Now that I am “retired” I’ve spent
some time reflecting on the years I worked in the wine trade. I am glad I
survived those years, for I have a list of men and women who didn’t. At first,
I thought it was just normal, but as the list grew and grew, I realized I was dodging
bullets. Scores of young people, my colleagues, perished in the 40 years I was
working. And they were not old people. Time just caught up with them earlier
than the rest of us. That said, in reflection, I also realize that there were a
few bullets aimed directly at me. How I managed to survive them is the subject
of this essay.
