LOVING LIFE AGAIN
Dave was struggling through a bus station with two huge and obviously
heavy suitcases when a stranger walked up to him and asked, "Have you
got the time?"
Dave sighed, put down the large and cumbersome suitcases and spoke to
his wristwatch. "Time please."
"The time is five thirty," came a voice somewhere in the timepiece.
"Wow! What a watch!" exclaimed the stranger.
Dave brightened a little. "Yeah, it's not bad. Check this out. The
time in Japanese, please." The watch responded in Japanese. Then Dave
asked for German and Swahili and a realistic voice gave the time in
those languages. And then, "What time is it in London," Dave asked,
"with a British accent?" The device gave it to him.
The stranger was incredulous. "Watch this," said Dave. "Home monitor,"
he said to the wrist-watch. Immediately a 3-dimensional hologram
projected in the space between the two men that perfectly displayed
his living room. He could even see a half inch of coffee in the bottom
of a cup he'd left on the table earlier in the day.
"Unbelievable!
Then Dave spoke to the device. "Leave a voice message for Sharon that
the bus is late and send flowers to my sister for her birthday. And
give me the 5 O'clock news."
"Done, done and done," the voice confirmed. Suddenly a high-resolution
hologram screen appeared in front of Dave. The two men felt as if they
were sitting in the television studio watching the newscast.
The stranger was struck dumb with admiration. The display was of
unbelievably high quality and the voice was simply astounding.
"Now, look at this -- `wedding photos'" Dave said the timepiece.
Photos of his recent wedding appeared in front of them as if they were
floating on air. "And play Bach," he said, and music filled the space
as the wedding album scrolled.
"This timepiece is a super powerful voice-activated computer. In
addition, it is in contact with most of the world's major satellites.
And it is also a two-way radio that reaches halfway around the globe."
"I want to buy that watch!" said the stranger.
"Oh no, it's not ready for sale yet; I'm still working out the bugs,"
said Dave.
"I've got to have that watch!" said the stranger.
"No, you don't understand; it's not ready…."
"I'll give you $10,000 for it!" interrupted the stranger.
"Oh, no, I've already spent more than…."
"Then make it $20,000!" the stranger blurted. "Or just name your
price."
"But it's just that…."
The stranger pulled out a fat wallet. "All right -- $50,000. I'll give
you the cash now."
Dave blinked. He could always make another device and $50,000 would
give him a nice profit.
The stranger thrust the money at Dave. "Here, take it! I have to catch
my bus."
Dave made his decision. "Okay," he said, and took off the timepiece.
The stranger smiled and hurried away. "Hey, wait a minute!" called
Dave.
The man turned back warily. Dave pointed to the two suitcases he'd
been trying to wrestle through the bus station and said, "Don't forget
your batteries."
I think life is like that for some people. What should be wonderful
and exciting is complicated and burdensome. It is as if they are
dragging heavy baggage wherever they go. They feel tied down (to a
job? to a lifestyle? to a relationship?
Many people wish their lives were less complicated. They remember a
carefree time and dream of returning to a simpler day. They yearn for
more freedom. Less worry and more laughter. If only they could trade
some of today's complexity for yesterday's simplicity.
American essayist and novelist Charles Dudley Warner said, "Simplicity
is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough."
Rudyard Kipling yearned for less when he said, "Teach us to delight in
simple things."
Author Augustus Hare observed that "the greatest truths are the
simplest -- and so are the greatest men."
Maybe it's time to make a decision for greatness; a decision for
simplicity. Maybe it's time to let go of that which weighs you down
and walk with a lighter step. Maybe it's time to love life again.
-- Steve Goodier
Dave was struggling through a bus station with two huge and obviously
heavy suitcases when a stranger walked up to him and asked, "Have you
got the time?"
Dave sighed, put down the large and cumbersome suitcases and spoke to
his wristwatch. "Time please."
"The time is five thirty," came a voice somewhere in the timepiece.
"Wow! What a watch!" exclaimed the stranger.
Dave brightened a little. "Yeah, it's not bad. Check this out. The
time in Japanese, please." The watch responded in Japanese. Then Dave
asked for German and Swahili and a realistic voice gave the time in
those languages. And then, "What time is it in London," Dave asked,
"with a British accent?" The device gave it to him.
The stranger was incredulous. "Watch this," said Dave. "Home monitor,"
he said to the wrist-watch. Immediately a 3-dimensional hologram
projected in the space between the two men that perfectly displayed
his living room. He could even see a half inch of coffee in the bottom
of a cup he'd left on the table earlier in the day.
"Unbelievable!
Then Dave spoke to the device. "Leave a voice message for Sharon that
the bus is late and send flowers to my sister for her birthday. And
give me the 5 O'clock news."
"Done, done and done," the voice confirmed. Suddenly a high-resolution
hologram screen appeared in front of Dave. The two men felt as if they
were sitting in the television studio watching the newscast.
The stranger was struck dumb with admiration. The display was of
unbelievably high quality and the voice was simply astounding.
"Now, look at this -- `wedding photos'" Dave said the timepiece.
Photos of his recent wedding appeared in front of them as if they were
floating on air. "And play Bach," he said, and music filled the space
as the wedding album scrolled.
"This timepiece is a super powerful voice-activated computer. In
addition, it is in contact with most of the world's major satellites.
And it is also a two-way radio that reaches halfway around the globe."
"I want to buy that watch!" said the stranger.
"Oh no, it's not ready for sale yet; I'm still working out the bugs,"
said Dave.
"I've got to have that watch!" said the stranger.
"No, you don't understand; it's not ready…."
"I'll give you $10,000 for it!" interrupted the stranger.
"Oh, no, I've already spent more than…."
"Then make it $20,000!" the stranger blurted. "Or just name your
price."
"But it's just that…."
The stranger pulled out a fat wallet. "All right -- $50,000. I'll give
you the cash now."
Dave blinked. He could always make another device and $50,000 would
give him a nice profit.
The stranger thrust the money at Dave. "Here, take it! I have to catch
my bus."
Dave made his decision. "Okay," he said, and took off the timepiece.
The stranger smiled and hurried away. "Hey, wait a minute!" called
Dave.
The man turned back warily. Dave pointed to the two suitcases he'd
been trying to wrestle through the bus station and said, "Don't forget
your batteries."
I think life is like that for some people. What should be wonderful
and exciting is complicated and burdensome. It is as if they are
dragging heavy baggage wherever they go. They feel tied down (to a
job? to a lifestyle? to a relationship?
Many people wish their lives were less complicated. They remember a
carefree time and dream of returning to a simpler day. They yearn for
more freedom. Less worry and more laughter. If only they could trade
some of today's complexity for yesterday's simplicity.
American essayist and novelist Charles Dudley Warner said, "Simplicity
is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough."
Rudyard Kipling yearned for less when he said, "Teach us to delight in
simple things."
Author Augustus Hare observed that "the greatest truths are the
simplest -- and so are the greatest men."
Maybe it's time to make a decision for greatness; a decision for
simplicity. Maybe it's time to let go of that which weighs you down
and walk with a lighter step. Maybe it's time to love life again.
-- Steve Goodier
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