A man walked into a doctor's examining room.#
"Put out your tongue," the doctor said.#
The man put out his tongue and the doctor looked at it quickly.#
"O.K. You can put your tongue back now." the doctor said. "it's clear what's
wrong with you. You need more exercise."#
"But, doctor," the man said. "I don't think ..."#
"Don't tell me what you think, " the doctor said. "I am the doctor, not you. I
know what you need. I see hundreds of people like you. None of them get any
exercise. They sit in offices all day and in front of the television in the
evening. What you need is to walk quickly for at least 20 minutes a day."#
"Doctor, you don't understand," the patient said "I ..."#
"I don't want to hear any excuses," the doctor said. "You must find time for
exercise. If you don't, you will get fat and have health problems when you are
older."#
"But I walk every day," the patient said.#
"Oh, yes, and I know what kind of walking that is. You walk a few feet to the
train station from your house, a few more feet from the station to your
office, and a few more feet from your office to a restaurant for lunch and
back. That's not real walking. I'm talking about a walk in the park for twenty
minutes every day."#
"Will you listen to me, doctor!" the patient shouted, getting angry with this
doctor who thought he knew everything.#
"I'm a mailman," the patient went on, "and I walk for seven hours every day. "#
For a moment the doctor was silent, then he said quietly, "Put your tongue out
again, will you?"&