Joe's Corner

All the Marbles

Dear Friends,

Thanksgiving season is a time to appreciate the small, as well as the large fortunes in life. I'd like to share with you a story from a friend of mine:

The 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 the most enjoyable for me.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling around 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 a life chaning event. When I turned on the radio to listen to a Saturday morning talk show, I heard the voice of an elderly-sounding man. He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named Tom. Intrigued, I sat down 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 a shame you have to be away with your family so much. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital. Tom, let me tell you 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." "I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about 75 years. So, I multiplied 75 times 52 and came up with 3900, which is the the number of Saturdays the average person has in their lifetime."

"It took me until I was 55 years old to come up with this idea, and by that time I had lived through over 2800 Saturdays. I thought that if I lived to be 75, I had only about 1000 of them left to enjoy. So I went to three different toy stores and bought every single marble they had in order to round up 1000 marbles. I put them inside a clear plastic container and every Saturday since then, I've 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."

"Now let me tell you one more thing before I sign off and take my lovely wife to breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it to next Saturday, then I've been blessed with a little extra time to spend with my loved ones. It was nice to talk to you, Tom, and have a good morning."

Even the show's moderator was speechless for a moment. I had planned to do some work that morning, and then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and awoke my wife 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've spent Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

I wish you many marbles and the happiest Thanksgiving season!

Joe Brown