This book, Volume I, contains true short stories from the real world as experienced and seen through the eyes of the author. Its purpose is to share many of this life's lessons which accentuate thinking and thought production of the reader. Within these contents, there are true stories with which readers can relate, i.e., there is something for nearly everyone. By the time most of us have reached the latter part of our lives, we have experienced and seen things which can be helpful to those whom have not reached our ages. This book is a learning tool. Between these covers, you will find stories which deal with politics, power, pettiness, ethics, morality, spirituality, legal and illegal behaviors and practices with which we are all faced on a frequent basis. It is the intention of this author for this work to be helpful to those who follow. Even before my teens, something drew me to older people. Somehow I knew that they were aware of things which could be helpful to me. Most of the time, when I paid attention to their advice and instruction, I was able to learn how to avoid making the mistakes they had experienced before me.
THOUGHT PROVOKING LESSONS OF LIFE
True Short Stories from the Real WorldBy Wendell V. FountainAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Wendell V. Fountain
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4685-4862-4Contents
About the Book...............................xviiPreface......................................xix(MBA) Student................................1Young Possum.................................5Bird Feeder..................................11GOLF: Beginner or Not?.......................17Goodnight, Gracie............................24Unity of Command.............................30Life After Death.............................36Music and Trust..............................42Compromise Is a Bad Word.....................49Discrimination...............................54The Insane Society...........................59Surprise.....................................73The Regret...................................78Hobo.........................................85Mrs. Jackson.................................96The Tree.....................................104School Board.................................114Island.......................................127Union Matters................................131Robbed.......................................138Afterword....................................147
Chapter One
(MBA) student * * *
At 7:00 o'clock on a Friday evening a 25 year old Master of Business Administration (MBA) student was listening intently to the words of his 55 year old, aging, business administration professor during a class in organizational behavior. The student was on a fast-track graduate degree which his employer felt he needed to better serve the company. The struggling student was attempting to balance his work and family life while pursuing a master's degree in business administration at the same time. It was certainly placing a great deal of stress on him and his family. The student had two young children and a working wife who missed him greatly when he took evening and weekend MBA courses. The student and his wife had two new cars, a new house, and the usual credit card balances and debts, so two paychecks were essential.
During the lecture the professor said, "I feel sorry for you people, because you have no choice but to be here doing something which is work. You and I are abnormal or we wouldn't be here. We would be like our friends out enjoying life as normal people do. Even though I consider myself to be working and abnormal, I'm having fun and actually enjoying this, but the bottom line is I don't have to be here, but you do, because you and your employer believe that an MBA degree will be mutually beneficial."
The professor later commented on the Career "lifecycle" of the MBA degree in the corporate world, which the student found disconcerting, because the student believed with the MBA degree he could climb the corporate ladder to the top and stay as long as he did his job. However, the professor said, "After about five years your MBA degree will have far less value then than it will now. In fact, after about 40, you will become obsolete. When your hair begins to gray like mine, it's essentially over for you. Think, folks, how many people in your organization are over 40?"
The student's mind left the classroom briefly, returning to his workplace and the CEO of the company, his boss, who was beginning to gray a little at 41 and was the only one he could think of over 40. The student wondered if the professor really knew what he was talking about. He thought, how could what he's saying be true? After all, it's common knowledge that those who teach do so because they can't do real work.
Monday morning right after he arrived at his desk at work, his boss, called him into his office. "How're you coming with the new pump gasket? You know we're running out of time on this project," he said solemnly.
The student replied heartily, "We ran our final tests on it Friday, and we're sure all is well for mass production."
"That's good news, but what do the tests indicate regarding its life cycle?"
"Our low range is about 15 years, and from projections, our high range goes up to about 20," the student replied with pride.
"I like what's happening, but we need to have a candid discussion, because there are some things you need to know," the CEO said.
The student-worker became anxious because of the CEO's comment. The CEO asked him to pull up a chair and sit down. "I think you know we've been struggling to make our numbers for quite awhile, and I firmly believe it's because of these terrible economic times, about which, I might add, we have no control. Despite that, the board of directors has decided to replace me with someone else, so I'll be leaving at the end of the month. Oh, uh, good luck with the gasket."
Young Possum
* * *
A young country boy, Travis, of about nine was out hunting one evening with his BB gun among the prickly and thorny blackberry brambles, bushes, palmettos, and trees near his house when he came upon a young possum. The little thing seemed lost. He looked around for the youthful possum's mother, but he couldn't find her. So, he carefully picked it up and carried it home with him. He didn't know whether or not it was a male or female at first, but it didn't matter to him. He thought that it would make a good pet, because he didn't know anyone at school or in the rural area where he lived who had a possum for a pet.
As soon as he got home, he found a cardboard box in which to put the little thing until he could build a proper cage for it. He'd only been home for a few minutes when his father arrived from work. Immediately, Travis proudly showed him his new pet, and he asked his father, "Daddy, this is a possum, ain't it?"
"Yeah, son, it is, where did you get it?"
"I found him lost in the woods without his mother."
"What do you plan to do with it?"
"I'm gonna keep it for a pet," Travis replied.
"Well, I don't know about a wild thing like that being a pet," his father said.
"Nobody has a possum for a pet. Can you tell if it's a girl or boy?" Travis asked.
"Give it to me for just a minute," his father said. His father, Haeseley, held it up above his head and looked for evidence of its sex. He handed the little possum back to his son. "It's a male possum-a boy," his father said.
"Now, I can give him a name. I wanted to make sure what to call him," Travis said.
Travis went outside and began looking for some wood and chicken wire so that he could build the cage. It didn't take him long to get what he needed, including a hand saw, hammer, and some nails. His father showed him how to go about constructing it, and suggested that he build it off the ground. It was getting late so his father said to start on it in the morning, because it was Saturday, and he didn't have to go to school.
Travis got up very early and worked nearly all day on building the cage. When he was finished, he was very proud of his work. He asked his father to take a look at what he had done. Haeseley went outside with Travis and was somewhat surprised at what Travis had accomplished.
"Not bad, Travis. Where did you get that leather for the door hinges?" "Remember those old shoes of mine we threw away a few months ago? I found them in the dump and cut the tongues out." Travis replied.
"Daddy, what do possums eat?"
"Oh, they'll eat just about anything. They tend to like green vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, and even blackberries and blueberries for that matter, but they also like to eat meat. Most of the time they eat other dead animals," his father replied.
"Dead stuff?" Travis said with a scowl.
"That's right, son, dead stuff. I remember hunting wild hogs about a mile in back of the house a few years ago. In the heat of the day, I came upon a very swollen dead hog. He was so swelled up that it looked as though its skin was going to break. For some reason, I put my foot on that dead carcass and pushed on it, and a mamma possum and three little ones came running out the rear end of that bloated hog. At the time, I didn't know they were in there, but they were eating the inside of the hog."
"Daddy, that sounds awful!"
"I guess it does, but it's all part of life. By the way, how long do you plan to keep that possum?"
"I guess 'til he grows up."
"That could be quite awhile, Travis, and most of life wants to be free. Just something to think about."
For the next three weeks, Travis fed and visited his possum every day. He even gave him scraps from the table to eat. Travis decided to call him Little Fella. In fact, it wasn't long before he began putting on weight and maturing. In Travis' mind, Little Fella liked him and wanted to stay in his cage.
After about a month, Haeseley, asked his son about Little Fella and Travis explained how he fed and spent time with him.
"Well, that's good, because when you have an animal, or like in my case children and dogs, you have to take care of them. One day, you won't like staying here, because you'll need your freedom to do as you please, go where you want, and when you are old enough and able to do that, I'll have to let you go off to find your way," his father replied.
"But, Daddy, I don't want to leave here," Travis said.
"Not now, but there will come a day when you will want to go out into the world and experience life in a different way. You know you and Little Fella have something in common," his father said.
Travis looked at him quizzically, "I don't understand, Daddy. He's a possum and I'm a person. What can we have in common?"
"Like I told you a minute ago, one day you'll want your freedom. Little Fella is not so little anymore, and my guess is he would like to be a free possum and be with his own kind. I know you worked hard building him a cage, a home if you will, but he's old enough now to do what possums do, and they don't stay in cages," his father answered.
"So, Daddy, you think I should set him free?" Travis asked.
"That's a decision only you can make. If you think it would be better for him to go off into a possum's world, then you do what you think is best for Little Fella."
Over the next several days, Travis thought about what his father said. He agonized over the decision, until he came to the conclusion it was time to set Little Fella free, but he hoped when he took him out to the edge of the woods, he would not leave.
The next Saturday morning, Travis took Little Fella out of his cage and walked him to a stand of trees about 100 yards from his house. He gently sat him down on the ground, hoping he would stay, but the young possum slowly meandered toward the underbrush beneath the oak trees, and that was the last time Travis ever saw Little Fella.
Bird Feeder
* * *
An older man and wife were sitting at a dining table, in their southwestern home, overlooking their patio. While having a bite to eat, the subject came up about birds they often saw foraging among the tens of thousands of small rebel red rocks and numerous desert plants which filled the yard.
The man said to his wife, "Maybe we should buy a bird feeder so that those little creatures can find food easier." She agreed. Coincidentally, not long after that, a generous neighbor and friend had an unused bird feeder pole and gave it to them. The man immediately began the process of installing the pole directly in front of the patio. He quickly discovered that it was not easy to defeat the hard clay soil under the rocks which had to be penetrated, but he finally succeeded anyway.
They needed to buy a bird feeder and bird bath to complete the project. So, off they went to a store which carried such items. They carefully chose a feeder which was relatively inexpensive, and later found a moderately priced bird bath. So they felt as though they were finally in business
"Now, we need to buy some bird seed," the woman said. So, after purchasing the bird feeder, bird bath, and bird seed, they returned home.
The man was very eager to help the little birds so he quickly filled the feeder and secured it to the pole. He also quickly set up the bird bath and filled it with fresh water. Then they waited for the birds to come to the feeder and bird bath, but it took about 48 hours for them to begin landing on the feeder and bird bath so that they could take advantage of the largesse of food and water.
This pleased the man and woman greatly, because now the birds could eat and drink to their little hearts' content. The days of diligently foraging would now be limited, because the feeder was always full and the bird bath had plenty of water.
As time passed, more and more birds found the feeder and the water. It wasn't long before the man and woman had to increase the number of bags of wild bird seed and fill the bath more often. It finally got to a point in which the man began to limit the number of times he would fill the feeder because, generally, as soon as he did, the birds emptied the feeder rather quickly. Small birds such as English Linnets, desert sparrows, and a host of other tiny birds gorged themselves. Then larger birds such as doves and other large birds, as well as medium-sized birds began hanging on to the feeder to retrieve food. Since the dozens of quails were more or less ground-bound, the man would throw feed out in the rock and desert plant garden so they, too, could find and eat bountiful amounts of seed. It was not unusual for the birds to deplete the contents of the feeder in less than eight hours.
The couple, who were not wealthy, and lived primarily on Social Security became concerned about the cost of the seed which the birds were voraciously ingesting. When the couple would leave for a day or two, the birds had to do without that with which they had become accustomed. That bothered the man and woman, because they felt an obligation to provide for the little creatures. They were sure the birds didn't understand why the feeder and bath were empty, they just found no food or water.
One evening another friend and neighbor stopped by their house to discuss a health care bill which was under consideration by a well-meaning U.S. Congress. The couple had become somewhat familiar with the wrangling over this piece of legislation. The neighbor began to explain how the new law, if passed, would work and that more than likely health care rationing would become a reality.
The neighbor and friend asked, as he looked out at the bird feeder and bird bath, "Just out of curiosity, how often do you fill the bird feeder and bath?" The man replied, "Nearly every day at first, but as time has gone by, we couldn't afford to do it daily, because we had many more birds to feed, and we had to cut back. As you know, we are primarily on Social Security, and we really can't spend as much as we would like."
The friend replied, "You know quite awhile back in 1935 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt pushed the Social Security legislation until he got it passed. Of course, as he knew, most people back then didn't live long enough to collect it. Now, you and tens of millions of others are living longer and dependent on that government check. In fact, President Lyndon Johnson championed the 1965 `Great Society' legislation which he called the `War on Poverty', as well as the passage of Medicare. Like Social Security, now tens of millions of Americans are dependent upon that, too, for their health care needs." The neighbor continued, "I guess President Johnson must not have known the Bible very well, because, according to Jesus, the poor will be with you always."
The neighbor and friend then asked the older couple, "What's going to happen to those birds you've been feeding when, sorry to say, the two of you are no longer around? They have become quite dependent on you, and I wonder if they will know how to forage in the wild as they once did. Besides, didn't you say that since you've been feeding the birds that often hawks swoop down and attempt to grab them, and in their desperation to escape fly into your glass sliding doors or windows and end up killing themselves? Think maybe the seed might have something to do with this?"
The man and woman just looked at each other enigmatically, and the friend and neighbor excused himself. "It's about dinner time. See you two later."
GoLF: Beginner or not?
* * *
On the surface this may seem to be an easy question to answer, but like the rest of golf, it is not quite that simple. Owning the most popular set of golf clubs which one can purchase does not make you a golfer, or holding an expensive membership in your local country club. It takes more than having the most desired golf equipment and accessories in the marketplace; moreover, taking a few lessons from the club pro at a prestigious course won't cause you to become an accomplished golfer either.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from THOUGHT PROVOKING LESSONS OF LIFEby Wendell V. Fountain Copyright © 2012 by Wendell V. Fountain. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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