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.
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 trash
cans.
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
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 did accept 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
lousy 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, mister. We quit!"
And
the old man enjoyed peace and serenity for the rest of his days.
