TheBanyanTree: Cashing In

[Tom Smith]

Over the last 25 years I shared experiences and opinions in
quality conversations with a good neighbor, usually standing in
the fenceless space between our garages. 

I visited him in the hospital the morning of his last day
alive.  He was wearing a clear flexible plastic oxygen mask
that made him hard to understand.  He took it off because it
annoyed him, but soon he started gasping for air, so I helped
him put the mask back on and told him he needed it, and I
pointed to the winking lights and numbers on the monitor by his
bed that all got better when wearing the mask.  

His eyes twinkled as if a good idea or thought just crossed his
mind and then he started pointing his finger with a sensor on
it toward the monitor and moving his hand in time with the
monitor's beeps and lights, like he was Lawrence Welk directing
musicians.  It was the only time in all the years I've known
him that I saw him joyfully play.  

I've speculated since on comparing life with a game -playing
the hand dealt.  Luck and skill and probably desire are all
needed to stay in the game.  The tricky part is defining what
"winning" is.  For me, every happy moment scores a point.