[Griff]

More years ago than it seems my cousin died in a car accident. I'd lived with him for two years and we'd had some times. He was the kind of guy who lived at a hundred miles an hour but he'd give you the shirt off his back. We'd been at the same get together but he wandered off with some of the more serious druggies. It was my first summer with my eventual wife and I was at a cross roads. I was working second shift in a defense plant, raising hell, and suddenly I'd met this wonderful girl and she was really into me. Then my cousin wrapped his truck around a tree.

I began to see that the gift of life was a wonderful thing, not to be squandered. I started measuring things with a different rule. If my life ended tomorrow would I consider my time a waste? Did I want to retire from some pointless job? Did I want to become a miserable drunk. Was I afraid to live my life on my own terms? I chose to embrace life, I'd live well enough for both of us. My cousins death saved my life. I'm now the family man, with a great woman, wonderful kids, and more projects on my drawing board than I'll ever get to. I'm happy.