[LeArc] 1000 Marbles
Tony Coniglio
[email protected]
Tue, 18 Jun 2002 18:19:14 -0500
BA
> > The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps =
it's the
>
> > quiet
>
> > solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe =
it's the
>
> > unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the =
first few
>
> > hours
>
> > of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
>
> >
>
> > A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement ham-shack =
with a
>
> > steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in =
the other.
>
> >
>
> > What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of =
those
lessons
>
> > that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you =
about it.
>
> >
>
> > I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my =
ham radio
>
> > in
>
> > order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, =
I came
>
> > across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a =
golden
>
> > voice.
>
> > You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the =
broadcasting
>
> > business. He was telling whomever he was talking with =
something about
>
> > "a
>
> > thousand marbles.." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to =
what he
>
> > had to
>
> > say.
>
> >
>
> > "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm =
sure
>
> > they
>
> > pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home =
and your
>
> > family
>
> > so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work =
sixty or
>
> > seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed =
your
>
> > daughter's
>
> > dance recital" he continued, "Let me tell you something Tom,
>
> > something that
>
> > has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."
>
> >
>
> > And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand
>
> > marbles."
>
> >
>
> > "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The
>
> > average
>
> > person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more =
and some
>
> > live
>
> > less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. Now =
then, I
>
> > multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the =
number of
>
> > Saturdays that the average person has in their entire =
lifetime."
>
> >
>
> > "Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part. =
It took
>
> > me
>
> > until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in =
any
>
> > detail" he
>
> > went on, "and by that time I had lived through over =
twenty-eight
>
> > hundred
>
> > Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be =
seventy-five, I only
>
> > had
>
> > about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy =
store and
>
> > bought
>
> > every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three =
toy
stores
>
> > to
>
> > round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a =
large,
>
> > clear
>
> > plastic container right here in the sack next to my gear."
>
> >
>
> > "Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and =
thrown it
>
> > away.
>
> >
>
> > I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focus more on =
the
really
>
> > important things in life. There is nothing like watching your =
time here
>
> > on
>
> > this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
>
> >
>
> > "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you =
and
>
> > take my
>
> > lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very =
last marble
>
> > out
>
> > of the container. I figure that if I make it until next =
Saturday then I
>
> > have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can =
all use is
>
> > a
>
> > little more time."
>
> >
>
> > "It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with =
your
>
> > family,
>
> > and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is 75 Year =
Old Man,
>
> > K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" You could have =
heard a pin
>
> > drop
>
> > on the band when this fellow signed off.
>
> >
>
> > I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to =
work on
the
>
> > antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a =
few hams to
>
> > work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and =
woke my
>
> > wife
>
> > up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to
>
> > breakfast."
>
> >
>
> > "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh,
>
> > nothing special, it's
>
> > just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with =
the kids.
>
> > And
>
> > hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy =
some
>
> > marbles.....
>
> >
>
> > A friend sent this to me, so I to you, my friend. And so, as =
one very
>
> > smart
>
> > bear once said...
>
> >
>
> > "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred =
minus
>
> > one day,
>
> > so I never have to live without you." -Winnie the Pooh
>
> >
>
> > Pass this on to all of your FRIENDS, even if it means sending =
it to the
>
> > person that sent it to you. And if you receive this e-mail =
many times
>
> > from
>
> > many different people, it only means that you have many =
FRIENDS. And if
>
> > you
>
> > get it but once, do not be discouraged for you will know that =
you have
AT
>
> > LEAST ONE GOOD FRIEND ... And that would be ME.
>
=20
=20
=20
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