Too Busy

Tom Parker always said he was busy. He said it many times each day.

Whenever a coworker asked him how he was, he always gave the same answer: “Oh, I’m very busy. I have so many things to do. More than anyone else!”

Tom liked to say this because it made him feel important.

At work, Tom walked very fast. He wanted people to think he had no time to stop. When someone asked, “Can you help me with this?” he quickly said, “No, I’m too busy.” When people invited him to lunch, he said, “No time. I have work.”

But Tom did not really have a lot of work. He just liked people to think he did.

One Monday morning, Tom entered the office and said loudly, “What a busy day! I am the busiest person here!”

His coworker Anna looked at him and asked, “What do you have to do today?”

Tom opened his computer. He saw only two small tasks. They were easy and not important. He felt a little strange, but he still said, “Oh, many things. Too many to explain.”

Anna only said, “Okay,” and went back to her desk.

At lunchtime, several coworkers walked past Tom’s desk.

“Tom, we’re going to lunch. Do you want to come?” Anna asked.

Tom wanted to say yes, but he didn’t want people to think he had spare time. So he said his usual words: “Sorry, I’m too busy.”

After everyone left, Tom ate a small sandwich alone at his desk. It did not feel good. He looked at the empty office and felt a little sad.

On Wednesday, there was a team meeting. Tom told everyone, “I can’t go. I have too much work.”

Later that day, his boss came to talk to him.

“Tom,” she said, “I checked your work. You are not behind. You have time for the meeting. Why do you keep saying you are too busy?”

Tom sat quietly for a moment. Then he said, “I… I don’t know. I guess I want people to think I am important.”

His boss spoke gently. “Being busy does not make you important. Working together with others does. Talking to people and helping them does.”

Tom did not know what to say, but he understood her words.

That night, Tom lay in bed and thought about his week. He thought about all the times he said, “I’m too busy.” He thought about eating alone. He thought about Anna and the other workers going to lunch without him. He finally understood something: saying he was busy all the time did not make his life better. It only pushed other people away.

The next morning at work, Tom tried something new. He walked at a normal speed. He smiled a little.

When Anna passed by, he said, “Good morning.”

She smiled. “Good morning.”

Then Tom said, “If you and the others go to lunch today… can I come too?”

Anna looked happy. “Yes, of course. We would like that.”

Tom felt warm inside. Not because he was “important”, but because he was included.

From that day on, Tom tried to stop saying he was too busy. He learnt that having time for people made his days better. He felt lighter, friendlier, and not alone anymore.

📒 Key vocabulary

• coworker – a person who works with you
• invited (invite, invited, invited) – ask someone to come with you
• tasks – jobs or pieces of work you need to do
• explain (explain, explained, explained) – tell someone clearly so they can understand
• meeting – a time when people come together to talk about work
• boss – a person of authority in a workplace
• gently – in a soft and kind way
• speed – the rate at which you do something
• included – being part of a group or activity

🤔 Comprehension quiz

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