Billy Rose once told a story about a young man and his father who had a small farm. Several times a year they would make a trip to market with their oxcart loaded with vegetables.

The son was an impatient sort. He would always prod the ox with a stick to hurry it along. His father, however, believed in following a more leisurely gait. The son wanted to get to market first thing the next morning in order to beat the other vendors to the best spot. The father, however, had other priorities.

At one point their way passed by the boy's uncle's house. The father stopped the ox and went in to chat with his brother for more than an hour.

When they started out on their way again, they came to a fork in the road. The young man wanted to take the left fork because it was faster, but the father tur…