Numbers, the concept throughout the ages never changes. The totals of those numbers do. Math is a difficult subject for many to comprehend. For others, it's as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Recently for me, I noticed a frightening pattern that caught me odd guard. My high school basketball guard teammate, my junior high coach, my freshman coach, my sophomore coach, my varsity coach, my English teacher and my coaching mentor have all passed. Everyone of them were suburb athletes, always healthy and primed in life. It's shocking to me that they are all gone, early in life. None of them made to 72.
Patterns- they say celebrities die in three's. It happens to families too! The very successful owner of my former company died of a heart attack. His wife took over the company and six months later also died of a heart attack. Her son took over and yes, six months later he too died of a heart attack.
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Then I look at the number sixty-one. At this particular age, first my Aunt died, then my Uncle, then my Dad, then my Cousin all were exactly 61. Well, I'm 61 now! I pray that pattern ceases to exist so I can exist as the prime caretaker to my wife, who has MS and to guide my sixteen year old daughter, born in China, who has an amazing future ahead of her.
So far in my life, I have survived a three month bout with mononucleosis that nearly killed me. A strange rash on my hand that turned out to be a rare form of lymphoma and was given five years to live in 1997. Last year prostrate cancer invaded my body. 1,2,3, it wasn't easy.
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You are never prepared enough when your number is called. I wasn't when my draft number came up 007 during the Vietnam War. If you have been reading my column about it's a beautiful day ...My life has taken on a kind of Forrest Gump mentality. By the way my middle name really is Forrest (same spelling).
In the game of life, it's always a gamble. The numbers fall like on a roulette wheel. It's either positive or it's negative. There's only two slots where it comes up neutral. I've been there three times, beating the odds, Eventually they'll catch up to me. They catch up to everyone. Let's hope it doesn't catch up to you before your time. Really enjoy today, it's a beautiful day ...
