Sunday, November 18, 2012
The Passing of a Friend
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Life: I had a completely different blog post planned for
this evening, but a few hours earlier, I was informed that a good friend of
mine passed away tonight.
I knew she had been sick for a while, but I didn't realize
she was so close to death's door.
I had planned to visit earlier, but had found various reasons
not to. Not enough money this week, not enough time that week. So on and so on.
The thought that she might pass away before I would see her
again was certainly in the back of my mind, but I was essentially playing the
odds that she would live long enough for my situation to be more agreeable
towards making the trip.
She didn't.
I knew her for about eighteen years, and over the course of
that time, we had worked together, shared many laughs, gone on trips, spent a
lot of time talking… we were never best friends, but I certainly would've
counted her as someone who meant something to me. She was one of those people
who was always around, or in the background of pictures while never being the
focus, but when absent, she was missed.
The last time I saw her we left on good terms, so I'm glad
that there wasn't any unfinished business between us. Still, I'm sad that there
was no "last time" before she died.
Her death today is a very real reminder of the fragility of
life. Any of us can go at any time, and for practically any reason.
An undetected tumor for someone without health insurance. A drunk
driver blowing through an intersection. Unchecked addiction for someone who
says that they don't have a problem, eating a meal that shouldn't have had any
peanuts, or trying to leave someone who refuses to let go... these things and a
million others can lead to the untimely end of someone we care for.
Every minute we have is precious, and it's very rare that
any of us knows exactly how many of them we have left. We forget sometimes, or
choose to ignore it, but it’s a real and true thing.
Scary, perhaps. Unpleasant to be reminded of, but still… A
real and true thing.
Spend time with people you care about. Talk to those who are
far away. Don't put important things off until later, and take every
opportunity you have to say "I love you" to those you do. Make the most of what you have, and be thankful for what you’ve
got.
You never know when you won’t have it anymore.
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Posts
Sorry to read/hear this, Brad :( My heart out goes out to your friend's family, even though I didn't know her and I don't know them.
I'm very sorry to hear about this. Just because someone's not a part of our day to day lives doesn't mean that they weren't important to us. Yet all too often, it seems that unless someone is part of that day-to-day life, they are just a bit easier to push back on, to visit 'later'.
I have had similar thoughts where i just assumed there would be more time, there is always tomorrow - and so on, until you realize that in fact, there are no more opportunities.
My sincere condolences.