I have all my marbles.

My apologies that this is as yet still a photograph which I hope to paint at some point. My painting time yesterday was spent working on a pastel painting of a dog and I am a long way from finished it. Pastel painting and living in a motorhome I have found is not always easy. Where do you store the work in progress?

Just one of the very serious difficulties of life such momentous questions to be answered. to be really honest it is just not fair that I have all these days to sit and paint with and iPad or Pastels while others have to go out and told and do a days work. 

The one saving grace I suppose is that I am aware of just how fortunate I am. I get up go for a walk, have a swim, paint  and head off to the beach. Made me realise just how good life is treating me and that it must not be wasted. This reminded me of the story of the thousand marbles.

I heard this on a world broadcast programme some time ago. I would like to share it with you. 

 The person being interviewed  was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom". I was intrigued as I  listened to what he had to say. 

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young person should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital. " He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years." "Now then, I multiplied 75

times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

"Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part. "It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. "So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. "I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.

"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones...... "It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!"

I like to believe that I have all my marbles, in that I am still able to do and think. Nevertheless as I slip nearer and nearer to the 75 year mark maybe I should go out and buy some marbles.

Whatever you are doing today, enjoy before you throw away another marble.