philosophy of life

     An often quoted wise man once said, "Live life as if each were to be your last on earth."

     I can't do that.  If I were to live like that, I'd have a permanent case of the "poor me"s and sulk around the house, thinking about the injustice of it all.

     So let me give you another philosophy: Live life as if you were immortal and your friends were going to die tomorrow.

     Friends are the most important part of life.  Without them, living is a lonely business.  But many of us, me included, lose track of time and go for days without talking to them.  We forget birthdays, anniversaries, important things for them.   Since they are good friends, we are forgiven and the lapse is forgotten.  But think about the feelings if your were unable to say "good bye."  What happens to those issues between you that are left in the air when you are no longer able to talk.

     My time in Vietnam should have convinced me that I am mortal.  I came through that with a few extra holes in my anatomy and a small fragment of steel that rode my back for 20 years before it worked itself out of me.  But I am alive.   Some of the friends I made there and other places are not.

     Now, I work at staying in touch with friends and family.  I willingly inconvenience myself to spend time with them.  I think about them often and try to let them know that they are precious to me.

     Naturally I often fall down on the job.  Like the Romans said: Errare humanum est (To err is human.)  Not sure about the spelling on that Latin, but it's close.  Occasional failure is part of the human condition.  It's like riding a bike.  When you fall off, you pick yourself up and climb back on.  If you don't, you've wasted however many hundreds of dollars you spent on that bike and are reduced to walking, driving or riding the bus.

     The essential thing is not how many times we fail, but how many times we keep trying.  Never forget that friends try to understand, to forgive and to forget our idiosyncrasies, quirks and ourselves.  It's important to make that worth the effort.