HughDrackman
3 of a Kind
Last week, my uncle Larry passed way from a very aggressive form of brain cancer.
He always looked out for me. Growing up, I was the black sheep of my family, and he always found ways of making me feel included, welcome, and appreciated.
When I was 17, he invited me to my first poker night. The buy-in was only $20, the big bets were capped at $2, and we used dice chips, but the memories I made will always be priceless.
It was in those rooms and on that felt where I learned what it is to be a man amongst other men. Even though everyone else was a solid 20 years older than me, I was always treated like a peer, an equal.
I credit this hobby of poker chipping to him. He’s the first person I knew who bought high end (at the time) ceramic chips for his private home game. In the late 90’s / early 2000’s, he bought a 500 piece set of Chipco Fan of Cards chips. When I started looking into getting my own first set of high end chips, I held those in my mind as the gold standard.
Of course, after finding PCF, my world was opened up to Paulson, CPC, and BRPro. But I never forgot what sparked my initial interest in this hobby.
Larry was only 65 when he passed. He had lost over 100 lbs. in the year before his diagnosis, he was one year away from retirement, and his house and vehicles were all paid for. He wanted to travel. He wanted to get tattooed and pierced. He wanted to have adventures with my aunt Tina and suck the marrow out of the very bones of life.
Instead, cancer stole away his energy, his mobility, and his very personality. Thankfully, I got to say my goodbyes before he left us peacefully, confined to his home hospice bed. The last thing I told him was that I loved him, and he had the strength the mouth the words, “I love you too” back to me.
It’s my firm belief that the best way to honor someone is to live a life they would have been proud of. So I offer this lesson to any and all who need to hear it: Take the vacation. Get that tattoo. Go on that life-changing adventure. Say “yes” more than “no.” And if you have a young person in your life that needs a safe place to feel loved, valued, and welcome, take them under your wing. Model the behaviors you want them to emulate. Show them how to take healthy risks. Teach them the unwritten rules that govern the in-between spaces of life. Invite them into your world and let them know they are welcome to come back any time they need.
None of us will ever know the true impact we have on others. Defer to love. Always.
He always looked out for me. Growing up, I was the black sheep of my family, and he always found ways of making me feel included, welcome, and appreciated.
When I was 17, he invited me to my first poker night. The buy-in was only $20, the big bets were capped at $2, and we used dice chips, but the memories I made will always be priceless.
It was in those rooms and on that felt where I learned what it is to be a man amongst other men. Even though everyone else was a solid 20 years older than me, I was always treated like a peer, an equal.
I credit this hobby of poker chipping to him. He’s the first person I knew who bought high end (at the time) ceramic chips for his private home game. In the late 90’s / early 2000’s, he bought a 500 piece set of Chipco Fan of Cards chips. When I started looking into getting my own first set of high end chips, I held those in my mind as the gold standard.
Of course, after finding PCF, my world was opened up to Paulson, CPC, and BRPro. But I never forgot what sparked my initial interest in this hobby.
Larry was only 65 when he passed. He had lost over 100 lbs. in the year before his diagnosis, he was one year away from retirement, and his house and vehicles were all paid for. He wanted to travel. He wanted to get tattooed and pierced. He wanted to have adventures with my aunt Tina and suck the marrow out of the very bones of life.
Instead, cancer stole away his energy, his mobility, and his very personality. Thankfully, I got to say my goodbyes before he left us peacefully, confined to his home hospice bed. The last thing I told him was that I loved him, and he had the strength the mouth the words, “I love you too” back to me.
It’s my firm belief that the best way to honor someone is to live a life they would have been proud of. So I offer this lesson to any and all who need to hear it: Take the vacation. Get that tattoo. Go on that life-changing adventure. Say “yes” more than “no.” And if you have a young person in your life that needs a safe place to feel loved, valued, and welcome, take them under your wing. Model the behaviors you want them to emulate. Show them how to take healthy risks. Teach them the unwritten rules that govern the in-between spaces of life. Invite them into your world and let them know they are welcome to come back any time they need.
None of us will ever know the true impact we have on others. Defer to love. Always.
