Chaim Moshe, the well to do merchant, was a pleasant fellow, but hated to pay the requested price for anything!

One day, while eating herring, a bone became lodged in his throat. He could neither swallow it nor disgorge it, and within moments he could scarcely breathe. His wife frantically called the family doctor, who arrived as the patient’s face was turning blue. The physician quickly removed the bone.

When Chaim Moshe recovered and was breathing normally, he was overwhelmed with gratitude, but cautiously asked, “How much do I owe you for this quick procedure?”

The doctor was well acquainted with the merchant’s miserly nature. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “Just pay me half of what you would have paid when the bone was stuck in your throat!”

“Ask not, ‘How can I get all the things I want?’ Ask, ‘How can I enjoy the things I have?’”