This past weekend, fans of Randy Cohen's New York Times column, "The Ethicist," were in for a shock when he announced it was the end.
After 12 years of tackling some of the most engaging ethical questions submitted by his readers, it was shocking to see the word "goodbye."
This word signals finality and is nothing like my personal favorite departure phrase, "see you later."
The abrupt ending reminded me once again that life moves very fast and sometimes it can come to a complete stop without any warning. Ask anyone who has had a brush with death and they will testify to these sudden shifts.
Although Cohen will surely go on to other things, my mind begins to wander and this is when the "round tuit" of my past appears.
By the time this 1964 make-your-life-easier invention trickled down the Pop Culture department store lanes, it debuted first at the World's Fair as a fun idiom for "to get around to it."
In a funny way, any time someone complained about putting off a task, the comic in you could slap a "round tuit" down like the winning card in a Euchre game. In this case, the round device trumped perceived laziness.
In my mind, I had viewed these humorous instances as a metaphor for not putting off what could be accomplished today. With a "round tuit," you could banish your gnawing excuses and future regrets goodbye with laughter.
When I look around at our community, I see plenty of people who roll up their sleeves as selfless volunteers who do the work that others would be happy to get to if they could just get "round tuit."
In preparation for this week's entertainment listings for G-Sync, I stumbled on a upcoming benefit and as a result, had a conversation with Dr. Bruce Roller, the Executive Director of the United Church Outreach Ministry (UCOM).
This organization has been feeding the hungry in our community for over 25 years while also teaching cooking and nutrition classes. UCOM is able to serve 50,000 people at their food pantry with the generous assistance of volunteers.
UCOM has also been helping to close the illiteracy gap among our community's school children through a very unique tutoring program.
Each semester 400 students receive critical attention from volunteers and staff in areas of reading and language.
Even the community-driven event LaughFest (March 10 – 20), created by the local chapter of Gilda's Club has enlisted the assistance of their volunteers to help bring a little light and laughter to the people of our region. Just so you know: Laughter has been shown in study after study to impact a person's well being.
When you visit the LaughFest site and see all the events, many of which are free and for the whole family, you will simply marvel at what an army of volunteers can bring to our community (when other people may simply choose to avoid those "round tuit" moments).
There are many such stories in our community worth celebrating and sharing the secret of their success – dedicated people avoiding "round tuit" excuses. I suppose some people still feel they have nothing to give or cannot find the time, so they will just wait until next time using a handy "round tuit" to justify inaction.
Life rarely happens on our timetable and our lives are full of twists and turns with just one guaranteed finale.
And just as Randy Cohen signed off with a wonderful quote by Samuel Johnson, I want to share Johnston's quote here that I think addresses missed opportunities of the present.
"He that in the latter part of his life too strictly inquires what he has done, can very seldom receive from his own heart such an account as will give him satisfaction."
We don't have to be a certain age to begin to examine our life's impact. But I do know that I have never regretted giving some of my time to another if it made their life a bit better.
Sometimes all we need is a gentle reminder to act now, to do more to be part of our community, to volunteer our time rather than lapse into another "round tuit" routine.
The Future Needs All of Us (to wake up everybody)
Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
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