Yesterday someone asked me - "why do you work such long hours? Of course, it must be the money, but what would you do with all the money?"

Now, this sets a chain reaction in my tiny brain. Food for thought - is it really worth it? Reminds me of an old story - Some americans on a vacation in a small island of Greece come across a young fisherman, who looks poor by their standards. But all he does the whole day is lay on the beach with a net in the sea and wait for fish to fall in his net, while he is soaking in the sun. Day in and day out, that's his routine every day. The americans are perplexed by that, especially since he does not seem to have a lot of amenities. So they approach him one day and ask him why does he not work harder and try to have a better life. The perplexed fisherman asked them to explain. So, the americans explained to him that they could help him develop a business plan such that he could start by catching more fish every day, and eventually build a large fishing empire. The fisherman asked the americans what would he attain by giving up his lifestyle and working so hard. The americans replied so he could retire rich, live on an island, lay on a beach doing nothing in his old age. The fisherman replied - so you want me to give up my youth, work like a dog for 20-30 years to achieve what I already have right now?

Life is not so simple, but the question yesterday did make me think. Why do we work so hard, making numerous sacrifices now for a better future? We miss out on the small pleasures of life, compromise in our relationships day in and day out, to what end?