But I wondered at the smirks from one beautifully coifed newsman. Was he inwardly building a list of things to finish up before then? I imagine that in an instant, he was devising a new life. Perhaps a life in which he didn't babble between sound bites. Suddenly reminded of early ambitions to be an astronaut, "We could use a few good astronauts," he thinks. The smirk arrives when he realizes that he hasn't a clue about what he would actually have to do to be an astronaut, but that as an astronaut, he probably could lose the tie.

The smirk comes from a realization that dropping everything to run off and join NASA is probably absurd.

But, reminders of mortality can focus our attention on our dreams if we don't get overwhelmed at the enormity of the personal change involved. A person can change their habits little by little. You can plan to have a piece of your dreams and be happy. The newsman goes to the bookstore, and picks up a book on preparing for graduate school examinations. Or maybe he just picks up a book on the lives of famous astronauts, and loosens up the knot around his neck.

Our intellectual curiosities are great gifts. If your whimsy strikes you and you think it would be cool to go to the Amazon, you don't necessarily have to start packing your bags. In fact, that is probably not going to turn out to be a good idea. I think many times people forget about the pleasures of the research phases of a project. Find out about about pirahnas and malaria.

Decisions don't have to be all or nothing, or the result of sudden impulse - even if a mile of rock is aimed right for your planet. Let your mind be free to explore the possibilities, and maybe the year 2028 will find you in the rainforest or on the moon, or just watching Star Trek reruns with your kids.