Millions and millions

This may come as a big surprise to you -- because I look like an ordinary guy -- but I think it's about time I let everyone know I'm worth more than 40 million.

I topped the 40 million mark Nov. 27, 2015. This was a very happy occasion for me, because at half my age, I was worth just over 20 million.

"How's this possible?" you wonder. "Ole Gene, who has worked at the paper most of his life, has accumulated 40 million."

Well, it's possible, I swear to you, because the millions I am talking about are not dollars, they are minutes.

Every day of our lives, each and every one of us alive on this planet is awarded a grand total of 1,440 minutes of life.

As the years roll by, the minutes add up quickly, totaling 527,000 every leap year, and 527,600 in all the other years of life.

Wow! By the time you're two years of age, you are worth more than a million minutes. And, by the time you are 20, you are worth over 10 million minutes . . . and the total keeps rising every moment that you continue to breathe.

My God, what a blessing! How lucky we are to have this wonderful opportunity which we call life.

Can you think of anything better? At least, I mean, can you think of anything better in the metaphysical sense of the word.

Oh, I know, some of us have screwed up our lives. We've done stuff we shouldn't have done. But that is not the fault of existence. That's on us. We are to blame, although often, I have to admit, we humans try very hard not to take responsibility for our actions.

But, let's get real here. Each one of us is granted the wonderful opportunity to live 1,440 minutes a day, which adds up to more than half a million minutes each and every year of our lives.

So, folks, let's make a deal. From this day forward, let's make the most of it. Let's give life all we've got.

Just think. If we take care of ourselves -- and steer clear of accidents -- there's a chance that someday we could be worth 40 million . . . or more.

When it comes to minutes, we're all rich. And, as human travelers on planet earth, we are all getting richer . . . each and every minute of our lives.