It turned out to be a matter of life and death…

“You should have won that match,” I said, as Byron came off the squash court.

He had just wrapped up a closely-contested house-league match in which he lost 2–3 to an opponent who I felt was less skilled than him. I was early for my game and had caught two of their last games.

“Do you have any tips for me?” Has asked, as he sat beside me on the viewing bench outside the squash courts. He was trying to catch his breath as he toweled off sweat from his face and arms. 

I pointed out that he could have won the match if only he had only put the ball away when he had the opportunity. He had a few. Instead, he had kept the rally going, essentially letting his opponent off the hook. In my view, it was his match to lose, which he did.

“No killer instinct. I guess, need to work on it…” he trailed off as he went quiet and reflected on what I had said.

That was nearly three weeks ago.

So, the email came as a surprise. It was from a fellow squash player.

There was going to be a get-together to celebrate Byron’s life.

Byron’s life?

It took a couple more email exchanges for the bad news to sink in.

Apparently, he had died of a heart attack earlier in the week. The details were sketchy.

He was all of thirty-one.

Thirty-one!

I didn’t know Byron well.

He was a fellow squash player, someone I saw at the club every Monday for the squash house league and said “Hi!” to. 

He was the quiet sort, clean-cut and fit-looking. I had never seen him at the club bar. I had overheard him say to someone that he loved ultimate frisbee. He was not the kind of person you would expect to drop dead out of the blue.

I guess, only the good die young.

The whole sad episode puts things in perspective.

We take our health and life for granted, until tragedy strikes. We work out, eat healthy, and try to maintain a delicate balance between work and play.

All to what avail? 

It didn’t seem to do Byron any good.

Do we just continue to do our part and hope for the best?

Lyrics from a Linkin Park song come to mind:

“I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end, it doesn’t even matter
I had to fall, to lose it all
But in the end, it doesn’t even matter…“

Depressing!

It is difficult to put a positive spin on a story like this. It’s a reality check of sorts.

Sometimes life does need a hard reset!

I can’t help but wonder if Byron would have had any tips for me.

Byron, wherever you are, Rest in Peace!