Thursday, November 15, 2007

Simple life advice

The best advice I ever received, on living, came from an improbable person in a club that once was my second home. Paul was merely an acquaintance, although quite popular because of the product he readily provided to anyone with the right price. He was the snowman, a coke dealer.

Because I didn't do the stuff, we always had a guarded relationship. We easily acknowledged each other. And, he knew good friends of mine were some of his best customers. I guess they vouched for my discretion. Still, he was suspicious. And, I, really didn't want to know the coke man.

One, unusually quiet, evening we ended up on adjoining bar stools. I learned he had a fascinating background--former stockbroker, and bond trader. He was intelligent, well-versed and well-spoken. It was a good conversation.

"Life is simple," he said. " Always do the right thing. In most situations, you know what the right thing is to do. Doing it is the hard part."

Initially, I pooh-poohed the whole idea. But, as we spoke and examined several 'what-ifs,' he convinced me of the validity of his point. We agreed that human nature--with all it's temptations, gremlins and egoism wouldn't permit one to do the right thing all of the time. But it made sense to use the idea as a blueprint. I thanked him.

Within a year, Paul died at age 46, succumbing to his gremlins.

Life is in the doing.

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