The Man, The Boy and The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in a new Jaguar. While watching for kids darting out from between parked cars, there was movement on the sidewalk that made him slow down.

As the car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the car's side door! The executive slammed on the brakes and drove the Jaguar back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed the child against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The youth was apologetic. "Please...please, I'm sorry...I didn't know what else to do "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, he rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the child asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

The driver was moved beyond words and hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the boy's scrapes and cuts. A quick look over the minor injuries relieved the executive.

"Thank you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the young executive simply watched the child push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. The dent was there to remind the executive this message:

Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

The universe whispers messages to our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time...a brick is thrown to ensure we listen.  It's our choice to listen or not.