Today I was reminded of a story my dad used to tell, to me and my siblings as well as others whom he knew would benefit from the lesson it teaches. My dad grew up ranching and farmeing so the story was one he understood well. So, here's a story from your Great Grandpa Jensen:
Years ago a
farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly adver-tised for
hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic.
They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on
the buildings and crops.
As the
farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of
refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the
farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well,
I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although
puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.
The little
man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt
satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from
offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door
to the hired hand's sleeping quarters.
He shook the
little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before
they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly,
"No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by
the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he
hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that
all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins.
The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops,
and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was
tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired
hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
