How to live life

My grandfather and I played chess. He was very good. On the board, and in his actions - he taught me alot about how to live life.

He graduated from High School at age 16, and finished Medical School at 21. He started his own practice and a hospital. He had many children, and he was by and large happy.

He would get up every day and go to work. When he retired from practice, he had delivered six thousand children. He performed 3,000 major operations.

He married a girl - who was his girlfriend from elementary school, and he stayed married for 64 years. Altogether, my grandmother and grandfather were in love for nearly 77 years.

So, what have I learned? From the chessboard I learned that making the move with your queen can make her a big target. Protect the pieces that are important to you. You've never figured out who I really am. And you never will. As a person, it's ok to be private.

He was careful with money. My own sense of fiscal discipline helped me to avoid a near-disaster last year. I was so close to a complete crash in 2008 that I almost lost everything. I've learned alot of lessons how to spend (or not to spend) money from him. I guess it was the fact that he grew up in the great depression that helped him to be careful about banks ( respect them, but keep them at an arm's distance and try not to borrow if at all possible ). That helped me alot. Also, my grandfather was a member of a very old guild and he taught me alot about how it operates.

He listened. He was very good at listening, and understanding what was said. He asked questions if he didn't understand. If you were wrong, he told you. But if you were right, he wondered about how you figured things out. He kept a sense of wonder throughout his entire life.

And finally. He taught me how to die. I won't go into that one here, but suffice to say that dying is a part of life - and that there are right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it. One of the most important things you can do about that, right now - is to write a will. And in that will, think carefully about whether you want others to simply take over your estate - or transfer that wealth to them.

My grandfather's last days passed recently - and I was one of the men who carried his casket. He died, as he lived. Independent. And by his own rules. He was a good man. I will miss him very much.

And I will pay tribute to him. By going out into the world. And kicking some serious ass.