Another Beautiful Day in Paradise

When I learned that Sean Gucken had been struck down suddenly by an apparent heart attack, I was stunned. He always exuded the health of someone who looked much younger than his age of 55. He was really into spear fishing, but he did it free diving, meaning no SCUBA gear, to depths that certainly required an able body and physical stamina. A heart attack was not at all something I would have ever guessed would take him.

Sean was the first remotely located business developer we hired, and he played a huge role in establishing our strong presence in the Florida water/wastewater market. He knew the technology, the products, the municipalities, and the people, all of which made him incredibly successful and productive. He genuinely understood what it meant to take care of his customers.

I loved having Sean do booth duty at our trade shows, and I lobbied for his participation whenever I could, even at shows outside of his Florida territory. He had such a wonderfully engaging personality and did an excellent job at interacting with show attendees. It was a joy to watch.

Sean’s standard greeting to the attendees was, “It’s another beautiful day in paradise.” He used it no matter what city we were in and no matter the season or the weather. I always thought of it as just a salesman’s pick-up line. But now I see it differently. Reading Sean’s obituary, I learned more about his zest for living, and I now understand his line as a reflection of this zest. No matter where you are, the fact that you’re alive makes it paradise. And no matter the weather, the fact that you’re alive makes it a beautiful day.

Thank you, Sean, for that life lesson, even if it took me a while to learn it.