"I woke up this morning"

" It's a Monday morning and there you are again, as usual, laughing and smiling while the rest of us are feeling miserable. What's the secret?" Frank, one of my staff members asked.



"Join me for a cup of tea at ten and if you really want to know I will tell you" I replied.



I am the boss here in this big garage and we all have a great relationship between us , based on honesty and hard work, we are quite successful at what we do. I have just turned 60 and retirement is on the horizon so it will be no harm to pass on any of my secrets.



At ten Frank arrived at my table in the canteen along with two other guys and asked if it was ok if thay sat in on the chat.I did not mind a bit so we poured out our teas and settled down.



"Well lads, in order to answer the question I have to take you back to my teens so I hope i dont bore you.I was in my sixteenth year and 2nd year as an apprentice in an old fashioned garage down town, now long since swallowed up by developers.We had 6 mechanics, 5 body builders and a painter all working there.



As well as regular servicing and repairs we also built bodies on to trucks. In fact we did anything at all that came our way.



One of our body builders prided himself on being called a coach builder, and yes, he was that old, he served his time building horse drawn coaches and traps.His name was Billy.



So get the picture, I am only sixteen, me and my pals had been on the cider over the weekend and were also popping pills and smoking weed. So never mind a Monday morning, I hated going to work every morning, but my mother, God bless her, made me and my brothers get up for work every morning.



Any way came this one Monday morning and I am feeling like death warmed up when who walks by me only old Billy. Now to me he looked about a hundred years old, and there he goes , mincing along with a tuneless whistle coming from his ancient mouth.



It was too much for me so I went after him and said" What have you got to be so happy about?" He looked at me over his old mans glasses and said "Woke up this morning, son" and carried on his way.



I was so taken aback as to think" What the f---! "  I went after him again and said " And whats so xyxyxing great about that ? " And this tiny old man, I swear lads, he looked like a leprechaun, looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and said " Got out of bed by myself, son" and carried on his way again.



"Ahh jaysus lads, it was too much for me and my young and ignorant bemuddled mind to take in. So I said to myself, to hell with the old eejit."



" But now lads here I am and I have been through a hell of a lot of good times and bad times, good health and bad heath, great family times and bad family times. Survived my involvement with motorbikes and gangs , eventually turned out to be ok."



"It's true some of my bones are stiffening up and creaking and I now have to live with diabetes. A lot of my aunts and uncles have passed on and some of my friends, too. My dad and mom long since gone.



"So when you ask me why I am always happy? its easy to answer, "I woke up this morning".







                                                                                                                The end