A Good Life
Yesterday I attended the funeral of a coworker. He died as a result of cancer at age fifty three.
He came in to work early in the morning and left early in the afternoon. He worked hard but was not consumed by his work. For the most part he was a quiet man. He didn't socialize much with coworkers either inside or outside the workplace. He didn't like meetings and at work was a man of actions rather than words. Yet while he had a no-nonsense attitude about work, he would also dispense the occasional witty quip at just the right times.
He loved his wife, children, and grandchildren dearly and it was apparent at the funeral that they felt the same about him. His family was the main focus of his life. He didn't talk about them much at work but when he did the pride he felt in them was apparent.
He believed in God and had a very strong spiritual life. But he never tried to proselytize at work. His faith was personal to him.
He loved his country and served in the Army and Army Reserves. He was buried in his uniform and his coffin was draped with an American flag. But he was not a gung ho uber patriot. He did his duty.
He loved fishing, playing golf, watching football on television, and enjoying the occasional beer or two. He went "up to the lake" on summer weekends to spend time with his family and friends. He loved life.
He never was a professional athlete. He never made millions in business. He never was on nor probably even ever watched a reality TV show. He didn't participate in extreme sports. He probably didn't know who J Lo was nor wondered when she and Ben would get married. He didn't lose any sleep over the "sixteen words" in the State of the Union.
He never bragged about what he owned, what he had done, or what he would do. But he obviously was happy and content.
At his funeral his son-in-law said he never heard him say a bad word about anyone. And in his case it was the truth.
Some might say he lead a simple life. I would say he lived his life with a quiet dignity. He lived a very good life indeed.
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