Closed on Tuesdays

Yesterday, I had a plan that included lunch with Fred in San Jose at Wing's Restaurant, but at the last minute I checked the address again and discovered they were closed on Tuesdays.

A few minutes later I arrived to pick him up with this new information buzzing in my head and without a plan.

I knew I could cancel, but I also knew my retired friend was waiting for me. At nearly 96, he schedule is pretty quiet and his friends are gone.

As I filled up with gas, I came up with an idea, perhaps he could show me his old neighborhood where he and his wife raised their boys. A wonderful tour emerged as we meandered through the neighborhood, and he showed me how things once were.

At 60 he learned how to golf on the local course, and just recently at 92 he stopped playing the game that he loved.

Eventually we ended up at one of his favorite little Chinese restaurants. He warned me that it had been there for years and wasn't much to look at, but he assured me the food was good.

He was right.

The brothers that operated the restaurant will be retiring soon after 36 years of working together.

During lunch, we chatted about his memories and lingered over our tea. Then with his eyes glistening, he told me that the greatest tragedy was when his first wife passed way in her early 40s.

"Finally, things were getting easier. I had worked myself up into a good position at work, and we could start to enjoy a few things," pausing before he said, "and then she was gone."

Brain aneurysm.

She was a special woman. She had encouraged him to transfer to the drafting department early in his career even though it meant a significant cut in pay. She just went back to work until he moved up again. She had vision. She knew this would be better for the long term. She encouraged him to buy a house. She dreamed things he hadn't even considered and together they worked to fulfill those dreams.

The journey of life is unpredictable. As l listened to the joy and sadness intertwined in his life, I realized that we need to seize the opportunity even when

...closed on Tuesdays.