A hard week….
The other day, I was stunned to read on Twitter that a friend passed away from a heart attack at 55 years old. This friend was a respected national journalist, so that’s why his passing was trending on on this social media platform.
Bryan lived in the apartment above me 35 years ago when we attended the University of Washington together. We had many “adventures” and I have fond memories of him. We reconnected on Facebook a few years ago and kept in touch there. Fifty-five is much too young to pass.
This morning, I read on Facebook that a dear friend lost her 25-year old son to cancer. While I knew he was very sick and battling the disease, this still came as a great shock and a punch to the gut. As a parent and grandparent, I can’t fathom what she and her husband are be going through right now. Twenty-five is much too young to pass away.
Life is fragile.
If we’ve learned anything from 2020 when a deadly pandemic gripped (and still grips) the world, we are all vulnerable. Every day we can read of people who pass suddenly and tragically before their “times,” or at an old age. It’s never easy for family and friends regardless of the reasons.
So it reminds me that we are all here for only a time. We don’t know when it will be “game over” for us. So that means we should never focus on what happened in the past nor be anxious about the future. We must with full force be in and embrace the moment, and those we share those moments with.
A few years ago, Barb and I started a new tradition that I “borrowed” from someone. Each evening, we raise our wine glasses (or sometimes a libation for me) and toast to celebrating another day shared together. Sometimes we do it too routinely, so this week reminds me that we need to keep our intentionality and depth of feeling.
So go forth and enjoy today. Celebrate your family, friends, and loved ones. Do work that you love. Eschew things (including people) that bring you down. And amp up your intentionality on living because it’s a gift that isn’t promised.
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