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| Photo by Greg Conderacci |
The days of our years are three score years and ten...
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Psalm 90
A year ago, when I reached the full biblical lifetime of 70,
I thought I’d share the life lessons of my advanced age. After all, I had been born in the first half of the last century. I had survived the 60s – twice.
But the procrastinating old journalist in me “sat on the
story,” hoping for a better “angle.”
Well. It’s. Here. Now.
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| Photo by Gregg Landry |
The great stuff I had missed earlier in the 20th
century – The Great Influenza and The Great Depression – I get to experience all
at once. I don’t even need my ever-narrowing attention span. It’s like binge-watching The History Channel
while drinking Red Bull. Very 21st Century.
Okay, so here’s The Big Life Lesson: Share the Frigging Toilet Paper. Totally. Like #SFTP.
Think about it. Exactly how much toilet paper do you need?
In what way are you better off if you use twice as much a day? Go ahead, look in your closet. You have
plenty, don’t you?
Now look around and apply the Share the Frigging Toilet
Paper Principle. Some people have enough for several lifetimes. Others have little to none. The SFTP Principle applies to all kinds of
paper: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, loans, checks and, of course, cash.
Thanks to COVID-19 there’s been some “paper losses.” In
other words, a lot less paper to go around. And a lot more people have little
to none. So, I’m going to share while I
can.
I mean, hey, I’ll be 71 in a couple weeks. Two of my college roommates died last year
and another just had open heart surgery. The coronavirus is smacking its
microbial lips every time I step out the door.
For my last birthday, my family did a wonderful thing. They
set up a special
fund called “Shifting Gears” to divert my birthday present “paper”
to folks who really need it: the homeless and hungry served by Our
Daily Bread Employment Center. I’m sending money there and you can,
too. If you’re looking to share some of your “paper” with people who
desperately need it, there’s no better way. Just click on this link: cc-md.org/shifting-gears.
Thank you for SFTP!
