Josephine's Unusual Birthday Present

Josephine's father was a successful businessman who spent most of his life growing his businesses. At the age of 55, he owned several businesses, including a baseball stadium. Last year, though, he had a health scare. He needed surgery for a serious health condition. Luckily, the operation was successful, but he emerged from the surgery a different person. He was now ready to live his life differently.


So, when his daughter Josephine's 12-birthday was coming up, he asked her, "Sweetie, what would you like for your birthday this year? Think of whatever you want."


Josephine replied, "Whatever I want? Really?"


"Yes, sweetie. Tell me what you'd like for your birthday."


Josephine replied, "Let me think this over. I'll tell you what I'd like tomorrow."


At dinner the following evening, Josephine sat up straight in her chair and said, "Dad, I've thought about what I'd like for my birthday."


Her dad said, "And what would you like?"


"Well, I'd like to use your baseball stadium in a way that it has never been used before."


"Really? Tell me more."


"I'd like to see a contest between two opposing team of librarians. You will be on the pitcher's mound pitching questions. Each time a librarian comes up to bat, you'll pitch a question to them. If they get the question right, they will move around the bases. How does that sound to you?"


"Well, I have to say, I would never have thought of that myself, but I see what you're doing. You're making librarians our new sports heroes. I like that. I like that a lot. How are you going to choose the two teams of librarians, though?"


Josephine said, "That's not difficult. We can have a web site where interested librarians try out for a place on either team. They try out by answering a lot of reference questions online. The high scoring librarians will get a place on a team. And, even though the librarians will be playing for their team, they will be representing their own public library. Their jersey will have their name, number, and public library emblazoned on it. Every time they get up to bat, the sports announcer will announce their name, number, and public library with great gusto. For example -- Josephine Hamilton, number 17, representing Brooklyn Public Library."


Josephine's father chuckled. "I love it. Librarians in jerseys, running the bases, celebrated like sports stars. I can already hear the roar of the crowd. But let's make the questions extra special. After all, these are librarians—we're talking about the smartest, sharpest researchers around. What kind of questions are we pitching?" Josephine grinned. "Oh, I've been working on that. We can crowdsource the questions from library users -- and library users would also be representing their library when they submit questions."


Josephine's father beamed. Josephine was thinking far outside the box. Her dad then said.  "Librarians will love showing off the depth of their knowledge, but how are we going to decide if their answers are right or wrong on the spot?"


Josephine thought for a moment. "We'll have a panel of expert judges. We can invite famous authors, a historian or two, and maybe even a few beloved librarians. They'll decide if the answer is correct."


"I can see you've thought this through carefully," her dad said. "I'll get to work setting up the website and reaching out to libraries to start the recruiting process. But I want to know one more thing—what's the prize for the winning team?"


Josephine tapped her chin. "The winning team will get to choose three talented, previously unrecognized authors, each of whom will receive a $10,000 check. Is that possible, dad?"


Her dad replied: "Everything is possible. It's all possible."


And then he said, "Josephine, this is going to be the best birthday ever—not just for you, but for librarians everywhere. Let's make it happen."



(This story is donated to the public domain.)



--
--
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
https://pairsmathgame.com
https://philshapirochatgptexplorations.blogspot.com/
https://bsky.app/profile/philshapiro.bsky.social

He/Him/His

"Wisdom begins with wonder." - Socrates
"Learning happens thru gentleness."
"We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real options."  David Suzuki

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revised Corporate Mottoes for 2025

Google: "Do no evil -- on Fridays, between 4:30 pm and 5 pm." "All your thoughts are belong to us." "One search to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them." "Google product graveyard tours start on the hour, every hour, between 8 am and 10 pm, PST. Follow the happy guides with the multicolored open umbrellas." Microsoft : "That's a nice little company you've built there. It would be a shame if something happened to it." "Your dependence is our innovation." "We'll stop supporting you when the world stops supporting us." "Please do not turn off your mind until the upgrade is completed." Apple: "For your convenience, you can now direct deposit your paycheck to the Apple Store." "Selling you back the illusion of freedom, one device at a time." "Would you like a device with your adapter? We also sell adapter for our adapters. Tesla: "As an add-on to your car pur...
Read more

Spence the Expunged Sponge

Spencer was not a delinquent ocean sponge. He was raised properly by his parents, but he made some bad decisions. True, he was under pressure of turbulent ocean currents, but that does not excuse his behavior. So, he ended up spending six months in prison. Being a young adult, this criminal record could make it difficult for him to find employment. So, after he completed his sentence, he went before the judge to get his record expunged. The judge, after careful thought, explained that while Spencer's actions were indeed reckless, the ocean was a place of second chances. "Spencer," the judge began, adjusting her coral glasses, "you may have been caught in a bad tide, but we all know even the strongest of us sometimes get swept away. I'm willing to expunge your record, but you must prove you're ready to clean up your act." Spencer nodded earnestly. "Thank you, Your Honor. I promise to turn over a new… er, sponge." The judge smiled faintly. "...
Read more

The Humble Virtues of a Simple Private Jet

I have often thought that the question of how one ought to live is as perennial as the seasons, and as susceptible to overcomplication as the foliage of a tangled wood. To live deliberately, with purpose, requires discernment: a stripping away of the superfluous so that the essential may shine forth. And yet, in this age of noise and haste, we find ourselves burdened by the overornamentation of our means. I submit, dear reader, that even in the realm of private aviation—perhaps especially there—simplicity is the truest luxury. It is not the extravagance of the flight, nor the ostentation of its trappings, that speaks to the nobility of human endeavor. A gilded fuselage or a chandelier within the cabin may dazzle the senses, but they do little to elevate the spirit. Far better to have a simple, unadorned jet: one that carries us swiftly, efficiently, and humbly to where we must go. The grandeur of the journey lies not in the seat coverings or the champagne served but in the soaring per...
Read more

Unrushed

Cynthia was the proud owner and manager of a hardware store in a town of 20,000 people. Residents in town loved going to her hardware store. Cynthia had built a very loyal clientele. On a Tuesday evening, Cynthia was about to head out to a meeting about the United Nations World Food Program. Supporting this organization was one of Cynthia's passions. She had prepared a presentation for this evening and rehearsed it several times at home. Representatives of this organization were flying in from out of state, and she was eager to meet them. Just as Cynthia was packing up her things to leave the store, one of her longtime customers, Charlie, walked in, tears streaming down his face. 95 years old, Charlie's face was weathered like an old mountain rock. Between his gasping words, Cynthia could make out that Charlie's beloved dog of 15 years had died that morning. She put down her bag and went over to hug him. Unbeknown to Cynthia, her 18 year old daughter, Rachel, witnessed the ...
Read more

Affordable Housing for Billionaires

One of the thing I'm most concerned about is affordable housing for billionaires. Many of them do not have a regular paycheck. They subsist month to month on passive income that flows into their bank accounts like the Niagara River surging after an intense downpour. Many of them have no idea where their next $100 million will come from. Take a moment to look behind the facade of their lives. Underneath their gilded and sparkling trappings lie tales of uncertainty and apprehension, where maintaining an extravagant lifestyle is akin to treading a tightrope suspended over a chasm of financial instability.   Picture, if you will, the bewildering complexities of their predicament. While the rest of society frets over bills, mortgages, and making ends meet, billionaires grapple with an entirely different set of fiscal quandaries.   Their lifeblood, the passive income, ebbs and flows with the volatility of the global economy, subject to the caprices of stock markets, real estate vent...
Read more

Finding Purpose

Once upon a time, in a quiet town, there lived an elderly widower named Henry. His beloved wife had passed away twenty years ago, leaving a void in his life that seemed impossible to fill. But amidst the solitude, Henry found solace and joy in visiting the local public library. Every Saturday, he would make his way to the library, where he would spend hours immersed in the world of books. There, on his favorite couch, he would lose himself in stories and knowledge, feeling a sense of connection to the world. The library had become his sanctuary, a place where he felt a comforting presence even in the absence of his dear wife. However, Henry's Saturdays had become increasingly lonely. His aging body no longer allowed him to drive safely, and he relied on the kindness of library staff who would pick him up and drop him off at home. Despite their companionship during the car rides, he longed for more meaningful connections and a renewed purpose in his life. One Saturday, as Henry sat ...
Read more

Kindness Credit Card

Lorraine was a different kind of philanthropist. Slightly quirky and slightly goofy, she sought to achieve her philanthropic goals in creative new ways. She steered away from traditional philanthropic methods and sought to blaze new trails in the field of philanthropy. Her foundation attracted workers with a similar bold mindset. One day, at a staff meeting, she issued the following challenge to her staff. "I want to hear new ideas of how to promote kindness in society. By the end of this week, I want each of you to list five new ways our foundation can promote kindness. The best ideas will have these qualities: 1. Use a relatively small amount of money to change the behavior of large numbers of people. 2. Be quirky enough to engender a lot of press and conversation. 3. Expand upon an existing, successful idea – but take the idea in a whole new direction. 4. Bring greater financial benefits to people who are kinder. Her staff of eight buzzed with excitement at this challenge. Ever...
Read more

Yearning for a Faster Jacquard Loom

Once upon a time in a quaint village nestled in the heart of the French textile industry, there lived a young geek named Arnault. Arnault had a passion that set him apart from the other villagers—he was utterly fascinated by Jacquard looms. This intricate device, with its punch cards and weaving capabilities, captured his imagination from a young age. Arnault spent countless hours in his workshop, customizing and tweaking his Jacquard loom. He loved the challenge of enhancing its performance, making minute adjustments to improve the quality and speed of his weavings. His loom was an extension of himself, a testament to his skill and ingenuity. However, despite all his efforts, Arnault couldn't shake the desire for a faster loom. Every evening, after a long day of work, Arnault would dive into the depths of the web, scouring forums and websites dedicated to loom technology. He marveled at the advancements being made, dreaming of owning a loom that could outperform his current one. H...
Read more

Dear Dairy

Moosetta was no ordinary teenage cow. For one, she had a penchant for introspection that set her apart from the herd. While her bovine peers spent their days ruminating on grass and gossiping about Farmer Ted's questionable overalls, Moosetta dreamed of expressing herself. So, one day, she picked up a pen (a challenge without opposable thumbs, but determination prevailed) and started her journal, Dear Dairy . Day 1 Dear Dairy, Today, Betsy said I chew my cud like I'm in a Shakespearean tragedy. That's udderly unfair. If contemplating existence while chewing is a crime, then lock me up. Also, I caught Farmer Ted sneaking cookies behind the barn. He dropped one. It was chocolate chip. A win for me, a loss for his waistline. Day 3 Dear Dairy, I've decided that I want to write poetry. Here's my first attempt: The pasture green, the sun does gleam, My moo unheard, a bovine dream. It needs work, but the chickens seemed impressed. Except for Cluck Norris—he's always s...
Read more