Great Escape Publishing

Posted January 1st, 2016 by Lori Allen & filed under Travel Writing.

It’s the first day of a new year and the last thing I want to talk to you about today is productivity, goal setting, and resolutions.

So instead, let’s talk about Saturdays.

We have one coming up tomorrow. And barring anything tragic, we have one coming up every week from now until the day we die.

A few years ago, my mentor sent me a story about 1,000 marbles that I think might change your Saturdays from here on out.

The story has been passed down many years now so I’m not sure of its origin. But it goes something like this…

It was a warm Saturday morning in sunny South Florida when, flipping through the channels on an old ham radio, he stumbled on a voice that was so crystal clear and attractive, it felt like the broadcaster on the other end was speaking directly to him.

The voice, like my mentor, cherished his Saturdays. It was time he spent with his family. Time he didn’t have to work. Time he took to relax, read, and reflect. And so he did some math…

If the average person lives to be 75, the mysterious voice said, and there are 52 weeks in each of those 75 years, that’s 3,900 Saturdays in a lifetime.

He went on to add that 2,800 of those Saturdays were already gone by the time he realized this. So with just about 1,000 Saturdays left, he went out in search of 1,000 marbles to represent each of his remaining special days.

Three toy stores later, he brought every single marble he collected home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container. Then, every Saturday, he took one out and threw it away.

He found that by watching his bunch of marbles diminish, he could focus more on the really important things in life. That there was nothing like actually watching your time run out to help you get your priorities straight.

Then he said something startling. He announced that today, this very special Saturday, he took his very last marble out of the container and threw it away.

If he makes it until next Saturday, he figured, he’d have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.

So yes, make your resolutions and set your goals for the New Year today. Do whatever makes you happy.

But don’t forget about your Saturdays.

2016 is going to be a great year and I’m excited to spend it with you.

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