John Tarantino: Life, Death and a Cup of Coffee

John Tarantino, Chief Executive Officer at Iylon Precision Oncology, shared on LinkedIn:

“Life, Death and a Cup of Coffee

I met a friend at a coffee shop.

‘How have you been?’ I asked.

He answered: ‘Not good. I’m so tired of my life. Everything is stressful. I’m overwhelmed trying to care for my wife and kids. It’s a struggle to make ends meet. I’m tired. Tired of life.’

I was silent for a moment, then responded.

‘I’m tired of death. I’ve experienced too much of it. Not only in my family but seeing how death has devastated the lives of so many of my friends. Husbands and wives lost. Moms and dads. Children. On and on. These were all good persons, kind persons, loving persons. Persons who fought to live another day, despite the stresses and burdens and frustrations. That’s what tires me. Not life. But death.’

My friend’s eyes welled up.

‘I’m sorry. What am I complaining about? I’m fortunate to have my health, my wife and my kids. Thanks for the perspective.’

After this exchange we changed the subject and started talking about the upcoming Red Sox season.

Something that we could both complain about while we enjoyed our coffee.”

Source: John Tarantino/LinkedIn