After all of the media overload about the tragic death at the local racetrack (yes, out of state friends, a mere seven miles from me), I have some thoughts. Any sport has its risks. Whether your horsepower comes from four legged beast or a well-tuned engine, you know there is always that chance. Every time I go to an event, I sign a waiver because equine events are fraught with risk. When Jeff took the Camaro out on the track at Watkins Glen last week, we signed a waiver. I am a firm believer that when its your time, there is nothing you can do about it. Live your life. Have some fun, take precautions as you can (and should) - - but LIVE! You can sit safely in your living room, always driving exactly the speed limit, never daring to eat strange foods, always obeying every rule, never taking any chances of any kind. When you reach your 100th birthday, what will you say you did in your life? One of my favorite scenes from the movie Titanic is as Rose is passing away, the camera pans to all of the things she has accomplished in her life. I am always brought to tears - because she lived, not because she is dying! She lived not only in the physical sense, but in the take a chance, reach for the stars sense. The young man who lost his life LIVED. We can celebrate that he reached for the stars. And now he is among them, and those who loved him can take solace in that.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 01:10:25 +0000