I have read and found something wonderful in Facebook (yes, sometimes I am skeptical about the thought of finding something really good in Facebook, but apparently there are some, a tiny bit. lol). This is something worth sharing because even I, a work at home dad – who should have more time with my family, still sometimes shoo away the wife and the kid because I am busy until the wee hours of the night. I am guilty as well, not spending some quality time with my daughter at times, even if I am physically there and yes, I do see them, but my mind and thoughts are away.
Quoting Dr Harwell, a good American Expatriate who once lived in the Philippines, “We live to work, not work to live”, we are slaves to our jobs, the system and money and most of us don’t own our time anymore. Although money is quite as important in order to live in at least according to our needs and not just our lifestyle, but also we need to devote some time to our family which is the main goal on why we work so hard in the first place.
Read below a sweet story about a father and a son:
(credits to whomever the author of this short story)
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.Some things are more important.
With this I conclude with: Yes, you may earn $100 an hour, but every precious minute with your family is priceless. Let go of your hard earned worth for an hour and spend some time with your spouse and kids. If you don’t have one, hug your dog or cat. Hug your mom, dad, brother or sister wherever they may be. If you live far away from any of them, call them and talk them about anything or nothing at all. Travel with them even just for a day. If you don’t have any of these…keep calm and carry on. 😀
