becoming

“on your last day on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.” 

~ metaphysical thought experiment

***********

me: whoa. this is not how i thought today was gonna end.

coulda-been me (in a subtle but discernable international accent): not to worry, my friend. you're in good hands.

me (shrugs, nods): i have no idea what that means here, but...okay. (frowns) you're taller than me. why are you taller than me?

coulda-been me: a few years ago i underwent an experimental stem cell therapy intended to treat some forms of cancer. since it was funded by our foundation and was risky, i couldn't bear to see it tested on others. so i tried it on myself first. in addition to eventually curing those cancers, turns out it also optimized the patient's growth potential. apparently i was always supposed to be 6'1" and...voila!
current me: you have a foundation and you're curing cancer. and you're taller than i am. boy, i made some poor life choices, didn't i? what else am i missing?
coulda-been me (frowns a little, briefly): currently i'm managing the family's interests and our humanitarian relief efforts from offices in paris, stadt, and rome. it's a lot of work, but the rewards are endless.
me: you look fit. you still have time to exercise...
coulda-been me: it's remarkable what one can get done before the sun comes up...if one has a healthy diet, limits alcohol and sugar, and gets to bed at a decent hour.
me: so i've heard. (stares into the distance) maybe i should've slept in more. i just thought i'd feel more rested at this point in my life.
coulda-been me: action. reaction. as you well know.
me (nodding distractedly): no arguing that. 
(silence)
me (deep breath): what happens now?
coulda-been me: now...i go back to my life, which is expected to last another 60 to 90 years. you, on the other hand...get another chance.
me (frowns quizzically)
coulda-been me (nods): you get to run miwok.
me: damn, man. don't ever scare me like this again.
***********

Tribute to the Trails Calendar Race Entry Winner!

Congratulations! You've been selected as the winner of a guaranteed race entry to Miwok 100K! The Race Director, Tia Bodington, who generously donated the entry, is cc'd on this email. Please contact her and she will set you up! To be clear, you've won a guaranteed spot and are still responsible for the entry fee.

If you don't think you'll be using the entry, please contact me ASAP as there are many more entrants who would love to run the event.

Thanks for supporting the project and the trails!

Glenn Tachiyama
***********
as reported previously, i wasn't selected in the 2017 miwok 100k lottery. 

but thanks to glenn and his tribute to the trails project, i got another chance.

which means i'm a few steps closer to being the person i could have become.

metaphysically speaking.