Remembering a Chad

Just not the one you are thinking of

As I sit adding useless calories and finishing some movie I bought on Prime, I see a text from my childhood friend:

“Chad has passed away.”

Then there were five.

In my small high school graduating class of six, 1996, one is gone.

The last time I saw Chad was at high school graduation.

I had to work to recall any memory of him. Not because it wasn’t there — but because time compresses people into headlines. Banker. Adult. Finished story. All of a sudden memories came in and so did the feelings.

Apparently, Chad turned out to be a banker. Big surprise.

You could kind of see it back then. The traits. The temperament. While I was suffering through high school, Chad was never there to put me down. He always tried to find the positive in situations. And now that I think about it, he never complained either.

He didn’t have the greatest childhood. You wouldn’t know it. He was sturdy. Quietly sturdy.

I don’t know what happened. I hope he didn’t suffer.

What struck me was that Chad’s burial is nearby. Odd, because it’s the first time I knew he was aware of life outside of Columbus. Life does that. It folds geography the same way it folds time.

My childhood feels like an isolated part of me now — something that doesn’t quite mix with the Dealmaker version. But it’s very Chad to remind me it’s still there.

Life is short. Things change.

The last thing you need to do is stare at a damn computer screen or chase some clickbait about a stock being up 300%. You’re not going to buy enough anyway.

If there’s anything worth sharing, it’s this: invest in understanding markets internalizing them not the euphoria of price moves, not the noise of what President Trump does next, not the manufactured outrage cycle.

Fix a specific time each week for that work. Then smile that you’re here for a reason. And it’s not to enrich the schmucks on CNBC or the crypto bros screaming into microphones.

If I could tell my younger self anything — or rather, smack him — it would be this: focus. And when you score, take a break. Smell the roses.

I tell my kids this. They don’t listen. That’s fine.

So I’m going to lead by example.

Block out time. Protect it. And don’t just watch TV make an event of things. Something you do once. Then twice. Then three, four times — until it becomes part of you.

I’m not sure Chad and I had much in common. But we grew up together. He came to all my events. And you needed him there.

Especially when the Reds won the World Series.

So today — enjoy your wins. I’m still waiting for a repeat of the 1988 Bengals and 1990 Reds dominance.

But they’ve got another shot next year.

That’s what Chad would say about the Bengals.

And the Reds seems to be getting a good team this time around.

Carpe Diem

Eric

This is the donation in his memory he asked:

http://www.petswithoutparents.net/donate.html

If it’s $5 or more let me know so I can suprise you with a sub.