A topic that has challenged many great thinkers revolves around our “Time here”
IF we knew the date certainly we would conduct ourself and arrange our affairs accordingly
IF does not exist
despite what that corner fortune teller might say……
I think of my paternal grandfather,
Antonio Tommaso,
My grandfather was from the old country
Fought as a ALPINI in WWI for Italy under Mussolini (Who signed his Honorable discharge which is displayed proudly in our home)
He Came to this new world , AMERICA, alone and without his wife and children
He worked his trade of Baker from Boston to New York to Philadelphia opening the first Brick oven bakery that survives today.
He then journeyed months, back to get his familia and bring to America
He Worked hard
He Laughed
He Loved his family dearly
He Died in his home with family near
Our family lost Grandpop Antonio in 1977 at 82 years old
He endured a rough life -Yes- and thats without mentioning his being buried alive in a Boston area coal mine and in the hospital a year
He went right back to work..
Antonio Tommaso Mastrocola was the embodiment of Stoicism
Understanding Life happens FOR HIM not TOO HIM
He was tough- YES
He was relentless- YES
and he was Happy, He was Proud and He was content with what he achieved
He understood Happiness is never contained in STUFF
STUFF can help make more of what matters- Connections
Like our modest shore homes where everyone stayed…I see at 45 it was never about the Things it was about how some of these Things drew us all together and created memories that in the end are what is truly Priceless.
He knew this I will wager more than any writer Ive encountered on the subject matter.
See, they write it
He LIVED IT, Trial by FIRE…
He used to say and as my father repeats often,
“You are born into this world holding two tickets, the first was punched when you were born, the second is already set with your ticket out”
Its a unknown
We all have a difficult time “accepting” that Truth.
That we will be gone sooner than later and not even remembered soon after that
But I think of Antonio in another Proud Romans words ,
Emperor Marcus Aurelius
“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it”
My Next Blog will be a Personal analysis- Numbers…I turn 45 very soon, IF I have left
37 Years
thats 323,232 hours from that date
WHAT IF I know thats the day- How can I best organize my time…It all is in Fun…however I think it may be revealing ….
More reason to be MORE to LESS
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