Sad things thread
Posted: August 28 08, 1:16 pm
I feel the need to share some sad things that have happened in the past few weeks. Maybe this would be a good place to share the things that have happened to you, too. Sometimes it just seems necessary to tell someone, but not in a way that you feel like you're burdening people. It's easier to write about. Anyway, it's been a rough few weeks. Here are my two stories.
1. A few months ago, I made a new friend. He's smart and loudly hilarious, yet never in an obnoxious way, probably because of his good nature. We joined a bowling league with a few other friends. He married his college sweetheart right after they graduated, and have been married for 7 years. I met her too. I knew from my other friends that she was sick, that she was in the hospital on and off. Two weeks ago, she died of lymphoma at age 28.
My new friend though? He came to grips with her illness long ago, and they obviously spent their last time together in full awareness of it, and enjoying what they had. He's not hurt, he's not a recluse. He's still loudly hilarious. But last night, while bowling, he told me the story of his new $200 pool cue. He said "Margaret wanted to get it for me for my birthday this month, but she didn't have time." I almost broke down in tears. But I didn't need to, because he's at total peace with everything in his life.
2. I went to another funeral on Tuesday. My college's masters - a professor and his family - are close personal friends of mine. Their daughter was born with a nonfunctional kidney, and received a transplant from her grandmother when she was only 2. The drugs she had to take to prevent her body from rejecting the kidney left her open to painful, life threatening infections which kept her in the ICU for weeks at a time throughout her life. Yet despite this, she was the most positive, vivacious, and brilliant young adult I've ever met. She forced her way out of the hospital to attend her sister's wedding last month, and even went away to another city for college before illness struck again. This time she couldn't fight it off any longer. She died, only 20 years old, but her whole life, which could've easily not have happened, was a gift to everyone who knew her.
I had a terrible day of work yesterday - I was in the office for 15 hours, and the day was topped off by getting chewed out by my boss at midnight. But there is more to life than the office. There's more to do than work, and there's more to fear than chastisement. There's also a lot to love, and time to do it. Now's as good a time as any.
Anyhow, to my GRB friends, thanks for listening and being a community of fun, bright, decent people amidst the void of the internet and workplace isolation. I appreciate this place, I really do. Thanks.
1. A few months ago, I made a new friend. He's smart and loudly hilarious, yet never in an obnoxious way, probably because of his good nature. We joined a bowling league with a few other friends. He married his college sweetheart right after they graduated, and have been married for 7 years. I met her too. I knew from my other friends that she was sick, that she was in the hospital on and off. Two weeks ago, she died of lymphoma at age 28.
My new friend though? He came to grips with her illness long ago, and they obviously spent their last time together in full awareness of it, and enjoying what they had. He's not hurt, he's not a recluse. He's still loudly hilarious. But last night, while bowling, he told me the story of his new $200 pool cue. He said "Margaret wanted to get it for me for my birthday this month, but she didn't have time." I almost broke down in tears. But I didn't need to, because he's at total peace with everything in his life.
2. I went to another funeral on Tuesday. My college's masters - a professor and his family - are close personal friends of mine. Their daughter was born with a nonfunctional kidney, and received a transplant from her grandmother when she was only 2. The drugs she had to take to prevent her body from rejecting the kidney left her open to painful, life threatening infections which kept her in the ICU for weeks at a time throughout her life. Yet despite this, she was the most positive, vivacious, and brilliant young adult I've ever met. She forced her way out of the hospital to attend her sister's wedding last month, and even went away to another city for college before illness struck again. This time she couldn't fight it off any longer. She died, only 20 years old, but her whole life, which could've easily not have happened, was a gift to everyone who knew her.
I had a terrible day of work yesterday - I was in the office for 15 hours, and the day was topped off by getting chewed out by my boss at midnight. But there is more to life than the office. There's more to do than work, and there's more to fear than chastisement. There's also a lot to love, and time to do it. Now's as good a time as any.
Anyhow, to my GRB friends, thanks for listening and being a community of fun, bright, decent people amidst the void of the internet and workplace isolation. I appreciate this place, I really do. Thanks.