The Weight of a Weekend: What a Simple Marble Can Remind Us About Life
How a Houston harmonica player’s ritual became a powerful metaphor for creatives and entrepreneurs seeking presence, purpose, and celebration.
On a recent episode of In the Pocket with JayBo, I tuned in to hear an interview with Jack “the Ratler” Lippa, a Houston-area harmonica player and recently retired aviation technician. Jack’s story is full of grit, music, and mechanical wisdom, but one idea he shared really stuck with me. It was simple on the surface, but powerful once you let it sink in.
Jack keeps a jar of marbles. Each marble represents one weekend he estimates he has left on this Earth. Every Saturday, he pulls one marble out. It is his ritual, a quiet way of acknowledging the passing of time and a reminder to stay present and make every moment count.
This concept hit me right in the chest. Not only because it is a creative and deeply personal practice, but because it aligns perfectly with the mission of my Substack. I write to inspire creatives and entrepreneurs to live with more clarity, to find meaning in the day-to-day, and to celebrate the work they are doing, because time is always moving, and we only get so many marbles.
The Power of a Simple Object
The idea of using physical objects to represent time or progress is not new. In various circles, marbles have been used to visualize things like classroom behavior, habit tracking, and even lifespan awareness. When you hold a marble, you feel its weight. It is tangible, unchanging. It represents something real.
For Jack, each marble is more than just a countdown. It is a symbol of intention. It helps him visualize the finite nature of time. And his practice of leaving a marble behind in each place he travels to or giving one away to someone who inspires him adds even more depth. It’s not just about recognizing time slipping away. It’s about using that awareness to inspire others, too. When Jack shares a marble with someone, he’s not just passing along a trinket; he’s giving them a reminder that life is short, and we all have the opportunity to make the most of it. That simple gesture might ignite something in them to think about how they are spending their time, encouraging them to live fully, whatever that looks like for them.
What Creatives and Entrepreneurs Can Learn
If you are building something: a brand, a business, a body of work, Jack’s marble philosophy offers some quiet wisdom worth listening to.
Be intentional with your time. Creative energy is not infinite, and neither is time. Use your marbles wisely. Invest in projects and people that matter.
Celebrate your progress. You do not need to wait for a big win. Every step forward, every lesson learned, every connection made is worth acknowledging.
Leave something behind. Whether it is a song, a product, a story, or a kind word, you have the power to make your work matter. Let your marbles be markers of meaning, not just time.
This whole idea circles back to something I try to embody and encourage in my own life and writing: that EVERY day is a celebration. We do not need to wait for perfect conditions or grand milestones. The beauty is in the present moment, in the creative act itself, in the people we meet, and the ideas we chase.
I don’t know that I will be implementing the marble jar myself, but I am certainly cognizant of the small window of time we have in this vast, yet remarkably small, universe. Time doesn’t wait, and every day is an opportunity to make it count. Whether it’s through my work, my relationships, or simply how I spend my moments, I’m reminded that time, much like a marble, is finite. And that’s reason enough to make the most of it.
So maybe it’s time to start your own marble jar (physical or metaphorical). Or maybe it’s enough to simply ask, “How will I spend this weekend? Who will I inspire, and what will I create?”
Whatever your answer, just don’t let it pass without noticing.
Want to share your own version of a “marble moment”? Hit reply or drop a comment. I’d love to hear how you mark time and meaning in your own creative journey.
Astro Joe Garcia
Time – The Alan Parsons Project
This song feels like watching sand fall through an hourglass in slow motion. It’s reflective, melancholic, and deeply aware of how fleeting life can be. The line “Time, flowing like a river / Time, beckoning me” pairs beautifully with Jack’s ritual of pulling a marble each weekend. It’s not dramatic or panicked. It’s a calm surrender to the passage of time, with a gentle reminder to appreciate what we have before it’s gone.
Perfect for those quiet mornings when you’re staring into your coffee and thinking about the path ahead. Or the ones behind.