A Life's Lesson Learned

The other day while flipping through the channels I came across one of my guilty pleasures, "Blind Date". I never know when it's on, but will almost always watch it when I find it. That day would be no different.

Unlike normal episodes where they follow around two couples on their dates and entertain the viewing audience with their misery aided with humorous captions, this episode featured part of a series. The woman involved had vowed to get married in 90 days and Blind Date was going to help her find the right guy.

I've heard of people doing crazy things like this before. Auctioning their virginity on eBay, things like that. But this time my eyes were really opened to the bigger picture. I wondered which was more precious to her; a long and lasting relationship or being right? Suppose she missed her deadline by 1 day. Or a week. Or a year. Is it really so bad? Is her pride really so important to her that she's willing to force herself into a miserable marriage just to say she did it? 90 days to marry, 90 seconds to divorce.

A little later that day I found a list of my New Year's Resolutions from last January. I think I've accomplished two of about 8. One of those I accomplished was to get a full time job, which I had at Navy Pier for about two weeks before they let everyone go. I never even worked a full week because I had prior commitments before going full time.

Again I thought of "Blind Date". Is it so important that I rush to accomplish these remaining goals in the next two months, or is it more important that I just accomplish them and do the right? I decided on the latter. So when January rolls around, I suspect I'll have some resolutions to add to last year's, but I doubt I'll place much importance on the time I have with which to do them.

I walked around all day feeling like I'd answered some great life question. Then I hit a snag. I received a phone call from my parents telling me that my cousin Gabriel, at only 28-years-old, had died in a motorcycle accident. He had a wife, I think, and a few kids. Gabriel and I weren't particularly close (I'd only met him twice, I think) but it had a profound effect on me. Immediately I began to think what everyone thinks when someone dies: You never know when it's your time to go, so you'd better get it all done now. It was like a cold shower on my earlier profundities.

Then I reconsidered my attitude reversal. I don't dare speak for Gabriel as to what was important in his life, but I can say this: It wasn't the amount of stuff he got done in his life, it was how he made use of the life he lived. That is, he may not have accomplished all he had hoped to in life, but as long as he achieved the goals he did with full satifaction, he lived a full life.

Amazing, isn't it, how he could meet me twice and teach me such a profound life lesson?

God bless you, Gabriel.