About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive
named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was
going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only
two months old. He was watching for kids darting out from
between the cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car
passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and -WHUMP! smashed into
the Jag's shiny black side door! SCREECH...!!! Brakes slammed! Gears
ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where
the brick had been thrown.
Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and
pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all
about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up
a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jag, that brick you threw is
gonna cost a lot of money! Why did you throw it?" "Please, mister,
please...I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster, "I threw
the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down
the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother,
mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't
lift him up," Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help
me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for
me." Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to
swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the
young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped
the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He
then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12-cylinder Jaguar
XKE--a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of the Jaguar.
He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so that someone has
to throw a brick at him to get his attention...
Some bricks are softer than others are. Feel for the bricks of life coming