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Chapter 15 The Loans

Between the ages of 10 and 14, I was a paperboy. I delivered the Atlanta Journal every afternoon to 65 customers on my one-speed bike with a basket on the front. On Sunday morning, I delivered the combined Atlanta Journal-Constitution. My father helped me on Sunday mornings because the paper was so large, but on other days I was on my own. I made about 2 cents for every paper I threw.

When I was 11 years old and in sixth grade my father came to me and asked if he could borrow $100. I barely had that much money in the bank, but I lent him the money and he said he would pay me back as soon as he could. We shook hands on the agreement. My dad only made about $2,500 a year, so I knew it would take him some time. However, I knew his word was good and that he would not have asked me for money if he had not had to. About a year later, my father called me aside and repaid his loan to me, plus $3, which was the 3% interest standard for the time.

In 1979 I did postdoctoral studies and had to take a leave without pay for 6 months from my job teaching psychology at a community college. About 3 months into my studies, I was almost completely broke. I asked my father, who was doing well financially then, if he could loan me $1,000. He did, and we again shook hands. I told my dad I would pay him back as soon as possible. I was making about $10,000 a year then. Within the year I paid my father back with 7% interest, which was standard for the time. At the time, I remember how he had paid me back.

Life is a series of loans. Some are monetary. Others are meant to build character. The important thing is to pay back what we borrow and pay it forward when possible.

Points to Ponder

1 When have you ever faced a dilemma of holding onto a situation or letting it go? What did you do? What were the results? How do you think your experience then influences your counseling and personal decisions now?

2 Who was a role model for you growing up besides your parents? What qualities did they have that made you want to be like them?

3 How did you handle success, failure, and the unexpected in childhood? Do you still cope with these situations in the same way today? What has changed? How did that happen?

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