Digital Point Storytime

One of the greatest joys of mine is reading.

I love to sit in my garden and read books under the afternoon sun.

This got me thinking, what are some of the greatest stories you have ever heard or read?

My favorite, hands down, is the story of the American Banker and the Mexican Fisherman.

It goes like this:

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

 

Great story Matthew.

I am pretty much the Mexican Fisherman!

 

A tractor salesman was finishing up some business at a farmhouse and noticed that among the barnyard animals moving about, there was a pig with a wooden leg. The salesman had never seen such a thing so he asked the farmer about it.

"Let me tell you something about that pig," said the farmer. "Four months ago I was out plowing the North 40 and the tractor tipped over on me and trapped me underneath it. I was so far away from help and the weight was crushing me so bad that I was sure that I was a goner. Well, that pig sensed something was wrong, jumped over the fencing in his pen and came running out to where I was. He dug around me until he could pull me out and dragged me to the edge of the road where I was finally seen by a passing car. That pig surely saved my life."

The salesman expressed amazement at the story, but the farmer had more to say.

"But that's nothing," the farmer solemnly intoned. "One month ago, Ma left the kettle on the stove when we all went up to bed. The kitchen curtains caught fire and the next thing you know, the entire first floor is going up in flames. That pig saw the smoke, dug his way out of the fencing in his pen and ran into the house. He came up to the second floor and woke us all up so that we could escape with our lives. That pig saved me again and this time also saved my entire family."

The salesman again expressed his amazement, but then said, "But you still haven't explained why he has a wooden leg?"

The farmer quietly replied, "When you have a pig that good, you don't eat him all at once."

 

Epic ending!

I love it

(I am now craving bacon)

 

A life without challenges is like a life of eating rotten leftovers.

 

Thanks for sharing, great read! A perfect reminder that it pays off to keep life in balance. There are many forms of wealth.

 

Is this so that the pig can save the family multiple times from starvation? =D

 

Good thought!

 

Good story

 

Just got done reading 'The One Minute Manager' for the 5th or 6th time.

I HIGHLY recommend it to EVERYONE here!

It's one of those rare, life-changing books that finds a unique way to change the way you think.

If you change the way you think, you will eventually change the way you act.

Here is a free version (I don't own any part of this site, simply found it via a Google search) - http://www.pro-actions.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/One-Minute-Manager.pdf

The actual book begins on page 10.

If you enjoy the free version, please support the author by purchasing the paper version (Half.com has it for $4.00) - you won't regret it!

"If you do today what you have always done, you will have today what you always have." -Henry Ford