"I had a stick of Carefree gum, but it didn't work. I felt pretty good as I was blowing that bubble, but as soon as the gum lost it's flavor, I was back to pondering my own mortality." ~ Mitch Hedberg
Recently I have had two friends pass away suddenly. There were no early warning signs, no two-minute warnings, no "last calls", they were just gone. Honestly, I had not seen either of them for quite some time, however, I am not sure that really counts when talking about, or in this case, writing about friends. I considered both men my friends and both had made an impact on my journey through life.
While I could write blog after blog about the impact both had on my life, it is the "suddenness" of their departures from planet earth that has my Kirbyoblongata in a tailspin. I am sure that neither of my friends had "Have a heart attack and die" on their daily planners. It was as shocking and fatal to them as it was to their families and friends. And so I wonder how differently each may have lived their final day had they known that it was their last. I think about those things...
I am no stranger to the "suddenness" of someone passing away. When I was eleven years old, I was sitting with my grandmother watching television one evening. We had just finished dinner and were having a conversation about my parents. I made some joke about what they were doing and she laughed. I turned away for a moment and when I looked back she was gone. In an instant, her heart beat its last beat and she took her last breath and she left this world forever. I am not sure that my eleven year old brain processed the "suddenness" of my grandmothers death in the same way that my now "fifty something" brain is trying to process my friends passing. But, honestly, I really don't remember how I processed my grandmother's passing 43 years ago. What does haunt me now is that both of my friends were my age.
Glancing quickly at my planner, I see that there is nothing about having a heart attack and dying on my "To Do" list. But then again, there are a lot of things that I don't put into my planner that get done everyday. My mother once told me that you can't plan for everything. I know that she was right but I also know that I tend to be a control freak. There's a piece of me that thinks that when I go it's going to be on my terms and conditions, however, as we all know, that's just Bill being Bill.
So I as sit here sipping my light roast hazelnut delight, I have to admit that I have been pondering my own mortality over the last few days. Not so much from the standpoint that I am not ready to face eternity, but rather, from the standpoint of enjoying everything that God has surrounded me with. (I apologize to Miss Bowen for ending that sentence with a preposition but it's my blog and my rules).
Anyway, I took some time and danced with my daughter during their Christmas visit to the Kirbarosa. It brought back memories of her childhood and her wedding day. Today, I spent a little extra time kissing Mrs. Planet Kirby and telling her how much I loved her before she left to go spend her "Kohl's Cash". I guess it comes down to appreciating and being thankful for the people and the memories that we have in our lives. Everyday. It's taking the time to enjoy the little moments. God has blessed me with so much. I want to make sure that I enjoy every day to the fullest because who knows when God might say to me, "Billy, I'm turning on the street lights, it's time for you to come home."
Be Well.
Bill
