These hands have never done an honest days work! Just look at them. Not a scar. Not a callous. Not a disjointed joint. Un-muscled, (remember, they never did an honest days work). They’re not large, but not small for a tall man.
Not recently manicured, but not bad. Nails, neatly trimmed. (There was a time when there were no nails from nail biting, but that’s a story for another time). But if you look at the nails closely, the vertical lines will tell you these hands have been around for a hell of a lot of decades. Another give-a-way is the skin, wrinkled when the fingers are extended and elevated.
No these hands are the hands of a business executive that never did much more than write: evaluations, recommendations, and sometimes, terminations, but while they may have never done an honest days work, they’ve given employment, encouraged careers, and helped others enjoy the abundant life, even unto succeeding generations.
Hal Fishbein September 25, 2007
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8 comments:
Hi Hal
I'm glad you were able to post. Keep practicing and trying and you'll get the process soon enough.
I like how you write about what the hands didn't do--as a way of describing what they did do.
I like the specific visual details of the wrinkled and lined skin. That is really vivid.
Great work!
Grace,
This box in which I'm now writing has a heading which reads: 'Leave your comment.' Is this the same a using Gmail?
Thanks,
Hal
Hal, neat approach. The hands of a 'knowledge worker' eh? May not have done hard, physical work but you left me with no doubt that they did make their contribution.
Giving employment, encouraging careers, and helping others enjoy life is a honest days work! I often feel my greatest contribution in my career has been the people that I have provided opportunities. It's not an immediately recognized or glamorous role, but often one that truly makes a difference.
Hey Hal. Welcome to the group! I kept wondering why you think the work you did is not honest. Is manual labor the only honest work there is? You have a great name.
Hal, could you post your top ten lists to your blog (I think you put in in one of the course lesson section), because I'd like to comment on it here rather than in the course section.
Regards,
Frank
To Frank: I'm not to swift with the computer, but here is my list of ten and I hope you get it. But feel free to call me on my cell phone anytime at 617.840.8223.
Best, Hal Fishbein
Class 2
I feel that responding to items one thru five is 'heavy stuff.' Here it is, Sunday, the 30th 7p.m. and I'm just getting started. There's no way I can give lesson 2 the time and thought it deserves but please accept this inadequate response and I promise to do better in the future.
Ten subjects I wanted to write about: I don't have that list, but let me think about subjects in which I may have interest: 1. Intimacy and commitment. 2. The importance of truth. 3. What you can and cannot take for granted. 4. Leadership. 5. U.S. presidential commonality. 6. Raising well behaved children. 7. Keeping commitments. 8. The common denominator of my friends. 9. How I make people laugh. 10. The second greatest man of the 20th century.
Ten meals I made w/love for someone. This exercise leaves me depressed as I cannot think of anytime I attempted to make a meal of such significance for anyone. Thus this, my response, may be a subject deserving great thought and analysis.
Ten life-changing moments.
1. When I found out I could sell hearing aids with such success that those consequently affected suddenly perceived me with an entirely different attitude. 2. Graduate work at Columbia University - not a moment, but surely momentous. 3. Surviving life-threatening cancer times two. 4. My solo flying experience. 5. When a police officer drew his pistol and pointed it at my nose. 6. Giving my first all day seminar on selling. And, of course 7, 8, and 9 which should have been numbers 1, 2, and 3, getting married and the birth of my two sons.
Ten most significant conversations: 1. The time I was unjustly accused of stealing by my employer and my response. 2. My interview with the Columbia University dean of admissions. 3. My response to the request of a college department head, when an undergraduate senior, to evaluate an instructor. 4. Termination of one of my most valuable business associates. 5. Termination of one of my least valuable business associates. 6. Recommendation of instituting a profit sharing plan. 7. My wife's advise to not accept an unjust accusation by a significant financial source. 8. Advise from my wife in dealing with an automobile transaction. 9. Advise on negotiating. 10. Advise on buying.
Ten things I love most in this world and why.
No, I just cannot attempt to deal with this most profound subject with this limited format, but will be happy to do a serious piece on this at some future time.
Best,
Hal Fishbein
September 30, 2007 5:15 PM
This is a test 10.10.7
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