It's Fine Today

- Douglas Malloch

Sure, this world is full of trouble 

I ain't said it ain't. 

Lord, I've had enough and double 

Reason for complaint; 

Rain and storm have come to fret me, 

Skies are often gray; 

Thorns and brambles have beset me 

On the road — but say, 

Ain't it fine today? 

What's the use of always weepin', 

Making trouble last? 

What's the use of always keepin' 

Thinkin' of the past? 

Each must have his tribulation — 

Water with his wine; 

Life, it ain't no celebration, 

Trouble? — I've had mine — 

But today is fine! 

It's today that I am livin', 

Not a month ago. 

Havin'; losin'; takin'; givin'; 

As time wills it so. 

Yesterday a cloud of sorrow 

Fell across the way, 

It may rain again tomorrow, 

It may rain — but say, 

Ain't it fine today? 

A Tip

Back in the '30s, in the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 years old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" the little boy asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and started to count the coins he had. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now, more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing very impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy counted his coins again. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry. As she wiped down the table, there placed neatly beside the empty dish were two nickels and five pennies. He couldn't have the sundae because he had to have enough money to leave her a tip.