Self Help book about the importance of understanding that life is a finite series of events.

[Basilios]

Self Help book about the importance of understanding that life is a finite series of events.
The author was interviewed on NPR around 2005.

I remember the mention of a metaphor of a a jar filled gumballs or marbles representing the number of instances of one specific event that can happen in one's lifetime. You remove one gumball every time the event happens and soon realize how few and how precious they are.

For instance making love to your wife. You think that you will be able to do it forever not realizing that life gets in the way, we get old, we get busy, we are away from each other, we get sick, children are visiting, she is tired, you are tired, etc.

So you realize that the possible number of times is not as many as you thought.

But the book is not about being bummed out, but rather about appreciating life events more because they are fewer than we think.