There’s the old joke about the physician’s little girl being asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She replied, “A patient.”

As with many jokes the truth runs deeper than the laugh. Sadly the drive to do the job well, the emphasis on achievement, and the crush of financial obligations may make us forget that spending all our time climbing that success ladder may lead to some hard falls.

Selfishness may cause a few of us to ignore our loved ones. Francis Adams, grandson of President John Adams, succeeded as an attorney, a member of the House of Representatives, and as the U.S. Ambassador to Britain. One day he wrote in his diary, “Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted!”

That same day his son wrote in his diary, “Went fishing with my father today—the most wonderful day of my life.”