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The Wise Old Gentleman
18-II-08
A wise old gentleman retired and purchased a modest home near a junior high
school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and
contentment. Then a new school year began. The very next afternoon three
young boys, full of youthful, after-school enthusiasm, came down his street,
beating merrily on every trash can they encountered. The crashing percussion
continued day after day, until finally the wise old man decided it was time
to take some action.
The next afternoon, he walked out to meet the young percussionists as
they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, "You kids are
a lot of fun. I like to see you express your exuberance like that. In fact,
I used to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor?
I'll give you each a dollar if you'll promise to come around every day and
do your thing."
The kids were elated and continued to do a bang-up job on the trashcans.
After a few days, the old-timer greeted the kids again, but this time he
had a sad smile on his face. "This recession's really putting a big dent in
my income," he told them. "From now on, I'll only be able to pay you 50
cents to beat on the cans."
The noisemakers were obviously displeased, but they accepted his offer
and continued their afternoon ruckus. A few days later, the wily retiree
approached them again as they drummed their way down the street.
"Look," he said, "I haven't received my Social Security check yet, so I'm
not going to be able to give you more than 25 cents. Will that be okay?"
"A freakin' quarter?" the drum leader exclaimed. "If you think we're
going to waste our time, beating these cans around for a quarter, you're
nuts! No way, dude. We quit!" And the old man enjoyed peace and serenity for
the rest of his days. |
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