In America, we often feel like we’re stuck in the rat race forever trying to get ahead. And although the living situation for the average American is hundreds of times better than most people on the globe, it often feels like it’s never enough.
Besides working hard to get ahead, parents need to work extra to make sure their families are taken care of. And as they raise their boys and girls, they hope to impart the work ethic that got them to where they are on to the next generation.
But as this story illustrates, it’s never too late for a parent to learn a valuable lesson about appreciation and gratitude.
As the child in this story demonstrates to his wealthy father, the “poor” people are really “rich” in ways the “rich” people are truly “poor.”
The following story was shared on Facebook on July 21, 2015 and it teaches us a valuable lesson about gratitude.
One day a very wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country for the sole purpose of showing his son how it was to be poor. They spent a few days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
After their return from the trip, the father asked his son how he liked the trip. “It was great, Dad,” the son replied. “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh Yeah,” said the son.
“So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father. The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.” The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “It showed me just how poor we really are.”
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don’t have. What is one person’s worthless object is another’s prize possession. It is all based on one’s perspective.
Sometimes it takes the perspective of a child to remind us what’s important.
What’s your take on this story?
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