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Siesta, Retirement, and Work

Karl Palachuk

Karl W. Palachuk
November 11, 2007

And old tale.

An American was visiting a small village in Mexico. He came across a young man sitting in a chair on the sidewalk while children played all around him. The American was put off by this laziness. So he talked to the man.

“Why aren’t you working?” asked the American.

“I have already worked. I caught some fish for my family and and some to sell.” he said.

“But the day is young,” said the American. “Surely you could catch more fish. What do you do every day?”

“I do what I want.” said the man. “I get up and fish a little, I play with my children, I take a siesta, and spend the evening cuddling with my wife.”

The American was very frustrated now. “You should work harder!” he said. “You should work more every day so you can have more than you need, and not just enough to get by.”

“Look at me,” said the American. “I work hard every day. Sometimes twelve or fifteen hours a day. I’ve been working hard for twenty years. And when I retire, I’ll be able to go anywhere, and do whatever I want. That’s what you should do.”

The Mexican thought for awhile. Then he asked,

“And what will you do when you retire?”

“Well,” said the American, “I thought I’d find a nice village like this. I’ll do what I want. I’ll get up and fish a little, I’ll play with my grandchildren, I’ll take a siesta, and spend the evenings cuddling with my wife.”

And so the question is: Why aren’t you doing today what you plan to do someday?

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One Response

  1. The answer is: Because if I started doing today what I plan to do someday, I’d be completely broke and homeless long before I was ready to die.

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