A quick story.
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his
SON:"Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD:"Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the man.
SON:"Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD:"That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
the man said angrily.
SON:"I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD:"If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour."
SON:"Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON:"Daddy, may I please borrow Rs.50?"
The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs.50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.
"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man.
"It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you.. Here's the Rs.50 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
"Daddy, I have Rs.100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
Do remember to share that Rs.100 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.
Another quick story.
There was once a young boy who lived by the beach with his parents. One day, the father took his dear son for a stroll along the beach.
Son: I just want to be happy like you Pappa, how can I be happy forever like you and Mamma?
Father: Well son, to live a rich life you must always have more beginnings than endings and always keep the woman in your life happy. A happy wife is a happy life.
The boy looked at the ground as he thought about his father’s wise words.
Father: You must never hit a girl son. Never!
Son: Okay Pappa. That’s easy! What else?
Father: Always remember, a kind answer turns away anger.
Son nodded his head.
Father: You must never swear around your girl either, okay? She will respect you for it even if she doesn’t realise it.
Son: Okay Pappa. I can do that!
Father: Girls will come and go, some will be lots of fun, and others will break your heart and hurt you.
The boy interrupted his father…
Son: No, you don’t understand. I just want to be happy! I don’t wanna be sad, no I don’t wanna be sad Pappa!!
(boy starts to cry)
Why will they hurt me?
Father: Son, that’s what broken people do. The world is full of hurting people. Hurt people hurt others, even though they don’t mean it. You gotta be strong when this happens. You’re my boy and I know you are a strong man on the inside, always remember that. You can’t hide away from the world. You mustn’t lock your heart and your dreams in a box. You need to take risks! Just give everything your best and love well!
As the young boy wiped his tears on his daddy’s shirt, he continued to listen intently.
Father: You’ll understand this when you’re a little bit older… but when we love someone, we risk not being loved back. Just like when we hope for things, we risk disappointment. When we try, we are risking failure. But you must take risks my boy, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. Great love and great things involve great risk. What do you think would happen if daddy never took any risks?
After a long period of silence, the young boy spoke up.
Son: You wouldn’t have met Mamma, and I wouldn’t be here!
Father: That’s my boy!
Son: Pappa, if I don’t take risks, I will never be happy!
Father: Good boy. So remember… always hope, always try and always love.
The father was right. The son grew to be a man and had his heart broken many times, he was even cheated on and lied to causing him to harden his heart. But he became a man who respected women, who put their needs before his, even at times leading to his own undoing. He also learned that to achieve his dreams he needed to take risks. Years passed and he never forgot his father’s words and through the risks he took, possessed a new secret, something not many people in the world ever possess: the secret to love.
Few people are happy, because few are the people who know this simple secret:
In humility value others above yourself; not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.
And it all started with a small simple step, called… A Risk!
