“An unused life is an early death.”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, novelist and dramatist

“It’s not fair,” he said. “It’s just not fair.”

I remember sitting with an elderly friend near the end of his life. Leonard was suffering from a terminal illness and as the time of his passing neared, he became anxious and depressed.

“Why is it that a man has to grow old and useless?”

Like so many people I’ve known, Leonard was filled with regrets. He spoke of all the things he had wanted to do in his life. His regrets terrified me. I didn’t want to be like him. I found the courage one day to ask Leonard why he had put so many dreams on hold. He spoke about the obligations of w...

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