KIDS THESE DAYS:

In the vast configuration of things, some of the issues we discuss on these pages are about as meaningful as one blink of the eye.

Sometimes, that’s all the time it takes for that once important issue to become a memory.

That is not to discount issues such as playing time on our fields, or school test scores or zero-tolerance policies. These are all-important and need to be discussed in a civil manner.

But occasionally, we have to stop and take stock of what we have, and it seems as though the moments we have to think far ahead and plan accordingly are rapidly disappearing.

Life for our children in Newport-Mesa is good. Yes, we have issues with drugs, alcohol, test scores and all that. Unfortunately, those issues will always be with us and the best we can hope for as parents, teachers, coaches and all the other people involved in the lives of our children is to manage them to minimize them.

I was driven to comment about taking a step back when I read in the Daily Pilot of the death of Carson Bosely of Corona del Mar, a local hero.

Bosely died on July 29 due to a stroke. But because his relatives chose to keep him on life support, Bosely was able to donate six of his organs to help save the lives of others. That many organ donations from one person is rare.

Most people never really save even one life — Bosely saved six.

Carson Bosely was 7 years old.

I did not know Carson. What I read in the newspaper was that he loved baseball and played Little League, so I already liked him.

If you can tell a lot about a person from a photo, here’s what I can tell you about Carson: I wished I’d had a chance to have him as a player on one of the baseball teams I coached when my kids were little. Carson, you see, has that Ernie Banks look about him, the one that finishes a game and says, “Let’s play two!”

Carson’s story is heartbreaking not just because he died at such a young age, but also because he touched many people who must still live and suffer with his loss.

Children are not supposed to die before their parents.

So perhaps Carson’s passing will be of even more benefit to those he has left behind.

Perhaps his early passing will be a reminder to all of us that life is short and fragile, and that any moment could be our last.

So, in the memory and honor of Carson, I am offering my recommendations for the rest of us:

1) Sign up to be an organ donor.

2) Kiss your spouse, significant other or parent at least once each day.

3) Take a moment to tell a parent or caregiver how much you love and appreciate all they do for you.

4) Slow down, slow down, slow down. That old saw about never regretting that one spent more time at the office is true.

5) Try new things. I’ll bet Carson was involved in several activities at the same time. Why should that end just because we’re older?

6) When you say “goodbye” to a loved one, think for a moment how you would feel if it were the last goodbye.

For some people, it takes a near-death experience to truly appreciate the magic and the joy of life.

Perhaps one day, some of those who make a few small changes in their lives after reading about our hero Carson will count themselves as those whose lives he has also saved.

STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Send story ideas to [email protected].