The back nine of life

[Skip2MySue]

You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is... the “back nine” of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that “I was only on the first hole” and the “back nine” was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the “back nine”, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not on the “back nine” yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the “back nine” or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!



"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.



LIVE IT WELL!
ENJOY TODAY!
DO SOMETHING FUN!
BE HAPPY !
HAVE A GREAT DAY

Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

LIVE HAPPY IN 2013!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!
Going out is good.. Coming home is better!
You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!
You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.
The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.
You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".
You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..
You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"...” ???
Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!
What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
Everybody whispers.
You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.



But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!



Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!


It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.


TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

[Schaumburger]

You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is... the “back nine” of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that “I was only on the first hole” and the “back nine” was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the “back nine”, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not on the “back nine” yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the “back nine” or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!



"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.



LIVE IT WELL!
ENJOY TODAY!
DO SOMETHING FUN!
BE HAPPY !
HAVE A GREAT DAY

Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

LIVE HAPPY IN 2013!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!
Going out is good.. Coming home is better!
You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!
You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.
The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.
You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".
You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..
You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"...” ???
Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!
What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
Everybody whispers.
You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.



But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!



Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!


It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.


TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

Marvelous post...when I was 16, I thought someone turning 50 was about ready for the "old folks home". When I was 27, I enrolled in my employer's 401k plan -- back then I thought oh heck I'm not going to need that money for years and years. Now I'm thinking, it's not going to be really that many years, and I will start tapping into my 401k/IRA accounts, so in the past year I have started to keep a closer watch on the performance of my 401k and my rollover IRA.

My two oldest nieces who I walked with in baby strollers just yesterday (or so it seems) are young adults now with lives of their own and have both traveled internationally. My youngest niece who I watched being baptized when she was 3 months old just yesterday (or so it seems) starts the 6th grade next month. So where did those years go? As the song says "Time is a wheel in constant motion..."

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Actually, if you look at it numerically, the back nine of life starts around age 40.
I have an old friend who used to talk about peoples ages by what "hole "they were on. If the average life expectancy is 78 then that's about 4.4 years per hole. You're playing the ninth hole at age 40.

At 62 you're on the 14th hole. 75 equals the 17th hole.

Most of us have been on the back nine of life for quite some time.

[Barefoot]

Skip/Sue ... your post reminds me of this song ...

Songwriters: HERBERT KRETZMER, CHARLES AZNAVOUR

Yesterday when I was young
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue,
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame.
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand,
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
And only now I see how the years ran away.
Yesterday when I was young
So many drinking songs were waiting to be sung,
So many wayward pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see.
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think what life was all about,
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me, me, and nothing else at all.
Yesterday the moon was blue
And every crazy day brought something new to do,
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond.
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died.
The friends I made all seemed, somehow, to drift away
And only I am left on stage to end the play.
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung,
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue.
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday
When I was young... young... young

[TrudyM]

Actually, if you look at it numerically, the back nine of life starts around age 40.
I have an old friend who used to talk about peoples ages by what "hole "they were on. If the average life expectancy is 78 then that's about 4.4 years per hole. You're playing the ninth hole at age 40.

At 62 you're on the 14th hole. 75 equals the 17th hole.

Most of us have been on the back nine of life for quite some time.

Unless you are Canadian our neighbors to the north have an average life expectancy of 82 to the us average of 79.

That's expectancy at birth once you are older it extends so if you are 62 and a guy living in the us they say you have till 84 so that's 12 years so by your math if you make it to 62 you have a tie breaker hole (or two) in your tournament you may not get to play them but if you are a really fit player you might.

[jebartle]

The back nine is not so bad because the "ole boy" is sharing the fun....It's the bogies along the way that provide the challenge....I do look forward to the birdies and eagles thou (the grandchildren)

[graciegirl]

The back nine is not so bad because the "ole boy" is sharing the fun....It's the bogies along the way that provide the challenge....I do look forward to the birdies and eagles thou (the grandchildren)

A lot of great posts here.

I am pleased and honored and very grateful to be sharing this time of my life with wonderful and insightful and caring and wise people like you.

[optv13sp]

We're still playing...but we can see the clubhouse.

[manaboutown]

Actually, if you look at it numerically, the back nine of life starts around age 40.
I have an old friend who used to talk about peoples ages by what "hole "they were on. If the average life expectancy is 78 then that's about 4.4 years per hole. You're playing the ninth hole at age 40.

At 62 you're on the 14th hole. 75 equals the 17th hole.

Most of us have been on the back nine of life for quite some time.

I want to live long enough to get to the 19th hole (the clubhouse's bar)!

[Ceafolks]

We're still playing...but we can see the clubhouse.

And we all know what's in the clubhouse....the 19th hole....:MOJE_whot:

[Duvalboomer]

Actually, if you look at it numerically, the back nine of life starts around age 40.
I have an old friend who used to talk about peoples ages by what "hole "they were on. If the average life expectancy is 78 then that's about 4.4 years per hole. You're playing the ninth hole at age 40.

At 62 you're on the 14th hole. 75 equals the 17th hole.

Most of us have been on the back nine of life for quite some time.

My favorite hole is the 19th hole and I think that will be true for my life. 19th hole in life = heaven

[rubicon]

Unless you are Canadian our neighbors to the north have an average life expectancy of 82 to the us average of 79.

That's expectancy at birth once you are older it extends so if you are 62 and a guy living in the us they say you have till 84 so that's 12 years so by your math if you make it to 62 you have a tie breaker hole (or two) in your tournament you may not get to play them but if you are a really fit player you might.

Trudy: that's it I moving to Canada and quickly. I wish the OP hadn't use the back nine metaphor because I am a lousy golfer. clearly from the posts its clear that as people age they mourn the loss of their youth. The smart ones embrace the reality and fill their days with those little things that make us happy be it a hug to a loved one, a dish of ice cream, a joke, a good movie, satisfaction that you were literally able to finish that back nine and my favorite casual conversation with people.

If I could have re-live my life there isn't anything I would do differently because well that's they way life works

[patfla06]

Terrific post!
I can,unfortunately, relate to the 3 sizes in your closet; made me
laugh.

Life has gone fast and every year seems to get quicker.

Thanks for the great post - and you have a lot of company!

(My husband likes to say "our runway is getting shorter!") :cry:

[Barefoot]

I just found a website that tells our life expectancy. (not very scientific, just an overall average for people your age). Interesting if true. Perhaps I should add on a few years for being a Canadian! :duck:

www.life-span.findthedata.org.

[coolkayaker1]

I feel like me, but in the looking glass I see my father.

[senior citizen]

You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is... the “back nine” of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that “I was only on the first hole” and the “back nine” was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the “back nine”, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not on the “back nine” yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the “back nine” or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!



"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.



LIVE IT WELL!
ENJOY TODAY!
DO SOMETHING FUN!
BE HAPPY !
HAVE A GREAT DAY

Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

LIVE HAPPY IN 2013!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!
Going out is good.. Coming home is better!
You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!
You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.
The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.
You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".
You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..
You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"...” ???
Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!
What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
Everybody whispers.
You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.



But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!



Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!


It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.


TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.


Wonderful post. Worth reading and re reading.

When we were 50, an older relative said that she was "slowing down" and I didn't have a clue what she meant. Now I know exactly what she meant.

When we were in our mid thirties we enjoyed the company of all our 50 year old and 60/70 year old neighbors but prided ourselves on our youth.....and expected them to "keep up with us" on hikes up hill, etc. not realizing that some might not be able to , or lacked the stamina.....to go on these uphill hikes........

We never took naps and couldn't understand why our elders needed that "nap" each day......

Eventually, we all will understand what aging is like.........it happens to the best of us. It just kind of sneaks up on one..........

[coolkayaker1]

Even the newborn baby gets older exactly as we do: one day at a time.

[TrudyM]

Even the newborn baby gets older exactly as we do: one day at a time.

It sure doesn't feel that way. It seems that the weeks fly by.
It is a matter of perspective I guess.
To continue the math theme as a % of your life that day is but a blip as a child it was huge.

[jblum315]

The reason childhood days and months seem so endless is because everything a young child sees or experiences is new and interesting. At our age we've seen everything, done everything, so the minutes, days, years slip rapidlyby unnoticed and unappreciated.

[Skip2MySue]

The reason childhood days and months seem so endless is because everything a young child sees or experiences is new and interesting. At our age we've seen everything, done everything, so the minutes, days, years slip rapidlyby unnoticed and unappreciated.

I'll have to disagree with you a little bit with your statement. Yes the days are slipping by rapidly but I appreciate everyday that greets me and get excited looking forward to tomorrow :bigbow:.
Skip 2

[DougB]

Actually, if you look at it numerically, the back nine of life starts around age 40.
I have an old friend who used to talk about peoples ages by what "hole "they were on. If the average life expectancy is 78 then that's about 4.4 years per hole. You're playing the ninth hole at age 40.

At 62 you're on the 14th hole. 75 equals the 17th hole.

Most of us have been on the back nine of life for quite some time.

Thanks, I feel much better now!

[senior citizen]

Skip/Sue ... your post reminds me of this song ...

Songwriters: HERBERT KRETZMER, CHARLES AZNAVOUR

Yesterday when I was young
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue,
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame.
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand,
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
And only now I see how the years ran away.
Yesterday when I was young
So many drinking songs were waiting to be sung,
So many wayward pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see.
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think what life was all about,
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me, me, and nothing else at all.
Yesterday the moon was blue
And every crazy day brought something new to do,
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond.
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died.
The friends I made all seemed, somehow, to drift away
And only I am left on stage to end the play.
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung,
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue.
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday
When I was young... young... young


That indeed is a beautiful song with heart wrenching words and tear jerker melody (as my old mom would say)............but I'll bet most of us have very few regrets at how we've lived our lives.........perhaps only that it's passed too quickly..........and that perhaps we didn't appreciate our super healthy and super physicality of our youth............

I have very happy memories of marrying young, raising a family while young and basically devoting our lives to raising two upstanding citizens , now with young families of their own........and the fact that they choose to repeat many of the family traditions that we instilled in them, is great reward. I guess we were never party animals.....but more family oriented with family celebrated holidays and events. Miss that....but times change.

[Flip Flop Forever]

As we age, the holidays remain the same; it's the faces around the table that change.........

[bkcunningham1]

Thank you everyone for the beautiful thoughts and posts. I'll share one I've shared many times before but it never gets old: 1000 Marbles

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 backyard patio 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 to listen to a Saturday morning talk show I heard an older sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever 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 of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack 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 focused 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 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.

You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work that morning. 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 while since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

[Skip2MySue]

Thank you everyone for the beautiful thoughts and posts. I'll share one I've shared many times before but it never gets old: 1000 Marbles

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 backyard patio 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 to listen to a Saturday morning talk show I heard an older sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever 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 of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack 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 focused 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 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.

You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work that morning. 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 while since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

This post is also well worth reading and helps put life into a different perspective with the passing of the marbles. I'm hoping that I run out and have to go to the store and buy lots more. :D
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