The man sat down on the park bench over by the tree, the same bench that he sat on everyday for nearly ten years to eat his lunch. He could have eaten his lunch anywhere since he was the CEO of a major corporation that employed hundreds of people. Before the man took out his lunch, he scrutinized the area for paparazzi and when he felt that the coast was clear, he removed a brown paper bag from inside his coat. He then removed his sandwich from the bag. Just as he took a bite, he was suddenly caught off guard by a stranger. The stranger was not paparazzi so the man continued to eat his sandwich.
“Why are you eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” the stranger asked.
“Because I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” the man replied.
“Out of work, are ya?”
“Obviously, you don’t know me, and that’s good, but I’m the CEO of a major corporation in that building right over there,” the man said as he pointed to the skyscraper.
“Right, like it doesn’t have an executive suite or betcha you can afford to eat in any restaurant,” the stranger said.
“It does and I could but I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and that’s my secret.”
“Okay, so you took your kid’s lunch by mistake and you don’t have any money. You’re wearing that fancy suit because you’re trying to get a job! It’s okay, buddy, we’re all in this unemployment crisis together. I’m out of work now going on two years.”
The man continued to eat his sandwich. “Actually, I have lots of money. I just happen to like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” the man admitted. The stranger did not respond and then the man realized that he had just told this stranger that he had lots of money. “I don’t know you and obviously your don’t know me but I’ve just admitted to you my darkest secret,” the man said.
“That you have lots of money?”
“No, that’s public information and nothing the paparazzi is interested in. My secret is that I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Do you think that I could sit in the executive lounge and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or order it at a restaurant without seeing my face plastered on the front page news? But now that I’ve told you that I have lots of money, what do you plan to do?”
“Would you by any chance have an extra sandwich?” the stranger asked. The man reached into the brown paper bag and took out a sandwich and handed it to the stranger.
The next day the man walked over to the park bench where he sat everyday for nearly ten years to eat his lunch. This time the stranger was sitting on the bench. The man nodded hello to the stranger, checked for paparazzi, and when the coast was clear, he sat down and removed a brown paper bag from inside his coat. He then removed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the bag. “Would you like one?” the man asked.
“Oh no, I couldn’t take your lunch,” the stranger said. “You gave me your second sandwich yesterday and you must have been hungry.”
“Not at all,” the man said. “I never eat more than one.”
(c) 2012 Linda Stone Cohen All Rights Reserved
Remember that no amount of money can purchase grace, wisdom, and humility. Until tomorrow…
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