Sometime around my 55th birthday, a friend sent me an email with a neat story about an old man.
The old timer explained that the average life span of a man in the USA is about 75; some live longer, some not so long. When a man is 55 he has about 1,000 Saturdays left in his life. So many of us get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that we don’t realize that time is slipping by; time that we could spend with family, friends and loved ones.
The fellow telling the story recommended going out and buying 1,000 marbles, put them in a fish bowl and place that somewhere you will see them every week.
Each Saturday, take one marble out and throw it away. As you toss the marble in the trash, consider if what you plan on doing this day is truly worthy of your limited time.
Sure, some Saturdays you might have to do something not so pleasant, that is life. But the bowl of marbles keeps you focused on enjoying life, no matter what you have to do.
I did go out and buy the marbles. The first year, I really didn’t notice how much the level of the marbles went down. As the years have gone by, my supply of marbles significantly shows that time is going by.
Every Saturday, as I take a marble out to throw away, it gives me more awareness of the time I have left in this world. Is this morbid or depressing? Not at all, it focuses me on the importance of each and every day. Let’s face it, we all are not to going to live forever, the measure of success in life is how you lived.
By watching the level of your marbles diminish, you concentrate on the really important things in your life.
So go out and buy yourself some marbles, it will give you a new perspective on life. You will appreciate every Saturday more than you ever have.
Someone asked me, “What are you going to do on the Saturday when you have only one marble left?” I replied,” I’m going out to buy more marbles”.
FOG sez: It seems that I have been losing my marbles for a lot longer than 1,000 Saturdays.
FOG is a bit of a smart aleck old guy. 
