Notes In The Margin

A Piperguy48 Production

I wish I had known Jim a little better.  I might have come to a different conclusion (or not – I’ve been known to be wrong).  You may rightly infer that Jim is no longer with us.  Nonetheless, I knew enough to draw a lesson from his life and his sudden departure from it.
Jim was a beanpole, tall and thin and guilty of the sin of exercise.  His mantra included leafy greens, tennis and pure thoughts.  He might even have been addicted to mindless jogging.  He never smoked, even when we were promised the dash and dare of Marlborough Country.  All things could be approached in moderation and nothing indulged to excess.  Life was tasted in small nibbles, not great gulps and his mantra seemed to be moderated quantity over excessive quality.  He found the perfect formula even before it was widely embraced.   
Regardless, he was felled to the kitchen floor as a small cardiac eruption tore apart the engine that powers life’s journey.  “Heart attack” was the diagnosis, genetically programmed to occur at this time and in this place, another time bomb on a short fuse.  But this one was not written around his 28-inch waistline, but embedded in the DNA that shaped his heart.
Jim left behind a loving wife and two loving children and a spacious house in the suburbs.  Jim had done well, working long hours and investing wisely and his portfolio was as admirable as his house.  The future looked good.  
At life’s banquet, Jim took small bites in anticipation of enjoying many more.  
He did everything right except live long enough to enjoy it.
He opted for quantity over quality.  
He ended the game, zero for two.

Lesson #08 – Quantity The Jim C.

Principle (see Lesson #7)