The Fireman

Today I learned something amazing about somebody. I was talking to a fireman, and asked him whether he became a fireman because of the good retirement benefits.

"No, it had nothing to do with money. Before this, my brother and I were actually pretty successful builders and realtors. We built a bunch of homes up in north Orem. We also built the Omni Dance club building....but then one night as I was laying in bed, I was thinking that, one day, I'm going to be really old. And I am going to look back on my life and think, 'What have I done for society? Is being a realtor all I've done? What was I going to tell my grandkids? At that moment, I changed careers and became a firefighter. I see it as a way of giving back, and when I old, I will be proud to say I served my community as a firefighter."

After we parted, I sat in my car for a while and wondered what will be my legacy? Will I be able to look back on my life and be proud of my service to others and my contribution to society?

I made the decision, then and there, that I would do everything in my power to make my future kids proud of their old man.

PS: He told me a pretty funny joke about how people love firefighters and don't like police. Here it is: How do you tell the difference between a firefighter and a cop? When people wave at firefighters, they wave with their whole hand. :)