Do not wait – In memory of William Nicholson

Last week a friend of mine from the tai chi school, William Nicholson, dropped dead. He was at the school joking with other students when he turned his head and fell to the floor. He died leaving his wife and two daughters.

I don’t think that you ever fully appreciate the people around you until they are no longer there. William had an amazing positive spirit and great sense of humor. Work was secondary to him. Although he was a successful lawyer, work was merely a means to an end and not an end in and of itself. He was very active in the community. He took an active role with his eldest daughter’s field hockey team. He made sure if someone around him needed help that he found a way to help.

In short, he was a man I could have learned a lot more from.Big Willy, as he was known at Great River, was an active martial artist. He had been studying taijiquan for nearly fifteen years. He was at the school usually twice a week. He and I roomed together in Estonia during one of our festivals there. Most recently, he was the head judge at the Traditional Chinese Sword League’s First Tournament. He also helped manage the school’s finances. He will be sorely missed.

I’ve taken some time off. Ever since my grandfather’s death I have been working like a fiend. William’s death piled upon that. I really needed this time to clear my head. Though it may not be the most sensible thing to do, I headed out on a little road trip which has given me some time to process those things I should have processed sooner.

I keep coming back to this lesson: do not wait. If there is something you want to do, do it as soon as possible. Do not wait. William was a fit 48 year old; you never know when your time is up. Do not wait. It doesn’t matter what those things are that you want to do, be they personal or professional, do them now.

I didn’t learn as much as I could from William. What I did learn, I will incorporate into my life. I will not dwell on what I could have learned but did not. I will not wait.

3 thoughts on “Do not wait – In memory of William Nicholson”

  1. This is really true, we do not fully appraciate the people until they are no longer there. really nice writeup about your friend.

    Mahesh

  2. I got to this blog while reading about “Big Willy” on the TCSL website, and searching for some more information. What a bizarre way to go. My respect to those he left behind.

    There is a strange parallel with a taiji friend of mine, who was going to attend the exact same tournament. He unexpectedly passed away months before the tournament, age 38, while appearing healthy as a horse and full of life.

    His passing gave me a similar feeling as you describe, but as always it faded over time. Now I frequently find myself delaying things again, thinking the enjoyment of the moment can wait until tomorrow.

    But let’s do it different today, our time IS indeed limited.

    -Peter

  3. Hey Peter –

    I remember hearing about your friend from Scott. Strange how this world works…

    But limited time does not mean limited options – we just need the will to do today and not wait.

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