A Different Focus

A long-time friend and neighbor — her children and mine were and are still buddies — passed away last Thursday. I'm on my way to the memorial service in Arizona. Three people, none whom I know well, reminded me of truths. The first one said, "This is life." Trite, but a gentle nudge back to reality. Of course.

When I mentioned all the things I had to not get done with my unexpected trip, a man quoted a tombstone marker. "He didn't get everything done. He died anyway." Or maybe it was instead, "He got everything done. He died anyway."

A third person told me that she has realized that very little in life is more important than spending time with old friends, neighbors, and family — in a crisis, in ordinary days, at the drop of a hat, or  with long-term planning.

So I'm focusing on here and now and not the usual blogging topics for the next few days.