Eric was stuck in a rut. His once vibrant passion for exploring ancient civilizations had been replaced by the dreary grind of running his father’s company. His arrogance and disdain for others had caused the business to falter, but he was too absorbed in his own misery to notice.
One day, as he walked toward his grand office building, he accidentally knocked over a beggar’s tin of coins. “Don’t worry about it, sir,” the beggar said softly. “I’ll clean it up.” Eric briefly felt a pang of guilt, but it vanished when he caught a whiff of the beggar’s odor. “You’re disgusting!” he yelled. “Look at my shoes! Your mess has ruined them!”
Ignoring the beggar’s silent reaction, Eric stormed into his office. His secretary, Tennessee, greeted him with a concern he dismissed. “Mr. Stanton, the office is out of coffee and the water supplier won’t come until our account is settled.” “Let them bring coffee from home. And as for the water, a study shows office coffee machines waste productivity. Figure something out,” Eric said dismissively.
Tennessee tried to bring up her vacation request, but Eric told her it wasn’t the right time. Lucretia, one of his best employees, tried to present a project idea, but Eric, worn thin by the day’s frustrations, snapped at her. “If you think you know so much, why don’t you run the company?” he said harshly.
Later that day, Eric was so absorbed in his thoughts of adventure and lost opportunities that he forgot his phone in the office. When he returned to retrieve it, he stumbled at the feet of the same beggar. “You again!” Eric snapped. “Why don’t you find somewhere else to beg?” The beggar replied cryptically, “Tomorrow, you won’t recognize yourself. Everything will change.”
Confused and unsettled, Eric went home. The next day, he was inexplicably kind and agreeable, even approving Tennessee’s vacation request and promising office upgrades. He couldn’t understand why he was acting this way, but it was too late for him to change course.
Continue reading on next page…