M: The Lazy Man

The Lazy Man
by

Dr. Leyrose

Before
the day of modern farming equipment, a man, with corn ready to pick,
found he had to leave town. He knew a man from down the road that he
thought would be the perfect choice to help him with his problem. You
see, if he left and missed the prime harvest time for his corn, it
wouldn't bring the best price, and wouldn't provide the best
nourishment for his stock. So, he talked with the man down the road and
they agreed upon the wage and the task needed, while the man was
away.

The
man from down the road rose early the next morning and walked to the
farmers place. Arriving before daybreak, he surveyed the crop and came
up with a plan to complete the task agreed on with the farmer.

As
the sun peered through the top of the trees in the distance he began
to break corn. You see, each ear of corn had to be broken from the
stalk and placed in a sack. When a sack was full, it must then be
carried to the storage bin located behind the barn. Ear after ear, and
sack after sack, the man harvested the corn.

About
an hour before the sun reached out to the hill in the west, the man
decided to take a short restful break. He hadn't rested but once all
day. He drove himself hard, pushing his endurance to the limit. He had
only two rows of corn left to harvest and his task would be complete -
his promise kept. He was a man of his word.

As
he strode to the well to get a cool drink of water, the neighbor from
across the road walked over and began to peer at the cornfield. As he
looked, he surmised that much was left to be done. Behind the house, he
saw tall stalks loaded with ears of corn. From the west to the east, (
the boundaries of the farm), he saw huge stalks of corn standing tall -
untouched. This angered him greatly, and he thought to himself, " This
man will never work for me, and I'll make sure he doesn't work for any
of my friends! It's obvious that not only did he not touch the five
acres behind the house, he couldn't even finish the small quarter acre
plot beside the house in one day. He had worked since daylight until
now and this is all he's done - he hasn't even finished the smallest
part."

The
neighbor from across the road didn't wait to spread the word about
this lazy, deceitful, good-for-nothing man who had taken advantage of
his neighbor the farmer. The man had wasted the farmer's best chance at
a bountiful harvest. The man from across the road headed straight to
town, without a word to the man, and began to warn others about this
lazy man.

That
night as he returned home, the neighbor felt good about the deed he
had done. He thought to himself, " Yes, I did my duty. I helped my
friend the farmer, warned others, and at least made arrangements for
volunteers to help the farmer. As soon as the farmer returns I will
relate my efforts and explain my all that i saw." This, he was sure,
would bring him a reward from the farmer. In fact, he was sure this
would ensure a mutually prosperous relationship from now on. He raised
hogs, and hogs needed a lot of feed before they were ready for
market.

The
man from down the road never noticed the man from across the way. He
quenched his thirst and turned to finish his task. As he carried the
last sack of corn to the storage bin behind the barn, he stood briefly
to look upon his work. He had harvested five and a quarter acres in one
day. He and the farmer had planned on two days. This left him a day to
seek work with someone else. You see, since moving to the area at the
end of winter, he had not been able to find much work. He found enough
work to buy food for him and his family, but the children needed
clothes and the house needed repairs. So the next morning he again rose
early and journeyed to town. He knew, with such a task as a reference,
he would probably be able to find more work than he could reasonably
accomplish alone. "Yes," he thought, " I'll probably have to get my son
to help me." All the way to town these thoughts brought spring to his
step and helped him forget how long it had been since his last
meal.

One
after another he talked with the farmers in town. Each and every one
found reason to not need his help. Some, in fact, told him that they
only needed people willing to work hard.

Puzzled,
discouraged, and deeply concerned, he began the trip back home. Along
the way he thought and thought. But no matter how he tried to
understand, he couldn't explain the reaction he recieved from the other
farmers. "Well," he finally thought, "tomorrow is another day and after
all, there are other farmers. That's it, tomorrow I'll find
work."

He
tossed and turned most of the night, haunted by the faces and harsh
words he had recieved in town. And because of his fitful night, it was
mid morning before the knocking on his front door stirred him. As he
awoke, almost jumping from his bed, he realized he had wasted a day -
no farmer would even talk to someone seeking work this late in the day.
With this in mind, ( and curiosity about who was at the door), he made
his way through the house.

When
he opened the door, the farmer stood there smiling, eyes twinkling,
and thanking him joyfully for the wonderful job he had done. It seemed
the farmer would not stop thanking him, nor was able to thank him
enough. Peeping past the farmer he saw, (outside), men, materials, and
wagons. The men were readying their tools while taking a look at the
needed repairs. Others were off-loading supplies - food, clothes, and
other things. All the while the farmer continued to thank the man over
and over.

"What
is going on?" the man asked.

"Why
we're just doing the neighborly thing." answered the farmer.

At
the same time, five or six farmers stepped up onto the small porch.
The man recognized them, he had talked with the just day before. But,
this time, they beamed with enthusiasm. Their greetings were warm,
friendly, and came with offers of perpetual work.

"Ok, "
the man thought, "I'm dreaming. Thank goodness! I was afraid I had
slept and lost my chance to seek work."

The
farmer took another half step toward the man and reached out to shake
his hand. He began to explain what the man was seeing outside his
door.

"You
see, I arrived last night just after dark, and after lighting a lamp
in the room, sat down to rest for a moment before I retired for the
evening. As I sat I felt almost like a small boy waiting for his
birthday. I was so excited to see my bin of corn. I figured to rise
early this morning before dawn and take a look. All night I dreamed of
the harvest hoping that the bin would be at least half full. I thought
that you and I could finish picking the corn today. I never thought,
that even in two days, you could pick five and a quarter acres of corn.
Everyone I know can only manage two acres a day - and that with help.
Well imagine my surprise when I found the bin spilling over, and
fourteen sacks besides! " Before the man could even say a word, the
farmer continued.

The
farmer explained, " I had to share this good fortune with my neighbor
across the way. When I turned up his lane, he met me and told me he had
news for me about you and the harvest. As he was giving all the 'facts'
to me, I persuaded him to come with me to see the bounty. Was he
surprised! Anyway, realizing what he had done, we went straight to
town. Along the way, I explained that the corn he saw still standing
was the tenth of the crop I told you to leave, for the deer and other
animals. And, when we arrived, I told the other farmers about the
bounty you had harvested - alone! For, never before has my bin ever
been full after a harvest."

Following
a brief silence, (for the man was surprised and shocked so that he
couldn't speak), the farmer asked a final question.

" Where
do you want us to start? "