When a close friend dies, it often forces you to consider your own death. The more you have in common with the friend, the more his death will make you wonder about your own. Sometimes you will naturally say to yourself, “It could just as easily have been me.” Such a death has a way of reminding us how fragile (脆弱的) life is, and it may cause you to reassess( 重新评价 ) the direction of your own life. Jack’s story is a good example. A successful businessman making a lot of money, Jack didn’t spend as much time with his family as he wanted. His job required him to work long hours. But three years ago one of his best friends, a man who worked in the same office, had a heart attack. He died while celebrating his daughter’s eighteenth birthday in a restaurant. He was only fifty years old. Not long after his friend’s death, Jack started to have a chest pain. Finally he had a good physical check-up. He received a clean bill of health. His doctor told him what he need was nothing but a good rest. However, the chest pain continued. He kept thinking of the death of his friend. Jack thought about how much his friend missed in life and he saw how hard it was for his friend’s family to manage after he passed away. Jack realized that he didn’t want to end up his life that way. He talked his feelings over with his wife and children, and decided to change his way of life. The family moved to a small town where he started a simple life. Now he is running a small art gallery( 画廊 ). He is relaxed, and says he has never been so happy in his life. And he has got no more chest pain.