Soupy Sales

When I was a kid I remember infrequently hearing about some old codger dying, but it left no impression on me.

However, these days I notice more and more people that I knew are dying. It is freaky. It is a reminder of my own mortality. Youth is oblivious because youth thinks it is eternal. Old age is oppressive because you know the Grim Reaper is seeking you out and getting ever nearer.

Last week Soupy Sales died. I remember watching his show as a kid:



I wasn't big fan, but I really enjoyed reading this memoriam by Eric Tarloff in The Atlantic. Like a lot of things in life, you learn to appreciate them only when somebody explains their value. Life is richer when you learn the hidden meanings and the various connections. It is too easy going through life only seeing superficially. It pays to stop and really appreciate. And the best way to do this is to have somebody guide you through the value of what you are seeing, sort of like a museum guide. Now... if only everybody had a museum guide to their life that would accompany them everywhere and explain what they are experiencing. Maybe someday when our machines get really, really smart.