chasduster
Well-Known Member
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Subject:[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] losing all your marbles...[/FONT]
It is long but worth the eyes........
3900 SaturdaysThe 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 garage
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. It's too bad you missed
your daughter's dance recital' he continued.
'Let me tell you something that has helped me keep
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 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
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 a 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 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.
It is long but worth the eyes........
3900 SaturdaysThe 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 garage
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. It's too bad you missed
your daughter's dance recital' he continued.
'Let me tell you something that has helped me keep
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 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
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 a 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 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.
