[GRLUG] Sometimes we need to take a step back

[Casey DuBois]

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his
5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON : "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"

SON : "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"

SON : "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."

SON : "Oh! (with his head down).

SON : "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?"

The father was furious.

DAD: "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 $
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.

DAD: "Are you asleep, son?"

SON : "No daddy, I'm awake".

DAD: "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's
been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $50
you asked for." The little boy sat straight up, smiling.

SON : "Oh, thank you daddy! "

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.

DAD: "Why do you want more money if you already have some?"

SON : "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.

"Daddy, I have $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 $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 and 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.

Regards,

Casey