Nick was a 10-year-old boy. He was the only son of his parents. Nick’s father was a very busy businessman who could not spend time with his son. He came home after Nick slept, and was off to the office before Nick woke up in the morning. Nick yearned for his father’s attention. He wanted to go outdoors and play with his father just like his friends did.
One day, Nick was surprised to see his father at home in the evening.
“Dad, it is a big surprise to see you at home,” Nick said.
“Yes son, my meeting was cancelled. So I’m at home. But after two hours I have to catch a flight,” his father replied.
“When will you be back?”
“Tomorrow noon.”
Nick was in deep thought for a while. Then he asked, “Dad, how much do you earn in a year?”
Nick’s father was taken aback. He said, “My dear son, it’s a very big amount and you won’t be able to understand it.”
“Ok dad, are you happy with the amount you earn?”
“Yes, my dear. I’m very happy, and in fact, I’m planning to launch our new branch and a new business in a few months. Isn’t that great?”
“Yes, dad. I’m happy to hear that. Can I ask you one more question?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Dad, can you tell me how much you earn in a day or even half a day?”
“Nick, why are you asking this question?” Nick’s father was perplexed.
But Nick was persistent. “Please answer me. Can you please tell me how much you earn in an hour?”
Nick’s father gave in and replied, “It will be around $ 25/- per hour.”
Nick ran to his room upstairs and came down with his piggy bank that contained his savings.
“Dad, I have $50 in my piggy bank. Can you spare two hours for me? I want to go to the beach and have dinner with you tomorrow evening. Can you please mark this in your schedule?”
Nick’s father was speechless!
This is a good and heart-touching story. In our virtual world of pervasive social media and screen time, many of us are caught up in a hectic whirlwind of activities and have become ‘’anti-social’’, glued to our devices. We forget to value things that are truly meaningful in our lives.
Life is too short, we should know our priorities in life and maintain a balance at everything. We live in a noisy world and distraction is everywhere, we are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us we do not have enough and that we need to spend more time working, I agree, to progress in life one has to work hard but one should be wise enough to know at what cost. Start spending time with your family and with people that are important to you. Your presence in the present is one of the best investments you will ever make and it is also the best way to create memorable experiences. These are simple some things money really can’t buy.
Live a well-balanced life😊
People are so tempted and glued to work, schedules, templates, models, timetable, so called mechanical world. Most of us are struck there and don't know how, where, when, why. But we still think that we live a balanced lifestyle yet we wait for some mysteries to outrun by itself.
Nice quote "Your presence in the present is one of the best investments you will ever make and it is also the best way to create memorable experiences."