You are doing what I should have done at your age

I was about 28 years old, living on Nantucket Island for the summer on borrowed money, and feeling the sting of dwindling funds. It was a nice morning at the boat basin, where I was sketching an 80 ft. antique sailboat that was moored to the dock.

An older man, possibly my current age today, came over admiring my work. Then he said to me, "You're doing what I should have done at your age."

I responded by saying, "But you might not like the financial side of my choice."

He said he understood, but would prefer personal peace and contentment to the money he had. He made lots of money, but hated every day he woke up and had to go to his office. He said that as he made more money, more things simply came up to consume the money. He was clearly a captain of industry, and had the world by the tail. What he didn't have was joy in his work… or his life.

We politely parted company with a friendly smile, our debate in a stand-off.

Almost 40 years later, at long last, I have come to agree with the stranger, and wish we had kept in touch, so I could tell him he was right.

“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God…” – Ecclesiastes 2:24

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