Life Lessons

A 4-post collection

Challenge #01333-C238: Pick of the Three

"You can have it done well. You can have it done fast. You can have it done cheap."

"Pick any two!" -- Anon Guest

"You dare talk to me like that?"

The artisan didn't look up. "I talk to everyone like that. Fast and well is not cheap. Well and cheap is not fast. Cheap and fast is not well. Is there more that needs explaining?"

"Do you know who I am?"

The artisan spared a moment to look up. She regarded the king of their realm, master of all he surveyed, and he who controlled who lived and died... in the same manner as a cat might contemplate the very same man. "Yes," she said, and went back to her work.

"Then do me the honour of addressing me with respect."

"Your pardon, sire, but the time I take to honour you steals time from my work. This is a work that must be done fast and well. I have little time for sleep, little time for food, and no time for manners."

"You care for your work more than your head?" challenged the King.

"My work feeds my family and myself. It pays for my home, and it pays for all that we need. If you take my head, then I have no more worries and you have one less artisan." She ran her fingers over her work and reached for another tool. "And since you're demanding my time, you must want me to make something. You can't have that, and my head, too."

The King rumbled a growl. He knew she had a point. But he did concoct a question. "What if I just want one?"

"One what?"

"One quality from your list of fast, cheap, or well."

"Well, when I am done with my work, I may kowtow at you and bless your name for being the first man or woman alive to only want one quality in their commission. All of them demand three."

"How long until you are done with your work?"

"Three days, but please let me have one more to rest."

In four days, the King returned. "I would have you do something well. The best of your work, a shining beacon of wonder and art for the entire kingdom to marvel at."

"I can do that," said the artisan. "You must understand that it will not be cheap. It will not be fast. And I would have your word that you will not execute me or my assistants when it is done."

"I agree to all three terms," said the King.

It took years. It cost a fortune. Yet everyone who saw the work agreed that it was the most magnificent piece that had ever been made. And the artisan was allowed a pension, and a comfortable house to retire in.

If you seek a moral, learn this: All work has a cost, and it will be paid in one way or another.

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Challenge #01257-C162: Vital Skills

There are things we need to be able to do to cope or succeed in Life. How to light a fire, cook a meal. Pick a Life skill and how it works. -- KnitNan

Red alert roused Pel from unconsciousness, and, because it was an urgent alarm, she launched herself from her bunk and into her lifesuit before she had fully opened her eyes. It was a matter of course for a Spacer to be able to get into their emergency gear

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I learned some things, today

Well, technically in the last 24 hours since I last blogged. In no particular order...

  • An ounce of prevention is worth squid-all nothing if you don't have it with you
  • Plovers can defend their territory in family flocks
  • If you move while they're backing up for another run, you're out of the area much quicker
  • Asthma is a harsh master
  • We don't have enough cellophane to wrap all nine gift baskets
  • When getting bottles from a dollar shop, always buy a spare
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Some things I've learned

You can learn a lot from going overseas. All you have to do is open your mind when you open your eyes.

Long-ass blather follows. Go fetch a cuppa if you’re going to read this.

Considering that I have the attention span of a slightly concussed kitten, I’ll try to keep things organised with some bold headers.

Our current economic woes are our own fault and the solution lies within.

Basically, we let the corporate giants get that

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