During the last eight weeks, my life as a full-time executor has taken a spin in the outer direction. If you have not yet had the opportunity to be an executor, consider yourself either fortunate or untrustworthy.

Just kidding. Maybe you don’t know anyone who thinks that they may someday be a victim of breath termination. Or maybe you are like me and just hang around folks with simple assets. Many of my simple-asseted friends (hereinafter referred to as SAF’ers) need no executor as they need no will.

When Skeeter, my fraternity brother of 40 years, died last May, three of us searched his possessions for days. No will. No direction. No expression of his intentions other than the memories of close friends and family.

What were we to do with 30 years of Texas Special Olympic T-Shirts and John Prine albums?

Well, hello, Skeeter had but one sister. Why bother with a will when one person gets it all anyway?

Buddy Tom, albeit a SAF’er, did need a will. Tom has eight brothers and sisters stretched from the mountains of Angel Fire, New Mexico to the deserts of Tucson to the brick lined streets of Philadelphia. Throw in a bushel of friends from Vermont and South Whidbey Island and one certainly

needs to give direction.

Being executor affords one new direction. This direction has afforded me the opportunity to be forced into a life of ego-less-ness. Is that a word?

My favorite acronym for EGO is “edging good out.” Whenever we live from “Ego,” we are looking at the world through slanted eyes. Slanted in the direction of ourselves.

As an executor, you are thinking like an air traffic controller. You are thinking about everyone but yourself. Unless, of course, you have to go to the bathroom.

As an executor, every piece of paper is important. Or it could be. Every envelope, file and box must be touched, or it should be.

And throughout it all, you are reliving the life of another through that person’s set of slanted eyes. For that person, like most of us, was slanted toward the “I” of the beholder. Slanted in the direction of “ego.”

After eight weeks of administering to the needs of others, I feel like it is time to take a break. Time to reflect without doing. Time to be without reflecting.

Time for a road trip.

So, what would we do if we could do what we want? Where would we go? What would we see? What would we say?

As we think on these things, let us review some of our opportunities for magic moments.

On Second Street in Langley, McFarland Gallery offers the exhibition reception of Deborah Koff-Chapin, from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. Be there by 5 p.m. to see Deborah’s touch-drawing demonstration. There is nothing like it. Of course, there is no one like Deborah.

The South Whidbey Soroptimists, fervently led by President Lynn Tippery, are holding their most ambitious auction fundraiser ever on Saturday, Oct. 22 at Useless Bay Golf and Country Club, where the ribeye meets the melt in your mouth. If you have ever wanted to see the three-dimensional version of Emmy Award winning John Curley, host of KING 5’s Evening Show, now is your chance. John is the celebrity auctioneer for the live auction beginning at 7:30 p.m.

I’m hoping John can share with us some of his tips on how he can smile so many different ways every weeknight for 30 minutes. John may be the happiest auctioneer these girls have seen since Kip Toner.

Speaking of good cheer, film and stage actress Nancy White, close friend of Mariner legend Jay Buhner’s wife, has opened her Langley Liquor Store on Sundays from noon until 5 p.m.

For the first time in 92 years, one can buy adult potions on Sunday in the Evergreen (not Everclear) State. Even if you don’t drink spirits, catch Nancy’s spirit and a free pretzel next time you are enjoying Langley, Village by the Sea. Nancy’s shop also offers a splendid visual archive of local thespians in action, as well as an original March 1863 issue of The Harper’s Ferry News.

Finally, before editor Brian snips my space, the best five-buck deal around begins Tuesday, Oct. 18 at WICA with class act Tom Churchill’s Cold Read/Stage Read class. Show up to show off at 7 p.m. if you have ever wanted to study and read dramatic scripts. These once-a-month Tuesday gatherings will be casual, comfortable and fun. I know. Years ago, when we first met, Tom and I were both kicked out of our Sunday morning Bible study group, Geezers for Jesus.

Apparently that verse in John, “Be of good cheer,” well, we took it a bit seriously

You can reach Jim by e-mail at fun@whidbey.com.