all. He said to Ranon, "You are just wasting your time and mine." He picked up all of this things and never came back to help Ranon. Something told Ranon to not give up, so he started planting corn, tomatoes, rice, and many more vegetables. The plants flourished quickly and he was able to sell them at the market. The people were buying them so fast.

As many years went by, Ranon had a great business going on. It brought him great wealth and a good life. On the other hand, Hanina was living in a small town alone going from house to house begging for food. Ranon thought to himself that he got really lucky with the land. Finally, he realized that what his father was trying to tell them was hard work goes a long way. If his father never told them to go dig to find good fortune, they would have never done it. Wealth or gold won’t just be given to you. You need to work hard and good things will come your way.

Author’s note: For my story, I used one of the Jewish Fairy Tales called “The Fairy Frog.” I enjoyed reading this fairy tale and I thought I could change it up a bit. In the original story, their father told them to buy the first thing that is offered to them so they bought a frog and did everything for it. They fed it and lost almost all of their things for it. The frog turned into a fairy at the end, which gave them good fortune. We all know what fairies do, so in my story I wanted to change it. In the story, the fairy granted their wishes but in mine I wanted to add more of a realistic view so I took out the fairy. I added another character just to change things up a bit. I wanted to add a brother that wasn’t blood related to show that they will love you just the same even though they are adopted. I mainly focused on the point that some times things aren’t just given to you and you have to work hard for it. Giving up is definitely not a way to make things better for you and, in this story, the person who gave up did not get anything. The lesson of “The Fairy Frog” is that if you are generous and sacrifice things for some one, in the end you will be rewarded. It is similar to the lesson in my story.

  

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales by Gertrude Landa. Link to The Fairy Frog

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

Hey everyone!
I added a weather widget to my blog. I thought it would be a nice addition and I always find myself looking up the weather so I thought this would be nice. If you want to add a weather widget to your blog just follow this link and it will tell you how to add it!
(How to add a weather widget)

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, The Fairy Frog

One detail that I liked was at the beginning where they mentioned that the father was a man of learning and wealth. I could write a story elaborating on that view and mention how he was a good man. I could also make the son, Hanina, the total opposite from the dad.

In the story, the son and wife did everything for the frog. They gave up everything so the frog could eat. I could change that and add in that the son and wife were a little greedy. I can also add a younger brother to the story and he could be the one that fed the frog.

In the end the son and wife are rewarded with many gifts. I can change the ending and make the brother get the gifts and not them. The moral of the story could be about being wise and good things come to those who are giving.

(Prince frog: Pixabay)

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales by Gertrude Landa. Link to The Fairy Frog

Reading Notes: Jewish Fairy Tales, The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

(Sleepy dog and a cat: Flickr)

I enjoyed reading The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog. I think it gives us a great explanation of why cats and dogs aren’t too fond of one another. One thing that stood out to me was that the cat was the one that wanted to separate from the dog. If I were to write this story again, I would change that and add another character. The dog could have met another cat or dog friend, which would have made the first cat jealous. Then, the cat would have felt betrayed, which would explain why cats are usually pettish. I think it would be fun to add more to the story and also change the ending. Maybe the cat’s life got worse and needed the dog again for help.

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa. Link to The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog