forgetunome
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine!!
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2000
- Posts
- 1,181
I found this while surfin' and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Really makes one stop and take stock in what is really important! Working like a dog to collect "things" or take enjoyment in the life around us. Now don't get me wrong work is important and it is nice to have things but, I guess what I am thinking is trying to find more balance! As the old saying goes "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!" Anyway maybe we want to think about just how many Saturdays we have left and how to get more enjoyment out of what we have?
One Thousand Marbles
I'm a ham radio operator and spend some time working with radios and electronics. So when I heard this story it really made me think! I hope you will find some application in your own life as well...
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack 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 on 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 have been 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 60 or 70 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 75 years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about 75 years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and came up with 3,900, 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 55 years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over 2800 Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be 75, 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 1,000 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 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. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
Hope all your Saturdays are filled with happiness.
[Edited by forgetunome on 10-10-2000 at 12:32 AM]
One Thousand Marbles
I'm a ham radio operator and spend some time working with radios and electronics. So when I heard this story it really made me think! I hope you will find some application in your own life as well...
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack 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 on 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 have been 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 60 or 70 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 75 years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about 75 years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and came up with 3,900, 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 55 years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over 2800 Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be 75, 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 1,000 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 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. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
Hope all your Saturdays are filled with happiness.
[Edited by forgetunome on 10-10-2000 at 12:32 AM]
But, so many of us wait until something happens. I know I almost lost my husband in a fire and that changed my perspective on everything. I am always trying to get people to see it's now you have to enjoy you don't have a guarantee on tomorrow! But, we get busy our heads are down and we can't see what fate might have in store for us until too late. Treasure life now! Glad your with us CW!
