I was listening to Rabbi Manis Friedman the other day, and he told a joke that went something like this:
A bored, middle-aged man complained to God, “I want a life, but all I got is 20 bucks.”
God responded, “Give me the 20 bucks, and I’ll give you a life.”
Then the man worried aloud, “But I need that $20 to put gas in my car.”
“You have a car?” God asked. “Give me the $20 and the car, and I’ll give you a life.”
The man protested, “But I need the car to get to my job.”
God responded, “You have a job?” “Okay, give me $20, the car and your job, and I’ll give you a life.”
“But God, I need the job to pay for my house!”
“You have a house? Well, give me the 20 bucks, the car, your job and your house, and I’ll give you a life.”
“But, where will my family live? My wife and kids need to live in the house!” protested the man.
“You have a family?” God asked. “Let’s wrap this up. Give me the $20, the car, your job, your house and your family, and I’ll give you a life.”
The man handed everything over to God.
“Now I’m going to give you a life,” God said.
“Here’s 20 bucks, a car, a job, a house, a wife and kids. Now you have a life!”
The joke is a great reminder to be grateful for the lives we live! In my book The Present, I wrote a chapter entitled “The Mundane” that conveys a similar message. The chapter concludes, “Be present! Enjoy every second of the mundane and the routine. These moments will not last, and yet, they ARE your life.”
With Love,
P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present