The Global Greek Lifestyle - Greeks Know How to Enjoy Life! (From Mathew - USA - Thanks!)

Kalyves Beach - Crete

A boat docked in a tiny Greek village on a Greek Island.

An American tourist complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Greek.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Greek explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

Kalyves Beach - Crete

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, swim a little, read , play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, we socialize, play tavli, have a coffee, have a drink, eat , dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing a few songs. I have a full life ."

Kalyves Beach - Crete

  
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you.
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Athens , Los Angeles or even New York City !

From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Greek.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that? Afterwards?"

"That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing..
"When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire! live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, catch a few fish, read, siesta , and spend your evenings socializing, eating, drinking, dancing and playing the bouzouki with your friends... and spend quality time with your loved ones!"


" But my friend, that's exactly what I am doing now..." the Greek replied....

Kalyves Beach - Crete

...And the moral of the story? A little simplistic perhaps, but the essence is just that!!! LIVE!

Let's enjoy our lives and get the real meaning out of the one life we have.
Take time to enjoy the small things, put together they make up the bigger picture so make the most of it ! :)

Pictures are ours, taken at Kalyves, one of these same small and lovely coastal villages near Hania in Crete...