More life to live

This is a second hand story from when I was in intermediate school, so it’s over 20 years old now, but I clearly recall one of my teachers telling it even to this day.

A father and his young son were lost at sea barely hanging on to what remained of their boat as it sat lopsided, slowly sinking into the depths.

As the story goes, the pair only had one life jacket with them. The son tried to plead for the dad to take it, since he was an extremely important and valuable member of the community who had strived hard for a better life for everyone he came across. But the dad simply didn’t have a word of it, for the simple fact that his son had more life to live.

Long story short, the son survived, and this was the story he told.

Not only did that father give his child the gift of life, he also gave him the gift of life. The son now had all the motivation he needed to live life to the fullest.

Sure, it took the life of his father, but whenever the son feels dejected or otherwise down, he has this memory he can tap into to snap back into action and tackle life head on, the way it should be lived.