A young man learns what's most
important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack
had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way.
In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There,
in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and
often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future and
nothing could stop him. Over the phone his mother told him, "Mr. Belser
died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his
mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?" "Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's
been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died
years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you.
Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many
days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in." Jack said. "You know,
Jack, after your Father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a
man's influence in your life," she said. "He's the one who taught me
carpentry," he said, "I wouldn't be in this business if it wasn't for
him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom,
I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said. As busy as he was, he kept his
word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was
small and uneventful. He had no children of his own and most of his relatives
had passed away. The night before he had to return home Jack and his Mom
stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the
doorway Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another
dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he
remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of
furniture...Jack stopped suddenly. "What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom
asked. "The box is gone," he
said. "What box?" Mom asked. "There was a small gold box that he
kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was
inside. All he'd ever tell me was, 'The thing I value most'," Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the
house was exactly how Jack remembered it except for the box. He figured someone
from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said,
"I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom." It had
been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day
Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package.
No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three
days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The
package was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The
handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.
"Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the package out to his car and
ripped it open. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands
shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death please forward this box
and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I value most in my life".
A small key was taped to the letter. His heart raced as tears filled his eyes.
Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket
watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched
the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your
time! - Harold Belser." "The thing he valued most...was...my
time."
Jack held the watch for a few
minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two
days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant, asked. "I need some time to
spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your
time".
This is a real life story of
engineer John Roebling building the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, USA back in
1870. The bridge was completed in 1883, after 13 years. In 1883, a creative
engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular
bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building
experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told
Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical.
It had never been done before. Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in
his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his
heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else.
After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington,
an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built. Working
together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it
could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great
excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them,
they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but
when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the
life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain
amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to talk or
walk.“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to
chase wild visions.” Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the
project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the
bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never
discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind
was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to
some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his
bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a
gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the
sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.It seemed that there
was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do
was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this,
he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. He touched his
wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the
engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the
engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his
wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular
Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one
man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by
circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and
to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too
as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long
years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what
to do.
Reflections :
-Perhaps this is one of the best
examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical
handicap and achieves an impossible goal. Isn’t it a true example of Passion to
Win!
-Often when we face obstacles in
our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many
others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem
impossible can be realized, no matter what the odds are.
-Brooklyn Bridge is a testimony
of engineers raising the bar and team work. Can we do the same at our workplace
?
-Even the most distant dream can
be realized with determination and persistence.
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