Profit

Last week I helped out friends. No big deal, just a bit of gardening for a couple of hours spreading mulch. I sometimes do a bit of work for them. As I finished and was leaving, to where on their property I was to pick some bay foliage that they kindly let me do, my friend said, "What do I owe you?"

I said, "Nothing, I'll get $50 of bay from that tree in no time."

My friend replied, "No, what about your profit?'

I said, "Sometimes getting my bay is more important than profit," as I declined his offer of payment.

I thought about it later and was most comfortable about it. Sure it would have been good to be paid for my time then get some foliage and have a profitable morning. But as it panned out I came away with what I needed to make a customer happy, my friends were happy as they had my help at no cost, and I had a pleasant morning to boot. Goodwill all round, and I know I'll be welcome to pick bay there next year when the trees have put growth back on. And they are happy for me to pick other things they may have as need drives me.

The end of the story is that that goodwill is sometimes more important than profit and money. And it makes you feel good going to bed that you have done something for someone that helps them and at the same time have resisted greed and yet helped your own situation. Good all round.

Let's hope for a good week ahead. The weather was better today (Sunday, although it's after midnight and this will come up posted Monday), a few degrees warmer and no rain. I actually got the whipper going and slashed back a heap of stuff that needed doing. And yesterday, after a delivery guy in a van came into our place (wrong address) the previous day, the wrong way down the drive and couldn't get out without a lot of mucking around, Gord and I patched up the driveway with three metres of crushed rock. It was quite funny really; the truck delivering the rock slid off the driveway as he backed down and couldn't get out after wedging up against a tree. He had to organize a tow out, after we had shovelled off most of the gravel by hand. Just a bit of Saturday morning drama to not let me get too relaxed about life on a daily basis.