The older I get the more I am beginning to understand how strangely fragile life really is. It seems as though lately I have been hearing that more and more people I know have passed away unexpectedly.
The strange thing about people around you dying is the sense of the mortality of yourself that comes along for the ride. With the exception of a few hazardous jobs, many of us breeze through our days without thinking how the reaper could come to call at any time. Something about the death of someone you know brings that harsh reality crashing home.
It's difficult to know how to react when you receive news of someone's passing, particularly if you did not know him or her intimately, or if it had been a long time since you last saw him or her.
Words never seem sufficient to convey your empathy to their loved ones, and the usual phrases end up sounding cliché.
Early this week I found out that a girl I knew many years ago passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. She was not even 30. It's surreal to remember ordinary days we spent together, and marvel at how it was impossible for us to have known how her life would be cut so tragically short.
The fact that she was updating profile photos, sharing posts with friends, and cracking jokes only a few days ago makes it feel even more as if it has all been nothing more than a bad dream, especially for her poor family.
Recently the son of a friend of mine was murdered when he attempted to stop a theft. He was only 23. I remember talking to him -- particularly how excited he was about the future. Another young life is over.
A few years ago a girl I went to high school with was killed crossing the street at a crosswalk. When I heard about it I couldn't help but remember conversations we'd had at school about what she wanted to do after graduation and chatting about common interests. It was hard to believe she was just gone.
There's a saying, “do not regret growing older, it is a privilege denied to many,” and it's something that's so easy to forget. I think it's important to remember we never know how long we have, so we should make the best of every day. There are a million sayings about making each day count: “carpe diem,” “live like you were dying”, certain Trooper songs. All of them try to remind us that life is short after all and any day could be our last.
So reach out to old friends, experience new things, and try to live every day without regret. There is a lot to appreciate all around us -- sometimes it's just easy to get caught up in the everyday and forget to stop and smell the flowers.
When the reaper calls I hope to leave nothing unfinished. In the wise words of Trooper, just “have a good time, the sun can't shine every day.”
