What you could do.

The great thing about being on holiday is that you do do what you want with your day. It is marvellous. I should be happy because I am on holiday and can do what I want? But then, of course, in having been retired for a good number of years every day is a holiday for me and I can do what I was with my days within reason, of course, I have to consider others who wish or need some of my time. But on the whole, every day is a holiday.

That is why whether in France or at home I find myself doing pretty much the same things most days. As I walked yesterday I found myself smiling as I considered how much my life consists of a routine. I have a few tales I could tell that says this better.

Once upon a time, there was an investment banker.  He lived in London, he was phenomenally successful and made plenty of money.  But his life was busy, noisy, and very stressful.

So, once a year, he would leave the city and go and visit a small coastal village in Mexico.  For two weeks he would rest, relax, and allow himself to be rejuvenated.

One day he was standing on the pier just before lunch, looking out to sea, when he noticed a small fishing boat coming in to dock.  He thought this was a little strange because most of the fishermen used to stay out late into the afternoon so they could catch as many fish as possible, before coming in and preparing the fish for market.

Curiosity overcame him.  So he walked over to where the fishing boat was about to dock.  Looking into the boat, he saw just one fisherman and several large yellowfin tuna.

“How long did it take you to catch those fish?” he said to the fisherman.

“Not very long,” the fisherman replied with a smile.

“Is there something wrong with your boat?” the banker asked.

“Oh, no,” the fisherman said.  “In thirteen years I have never had a problem with the boat.”

The banker was a little perplexed, so he asked the fisherman, “Why don’t you stay out there longer and catch more fish?”

The fisherman smiled again and said, “This is plenty here for my family right now.  Some of the fish we can eat, and the others we can sell or trade for the other things we need.”

“But it’s not even lunchtime.  What do you do with the rest of your time?”

“In the morning,” the fisherman explained, “I like to sleep late.  When I wake I fish a little, mostly just for the pleasure of fishing.  In the afternoon I play with my children and take a siesta with my wife.  In the evenings I have dinner with my family.  And then, when my children are sleeping, I stroll into the village, where I sip wine and play the guitar with my friends.”

The banker scoffed and said, “I am an investment banker and I can help you.” 

The fisherman was a little sceptical, but nonetheless, he obliged and asked, “How?”

“You should fish longer every day,” the banker counselled, “late into the afternoon.  This way you will catch more fish and make more money, and you can buy a bigger boat.  With the bigger boat you will catch even more fish, make even more money, and then you can buy another boat and hire another man to work the second boat.”

“But what then?” the fisherman inquired.

“Oh, we are just getting started! With two boats you’ll catch even more fish and make even more money, and before you know it, you’ll have a whole fleet of boats and every man in the village looking for work will come to you.”

“But what then?” the fisherman asked.

“Before too long, you can cut out the middleman, sell your fish direct to the cannery, and make more money.  As your fleet of boats continues to expand, you can build your own cannery.  And before you know it, you’ll be able to leave this small coastal village, move to Mexico City, and manage your expanding enterprise.”

 “But what then?” the fisherman persisted.

“Well then, you can begin to ship your fish to different parts of the world. Down into Asia and Australia and up into North America. And as demand grows for your fish, you can leave Mexico City, move to Los Angeles, open a distribution plant there, and begin to ship your fish to Europe and every corner of the globe.”

“But what then?” the fisherman asked again.

The banker continued, “By then your business will be one of the great ventures of the industry. You can move to New York City and manage your empire from the epicentre of the business world.”

“How long will all this take?” the fisherman asked.

“Twenty-five, maybe thirty years,” the banker explained.

“But what will I do then?” the fisherman asked.

The banker's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “That’s the best part,” he said. “When the time is just right, you can go down to Wall Street, list your business as a public company, offer an IPO, and make millions and millions of dollars.”

“Millions?” the fisherman asked.

“More money than you ever dreamed you could earn in ten lifetimes,” the banker explained.

“But what then?” the fisherman asked.

The banker did not know what to say. He had reached his climax. He was stumped. But then a thought crossed his mind and triggered an idea, and he turned once more to the fisherman and spoke.

“Well then, you could move to a small coastal village. . . . You could sleep late. . . . You could fish just for the pleasure of fishing. . . . In the afternoons, you could take siesta with your wife. . . . In the evenings, you could have dinner with your family . . . and then you could stroll into the village and sip wine and play the guitar and sing songs with your friends. . . .”

Yes for some every day is a holiday, enjoy life to the full make every minute a memorable one. If you are still working remember that there is more to life and it is all about priorities.

Have a great day whatever you are doing.