An American
Story
Man goes to a doctor. "Doctor, I don't know what's wrong. I can't seem to
stop worrying, I'm anxious, I can't sleep. I think I'm getting an ulcer..."
The doctor nods. "You do look exhausted. What's the matter?"
Patient answers, "I don't know. I'm not sure."
Doctor says, "Then, tell me something about your life."
The man brightens up considerably and smiles. "Oh, everything is great. We
have the best life. Honestly. We live in our own three bedroom, two-bath home in
a nice neighborhood in the suburbs, drive two new cars, have closets full of good
clothes, our three kids go to private schools, we eat out a couple of nights a week,
belong to the country club, have a condo in the mountains for skiing, we had a great
vacation last year in the Bahamas and we're planning on going to Hawaii in two months."
The Doctor smiles. "My, that sounds wonderful!" the doctor says. "You
have a wonderful life."
"Oh, we do, we do," the man says.
"Then what's your problem?"
The man shook his head. "Well, I'm not exactly sure. I think it might be
that our income is only four hundred and sixty dollars a week."
______
Source: An American Story: First encountered in print in James
Garbarino's book, The Future, As If It Really Mattered, 1988, Bookmakers Guild,
Longmont, CO, 80501