Terminal Timeline

The recent passing of James Gandolfini caught a whole lot of people by surprise-- not the least of whom, I'm sure, was James Gandolfini. There's the buzz from those who liked his show the Sopranos. There's the buzz from those who really understood and admired his skill as an actor. Celebrity deaths are good news/sad news, if you will. Everybody wants to know. Everybody wants to feel bad.

Over the past weekend we had a wing walker and the pilot of her plane have things go horribly wrong in Ohio. And here in Michigan we had a family on a pleasure flight fail to make it more than a mile from the runway. While some activities are inherently dangerous, for most of us we always, always, always expect to come home at the end of our day.

I always look at these events and wonder how many of us take inventory. After all, dying causes great sadness for a handful of people (family), sorrow for a larger group (friends), distress for some (creditors), and for the rest of the world-- if the story's good enough we gawk, otherwise, what day is it anyway? Tuesday? Friday?

Growing up I would always hear reference to the Biblical passage from the New Testament in which the advice is given to "watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour."  Growing up I had always understood this to mean you had better always be on your best behavior: Let down your guard, slip up, and, BAM! One minute you think you're heaven bound, harp in hand, and a moment later you find yourself at an eternal barbecue-- with you as the featured dish.

It's too bad so much Biblical literature is construed as threatening and guilt producing because, really, in many cases, it's the distillation of centuries of sound advice. In the present example of the passage from the book of Matthew, the story shouldn't be about saving your ass from hell and feeling frightened of death. Rather, I take this cautionary passage to be about living your life to the fullest, in the best possible way. James Gandolfini doesn't give a rat's ass that he's dead. (Yes. I'm sure.) But, if he knew he was going to be dead right smack dab in the middle of an Italian vacation he might have made some other choices. And that's the point: For many people they never do know. All of a sudden it just happens. One minute you're enjoying the world's best gnocchi, the next, game over.

In my life it's all too easy to get wrapped up in other people's stuff. I like my medical work and I like my role in leadership at the hospital, but I do need to realize I'm burning time. And, I guess in that light, I'm sorry for his family but a little grateful to learn of the passing of James Gandolfini.  He makes me look in the mirror and ask myself, What are you going to do today? How many quarters are left in my pocket, how many more free games?