We're Turning Again...

One of my best friends sent this online news article about a restaurant roof that collapsed and killed a 23 year old Texas Tech graduate the other day.

Here's the kicker: my friend knew her personally. They were friends of sorts, having worked together at the same museum while she was still going to Tech.

I sent a response to his e-mail and encouraged him to call me or e-mail back if he needed to talk. Having known this friend for almost half our respective lives, we've shared a lot of conversations working through the bad stuff in our lives as well as discussing the latest fart joke or other such fun happy moments.

The next morning, I received his reply (which has been edited down for respect of privacy):

"It is just unsettling to see someone so young die in such a bizarre accident. One minute you are paying for take-out and the next minute a fucking roof falls on you. In a way, this is worse than dying in an auto accident because of a drunk driver - at least you have *some* control in that scenario. With this accident, she was completely powerless. In a way it is creepy. It is stuff like this that really makes you say, "Seize the day" because you never know just how much time you have."

The message contained in that paragraph rings so very true. Life is uncertain, make your time. I may be taken out by a rogue rabid pigeon assault tomorrow and while that news may make Fark's front page and elicit a laugh from the world, it wouldn't be so damned funny when it happens to you.

Truth is that we hear about freak accidents, disasters, murders and about lives cut short all the time. Whether these may be caused by bad karma, bad luck or by a sadistic Higher Power who get a chuckle, the fact remains that we will all die, some sooner than others.

The message I get is that one should make the most of one's time and indeed seize the day. You can't live your life obsessing over when you die, you must simply make the most of what you've got.

And with that, I'm having a bowl of Grape Nuts in the morning, yesireebob. Hey, it's a start...