Shortly before Christmas one year I almost stumbled over a little boy in the middle of the pavement who was so busy playing with a toy merry-go-round, a waddling duck and a walking man that he was oblivious to the crowd milling around him. His obvious pleasure made me think the same toys would delight my own youngster. I asked the little boy where he got them. “In there,” he said, pointing to a shop behind him.

I went in and asked for the toys the small boy was playing with. “Who is he?” I asked, as the proprietress wrapped my purchases. She smiled, “you might say he’s my Christmas present. A few days ago he came in and stood staring longingly at the merry-go-round. “Would you like it for Christmas,” I asked. “Mummy says there isn’t any money for Christmas this year. We lost our Dad a little while ago,” he explained, and turned to go.

It had been a lean season for me: but it was the week before Christmas. I gave him the merry-go-round and he was so delighted that he got no further than the footpath before he sat down and wound it up. Then the most amazing thing happened. People stopped to talk to him: and I’ve never had so many customers. I kept count of the merry-go-rounds I sold and when he got up to go I called him in and gave him a small commission. I asked him to come back the next day, and added the duck and the man to his playthings. Yesterday his commission amounted to $11!”

Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.

Thanks to WITandWISDOM(tm) – December 19, 2000 subscribe-wit-wisdom@xc.org