The old-timers say that last winter here in the mountains was like the ones of their youth. Where it was not uncommon to go to bed with stars so bright and awaken to snow up to the windows. Total snowfall last winter measured more than 20’. In print that doesn’t seem like much, but its impact can be seen in the collapsed roofs of buildings that my father used to tell me he remembered as a kid. Our past is made up of images and memories that have shaped our lives – so much so that I find myself staring at the barns, homes, buildings, and stores that collapsed under the weight of that snow. Structures that had outlasted multiple generations. We hope the same will be said of our work and reputations. Because when we’re gone, those are most of what remains. In that context, everything we do everyday matters, in the moment and in the aggregate. At my age, those remembered actions are what I see when I close my eyes. Overlayed now by those collapsed walls and roofs. We don’t want to get near the end only to remark about the could haves and should haves of missed opportunities. The moral of this story: just do it … because there’s no telling which of our actions will outlast us. Make the most of the opportunities you have today.
William James (1842 – 1910): American philosopher and psychologist, one of the most influential philosophers who is often dubbed the "father of American psychology."
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