I paid a visit to my friend Tony on Sunday. He had a heart attack this past week and is in the process of recovery. He was looking a bit banged up from the experience but otherwise doing alright.

In the emergency room he had faded to a shade of gray with blue ears. It wasn't the place for it but I wish someone had taken his picture.

Why? Simple, capture the moment when you have sunk lower than you want to go and keep it for inspiration.

You know, I should take his picture now, capture him as he is, banged and bruised, without tone, tired posture, love handles and all. Then I should work the picture over on the computer, put gray and blue into his skin, remove the twinkle from his eye. Then I could turn the picture over to an artist, "Here paint this on a six foot board."

While the artist does that I'll create another picture, Tony smiling, looking healthy and strong, chiseled and lean. Here artist, "Paint this one too."

When the pictures are done we hang them on the wall with a mirror in between them.

Tony look at this, "Where you've been on the left, where you're going on the right and where you are now in the middle."

This might come in handy sometime when he wants a cigarette or a hot dog.