Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Loss

This past weekend I learned that a friend had died of a massive heart attack. Shock, disbelief, and so many other emotions accompanied the news. Death, even expected, is never welcome news. It is all the more suprising - shocking - when it happens so unexpectedly. Ron ate right, excercised, and lived a good life; and yet in one fell swoop, perhaps, genetics at its worst, all the eating right and excercising are for nothing.

Death makes me think. It makes me realize how short life is, and how - sometimes - no matter what a person does - it is just not enought to forestall death.

My partner and I, my friends and I, mourn the loss of Ron. He was a good man, of which I have no bad memories (and, trust me, I can't say that about everybody I know). His death - his loss - does not make much sense to me. He leaves behind a partner, a family, and so many people who knew him. His death teaches that life is for living. I guess any death teaches that lesson, but humanity (for the most part) fails to learn. We put off today, what we can do tomorrow, but sometimes, tomorrow just doesn't happen.

Tomorrow is about regret. Today is about life. Today is about living.

I wrote to a friend, in the aftermath of death, that I did not want to wake up old one day with a life full of regret. I am not sure if I can stop that from happening, but I can try. I can create balance in my life to do the things I want to do, along with the things I have to do. I can limit my regrets in life, by living my life today, instead of always waiting for tomorrow.

Scott