Own rather than rent good health

Growing up, the fathers of all my friends worked hard so their kids would have an “easier time of it.”

One man used his free time and skills to build a couple of small houses on Elm Street for a little extra income while his two boys grew up.

Upon high school graduation, both sons joined their dad in the trade union and their father was especially pleased that he had planned to help them. One night after dinner, the father announced that the time had come for his sons to move out on their own.

He proudly held up two keys and explained his plan to give them a place to begin their lives as men.

“You are working, so I only ask that you pay me two days wages every month and take care of the houses,” he told them.

At first, both boys eagerly paid their father the expected money, understanding the great bargain.

Soon it became evident the boys were not caring for the property in the same way. The younger son spent time each weekend making sure the house was well kept, and he never missed a payment.

The older brother did nothing to maintain his house and even stopped payments, once he realized his father never asked him about it.

Years passed and the boys’ father died unexpectedly.

In his will, the father had left the Elm Street houses to both sons.

He loved them equally and made the provision that every cent paid to him since that night at the kitchen table went into a savings account and was returned to the boys with interest.

That night, the sons went back to the houses their father had left them. Each turned on the lights and looked around at their new homes.

The younger boy mourned the loss of his father, but felt content knowing that he had respected his wishes and cared for the house like his own. He looked at the check, and smiled, realizing the sum would be more than enough to travel to the town his parents were from, in Italy.

A block away, the older son sat beneath the severe light of a naked bulb in his dingy kitchen. The house he now owned looked like a delinquent renter had thrashed it. The check on the chipped vinyl tabletop represented little more than a week’s worth of labor.

He saw a crucifix in the windowsill left by the last family that rented the place. After straightening the cross, he began to cry.

He too mourned the death of his father. He felt cheated out of the opportunity to make his father proud.

The lesson I most appreciate in this story relates to our bodies, after all they are where we live, we have the keys, and the payments are reasonable. From time to time we should ask ourselves if we truly appreciate the gift that our bodies are, or are we acting like delinquent renters?

Dr. Ray Pope is a licensed chiropractor at Action Potential Chiropractic, Inc. on Camano Island.