The Bricks of Life
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 your family
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 you.
Love - Words