Life's Bricks
About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was
traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast
in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months
old.
He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed
down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted
out, but a brick sailed out and-WHUMP! -- it smashed into the Jag's shiny
black side door! SCREECH...!!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into
reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the
brick had been thrown.
Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a
parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are
you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he
went on. "That's my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot
of money. Why did you throw it?"
"Please, mister, please...I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!"
Pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would
stop!"
Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked
car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell
out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked
the
executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?
He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the
rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man
back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the
scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He
then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their
home.
It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar
XKE-a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar.
He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone
has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Some bricks are softer
than others. Feel for the bricks of life coming at to you.