66. Talent Not Wasted

At lunch The Other Ken slid a glossy catalog across the table.

 “Tim, Tigger’s ex, sent this to me,” Ken said.  “They’re valves Tigger invented. Tim’s company markets them. Some are slight improvements over older models, but one saved the lives of fifty workers in a Texas oil refinery fire.  Tim wanted to remind Tigger of how much good he could do.”

I said, “Or he can sink into his addiction. Spend his time regretting his lost relationship with Tim.”

Ms. Rella said, “I always wonder what never gets invented because of drinking.  What medical breakthroughs never happen, what music doesn’t get written because of some talented person overdosed?”

I thought of all the talented people who did great things, but died young.  How much more could they have contributed?

Today I will be grateful for people who didn’t drown their talents.

Writing My New Story © 2015 by Ken Montrose

(Just a reminder: Writing My New Story is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to anyone you might know is purely coincidental.)