Page 13 - 060120 Senior Voice Citrus24 proof 4

Health Connections
i
n
MindShift
M
d
t
f
Sh
i
On Demand
O n D em an d co-founding the online poker
By Donna
Blevins,
PhD,
and Daniel
Melbourne
As you’ve come to expect, I
had intended for this article to
be another uplifting moment
focusing on MindShifting™,
but September 6, 2020,
changed that. Sometimes it
feels like life practices “double baseball, and was, as he said,
gut punches” on me, and I’m
often brought to tears.
On that Sunday, I learned
two dear people had passed...
Donna Vavala, the co-creator
of this Senior Voice, and my
good friend and poker legend,
Mike Sexton.
I’m glad a spotlight is being
shown on Donna in this issue
to tell her story.
Mike Sexton, known as The
Ambassador of Poker, passed
two weeks before his 73rd
birthday. He fought illness
with his quiet strength and
good grace.
Even if you don’t play poker
or you’re unfamiliar with the
poker community, you’ve
likely seen Mike on TV during
his 15-year stint as a co-host
of The World Poker Tour, one
of the highest rated shows.
There’s a good chance you
heard him say his catchphrase
when signing-off from each
episode: “May all your cards
be live, and may all your pots
be monsters.”
Mike’s impact on the poker
world was far-reaching. From
“How Will You Be Remembered?”
site Party Poker to winning
a World Series of Poker™
bracelet and becoming a
member of the Poker Hall of
Fame, Mike won millions of
dollars as a competitor and a
consummate gentleman.
Above that, Mike’s life had
depth. His reach was much
broader than poker. He was
one of the founders of Poker
Gives, a nonprofit dedicated to
supporting military families in
need, he coached Little League
a “rookie father” at the age of
61.
Perhaps Mike’s greatest gift
to the world, and his last, is
“memento mori.”
The ancient Stoics reminded
themselves of the inevitability
of death daily, not to be
morbid, but to ensure they
always acted in such a way
that if this day were their
last, all duty will have been
performed, all dreams acted
on, and all amends made. To
practice this discipline, they
would carry around an object
of some kind — a literal
memento mori — to keep
them humble and on track.
Losing a loved one is a bit
like that. It reminds us that
time is precious, and not to be
squandered.
Mike left us having lived a full
life, having advanced causes
that he believed in, and with
accomplishments that will be
long remembered. He also
left a legacy of kindness and
civility. That is how he will be
remembered.
So will Donna.
Senior Voice of Citrus County - OCTOBER 2020 • 13
Senior Voice of Citrus County - OCTOBER 2020 • 13
How will you be remembered? not with morbidity, but with
Memento mori. celebration and kindness.
Rest in peace, Mike. You too, Mindshift coach Donna
Donna. You are missed. Blevins, PhD, and her Right
Hand, Daniel Melbourne,
ACTION PLAN: Make it share the MindShifting™
your goal to finish unfinished methods worldwide. To join
business. Call that loved one the waitlist for LIVE online
you haven’t spoken to in a
classes: Text 352-464-1958,
while, finish that novel, go email Donna@DonnaBlevins.
on that vacation you’ve been com or opt-in at www.
putting off. Live each day MindShiftOnDemand.com
as though it were your last,
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