Tom

I just got the sad news that someone I've worked with for several years has passed away. Tom was our sales rep in Texas. A great guy to know, always worked hard for my company's brands. He died of cancer, and while he was living with it he had a great attitude towards talking about it, living with it, and trying to keep his life together while undergoing his treatments.
The last time I saw him was last summer in Maine at our sales meeting. He was with his wife who was helping maintain his accounts while he was trying to recover. He was tired and sick and thin and had been fighting for over a year already, but still had the spark in his eyes while he reviewed the new products and figured out how best to present them, and I could see he really loved being a part of the group and wanted to keep doing what he was doing.
Hearing about the death of someone you know is always strange. For me, it brings back thoughts of how frightened I was to find out my mom had breast cancer, and then seeing her get through the surgery and recovery to regain a full life. It also brings back thoughts of my father's death, which, although he was having health troubles for a few months, happened over the course of a couple of weeks of unbelievable and unexpected downturns during treatment for something that would have affected his life but would have still allowed him to live it.
Life is too short-your own but also those of the people around you-to not do what you really want to do, and work at sucky jobs that you don't like, and show your respect and admiration for those that you work with, and be with someone who isn't right for you, or not be with someone who IS right for you, and sell yourself short on your talents, and express love for your family and friends. They all want to know you're happy doing what you're doing.