Why built a bridge - Pourqoui constuit un pont

Deep in the rainforests of the Indian state of Meghalaya, bridges are not built, they’re grown.

Why built a bridge - Pourqoui constuit un pont

An old man going a lone highway,

Came, at the evening cold and gray,

To a chasm vast and deep and wide.

Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim. 

The sullen stream had no fear for him, 

But he turned when safe on the other side 

And built a bridge to span the tide. 

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,

"You are wasting your strength with building here. 

Your journey will end with the ending day. 

You never again will pass this way. 

You've crossed the chasm, deep and wide. 

Why build this bridge at evening tide?" 

The builder lifted his old gray head:

"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,

"There followed me to-day 

A youth whose feet must pass this way. 

This chasm that has been as naught to me, 

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim.

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!"

- by unknown author 

English-French Translation by (Traduction anglais-français par) Google Translate

heart song from: TheEggMan21 post on Reddit.com  thread:"What quote genuinely sends a a shiver down your spine?" 

photos from:  "How to grow your own bridge: Villagers create 'living' crossings by training roots across a river" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2035520/Meghalaya-villagers-create-living-bridges-training-roots-river.html 

The Last Taxi Ride - Le Dernier Tour de Taxi

The Last Taxi Ride  -  Le Dernier Tour de  Taxi 

A NYC Taxi driver wrote: (Name unknown)

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' 

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now.'
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said.

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

English-French Translation by (Traduction anglais-français par) Google Translate

from:   http://imgur.com/gallery/vAI4DGD 
(1st seen here, but discovered it's from many, many places on the internet, original unknown).

Sugary Drinks May Damage Children's Brains So Badly It Affects Their Memory

by Samantha Olson

July 29, 2014 

Sugary drinks may be doing far more harm than just causing tooth decay and weight gain; it may be damaging our brains. Researchers from the University of Southern California have found a disturbing connection between sugary drinks and memory and will present their research at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior this week in Seattle, Wash.

"It's no secret that refined carbohydrates, particularly when consumed in soft drinks and other beverages, can lead to metabolic disturbances,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Scott Kanoski from USC, said in a press release. “However, our findings reveal that consuming sugar-sweetened drinks is also interfering with our brain's ability to function normally and remember critical information about our environment, at least when consumed in excess before adulthood.”

When children consume sugar-sweetened drinks throughout their young lives, researchers worry their results indicate poor memory function once they reach adulthood. It’s not just soda they’re talking about; it’s also apple juice, lemonade, sports drinks, and anything that contains enough sugar to make you worried they’ll be jumping off the walls within the hour.

Source: Kanoski SE, Konanur VR, and Hsu TM. Adolescent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages impairs hippocampal-dependent learning. Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior. 2014.

from:    http://www.medicaldaily.com/sugary-drinks-may-damage-childrens-brains-so-badly-it-affects-their-memory-295558

English-French Translation by (Traduction anglais-français par) Google Translate