A Valuable Choice and the Reward of Life
A man arrived at the airport for an overseas business trip. He usually raced against time to catch his flight, but this time he arrived early and had an hour before boarding. As he wondered how to spend the time, he remembered that his favorite talk show was about to begin and considered watching it in the departure lounge. Then he noticed a cozy café nearby and thought about enjoying a cup of coffee and relaxing there instead.
While he was deciding between the two, an elderly man approached him.
“Excuse me. I’m trying to go to America to see my son, but I have no idea where my boarding gate is.”
The elderly man handed him the ticket he was clutching tightly and looked at him with pleading eyes. At that moment, the man realized that if he escorted the elderly man to the gate, the free hour he had been looking forward to would be gone.
After a brief moment of thought, he picked up the elderly man’s luggage and walked with him at his pace to the boarding gate. When they arrived, the elderly man warmly shook his hand and thanked him over and over again.
The man no longer had time to watch the talk show or enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee. Yet his heart was filled with a sense of reward far greater than the disappointment of giving up those small pleasures.
