A curious memory popped up on facebook for me the other day. June 27, 2017. It was the occasion of my mother’s memorial dinner, some six months after she had passed. As you may recall, my aunt – my mother’s only sibling – left for Florida on the morning of Mum’s passing. She had finally come back to sell the house and move away for good, but we all took the time to gather and remember.


I was thinking about it whence it popped up. We all note our parent’s passing as one of those seminal moments as we all age. Mom and Dad are no more; our own mortality should be square in the forefront, even if it shall not occur for some time.

But there’s more to think about for me. It is the busy season – I’ve been dispatching tours multiple days this week, as well as driving many myself. It’s a curious thing. I had a long deskbound career; I was 30 years in the health insurance industry in and around Boston. That career rather spectacularly flamed out in the fall of 2016. Perhaps not coincidence that my mother was in her terminal decline at the same time.

In any case, I lost my mother and my job within the span of 30 days over the holidays that year. Certainly not the best of times.

But that is the thought of the blog. It’s the old ‘butterfly effect’ on a grand scale. Any number of things could have happened along my journey. As I near my 60th year, so many things to think about and ponder what could have been. You surely have a “what if” list, but just to name a few from my world…

What if I made Eagle?

What if I joined the Navy out of high school?

What if I didn’t get a job in health insurance while I was still in college?

What if I embraced my family’s music and performance heritage sooner rather than later?

More recently – what if I had ignored my abdominal pain and just kept eating antacids?

Any number of those things, and literally thousands more that I have and haven’t done could have altered the pathway of my life. Would there be a Mrs. Trisec? Javi? Would I even still be in Boston, or even still alive?

None of us can ever know what path is laid to follow. Some religions believe in pre-destiny, whereas I do not.

The universe is a mysterious place. Wherever that path leads, always keep moving forward.