kyburg | Why enough is plenty -

doki posted jokes today. Go look at them - really. The "toliet cleaning" one made me cry the first time I read it -

But there was one that just plucked a string with me today -

The American Way

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented
the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took
him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs
and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with
my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a
few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . . .I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!

You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra
fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the
extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a
third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of
selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the
processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave
this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York
City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the
American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start
selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children , catch a few fish, take a
siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

---

People ask why I don't struggle to make that extra $50,000 a year.

I like having just enough - not too much - and just working enough to live, not living to work.

(Though I love working. That I discovered this morning.)

Take the rat race. You can have it. I'll enjoy the whole trip, thank you.

In other news, Jim came back from his doctor's visit with a script for a CT - they suspect a kidney stone. BAH. He's also pooped completely out, but nobody would have noticed it last night - cooked, entertained and was just wonderful. What a nice guy - but I'm not biased.