Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
The Brick
May 23, 2006
From a story by Dan Betzer
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

We live in Silicon Valley. It's a pretty fast pace here, with people working long hours and rushing from one place to another. Many people dream of finally getting to the point where their lifestyle can slow down. So when I found this story, it really sort of hit home, and I thought I'd share it with you.

The story revolves around one of these fast paced businessman rapidly winding his way through city traffic in his brand new Jaguar. Suddenly a brick came from out of nowhere and bashed into the side of his car. The man was furious. He slammed on the brakes, lept from his car, and quickly grabbed a kid on the side of the street and pushed him against a wall. "What was that all about, punk?" he snarled. "This is a new car and that brick you just threw is going to cost you or your dad a lot of money!" The kid was crying. "Please, mister, I'm sorry, but I didn't know what else to do! I threw the brick because no one else would stop." Tears poured down his face as he pointed to another boy, lying by the sidewalk. "That's my brother," he said; "He rolled his wheelchair off the curb and fell in the gutter, and I can't lift him up. I'm not strong enough. Please would you help me get him back into his wheelchair, 'cause he's too heavy for me. Then you can do with me whatever you want about your car."

The businessman suddenly had a lump in his throat. He lifted the fallen boy back into the wheelchair and took his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts. He bought the boys a soda from a nearby machine. "Thanks, mister," said the first boy. "Now what are you going to do to me?" The man just hugged the kid and said, "Go on, Son. And bless you." The man never did repair his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind himself not to go through life so fast that someone would have to throw a brick at him to get his attention.

Thanks for listening.