Life & Death

I've experienced death several times. Twice in college: a teammate of mine on the baseball team died in a car accident, and so did someone I worked with every day. More recently, my grandmother died of old age at 91 in 2007. Now, I wasn't all that close to those two people in college, and my grandmother's death, although heartbreaking, was not as bad as it could have been because the writing was on the wall.

I'm only thinking of this today, because my childhood friend's father is on death's door. He isn't just my good friend's father, but he's also my good friend. I think he's only about 64 years old or so, but the poor guy is dying. How did this happen? A life of hard living, smoking, drinking and the like? Nope, he ran 8 miles a day, ate well, and except for a beer or two every now and again he was one of the healthiest people I knew. A few years ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer. I don't know how he got this horrible disease, and out of respect for loved ones' feelings I don't dare to ask, but I suspect it has something to do with his time as a soldier in Vietnam. Perhaps he came back to the USA without a physical scratch, but I'd be willing to bet he's suffering from something he was exposed to over there, some 40 years ago.

This got me thinking about the nature of life, and how it's so temporary. I'm sure many people would look on the temporary nature of life, and see that solely because everyone has to die, life is terrible. In the case of someone who dies prematurely, the person arguing that the impermanence of life makes it stink, seems to have a good point. I personally think that tough times like today make me wish humans were immortal. But then, I think that even on days like today, it's the very fact that someone is going to die, and the impermanence of life that makes you appreciate the time you have with other people all the more. I guess I'm just thinking back on what I experienced with Mr. Maas: 1) Terminator II (opening night!), 2) him covering for us when we got caught with nudie mags, 3) Weekends at Frost Valley, and so many more great experiences. I guess I would cherish these memories even if everyone involved was immortal, but unfortunately that's not the case.

I guess if there's a moral to this entry, it's this: enjoy every day of your life, and try to make the best of it, because everyone dies, and invariably, there will come a time when you're incapable of enjoying the things you do now.

I'm thinking of you, my friend.