Do Something Today

Each and everyday is unique unto itself. It will never repeat. This 24 hour period will never, ever occur again. It’s an undeniable truth, yet most of us, myself included, act as if we have all the time in the world. I have, and at times continue, to behave as if I’ve got time to spare. The reality is quite different from my delusional thoughts.

This weekend I had the chance to watch some of the highlights from basketball. The regulation time limits are 48 minutes. There are four twelve minute quarters. If the winner isn’t decided within that time, there’s an overtime period. The point I’m making is the players, coaches, and refs all know the amount of time to be played. The fans know this as well. The players move with purpose, with focus, and they summon their talents towards one end, victory.

It’s playoff season now. The games are more intense as all the remaining teams are vying for a shot at being world champions. Now the players are in the conference championship round with the winners from the Western and Eastern conference series playing each other in the Finals. The winner of the Finals will be the world champion. Of the 30 NBA teams, four remain playing. But only one will be world champions. All the teams have to play within the constraints and rules of the game. They all know the rules before the season starts and they all play accordingly.

Basketball and life have similarities. We all know we will die. It’s part of life, an inevitable part. Unlike basketball, we don’t know if we get 48 minutes. Sadly, some barely get the first quarter and die as teenagers. The average life span for a male in the United States is 76 years. As men, our quarters are 19 years, unlike the 12 minutes of basketball. At 52, I’m nearing the end of my third quarter. Since some struggle with arithmetic, I’ll explain. First quarter is the first 19 years of life. Second quarter is the next 19 years or until age 38. The third quarter is another 19 years taking you to age 57. The fourth or final quarter is from 57 to age 76, if you’re average. There have been and always will be outliers, but those are the averages.

I would encourage you to live life like your playing basketball. Think about and remember which quarter you’re in. There are no do overs. There isn’t a reset button like video games. This game of life keeps going, keeps moving, and whether you like it or not, it will end. When the game is over and the final score is tallied, how will you be viewed. Will you be considered an all time great? Will you be put in life’s equivalent of the Hall of Fame? Remembered throughout history? Or will you be like so many others…soon forgotten.

It’s your game. It’s your life. Since no other you will ever exist, make them all remember who you are, what you did, and how you played the game.

Today, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, I am grateful that:

I’m making progress towards my objectives. It’s not the ideal situation for me over the last few months, but I am moving forward. I’ve made more progress in the last month than the previous months of the year combined. Mostly from the accident and recovering and partly from the sense of urgency granted.

Technolog

This is the first part of the entry.