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My Aunt had a saying ,"What you want and what you get are two different things." I was a small boy at the time so although I didn't quite understand what she meant I was not allowed to interrupt in the middle of one of her "sermons on the mount" which occurred every Sunday afternoon when my family either visited her or she visited us for lunch after the church service. Most times I was banished to the front porch for interrupting her chain of thought but this topic was sufficiently interesting to hold my attention. On this rare occasion under her watchful eye she actually managed to impart her wisdom from start to finish without the customary interruption from me which she sometimes considered as impertinence.

It's strange how certain words and events come back to haunt you. I recall after mowing the lawn for my father soon after, I asked him for three dollars pocket money instead of the usual two dollars. My father handed me only two dollars which of course was a very big disappointment. Before I could say anything he reminded me of what his sister said ,"What you want and what you get are two different things." My father pointed out that I only did the work expected of me and nothing more. If I wanted the three dollars I should have negotiated with him beforehand the reason for wanting an increase .Perhaps if I was prepared to go the extra mile and cart the grass plies I left on the lawn to the compost heap he would have been prepared to pay me the three dollars.

I was beginning to understand what my Aunt was trying to teach me. If you want something you cant always get want you want unless you are prepared to put more effort into what you are doing. I found out with several part time jobs I applied for during my youth that no matter how much I wanted extra pay I could not get it unless I could offer something of value in return. No one was going to give me what I wanted simply for doing the job expected of me.

In my teenage years I wanted a brand new car right from the start . I had heard horror stories of the expense of repairing second hand cars and decided that a brand new car was the best way of avoiding expensive repairs. Why I couldn't get what I wanted could be summed up in one word,"Money." That was another lesson to be learned. "Money does not grow on trees" All my savings went on the deposit for a second hand car and the associated loan well and truly taught me not to look for money trees . Although I didn't get what I wanted ,ie a new car , I did

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