Half Time · Jul 26, 03:39 PM by Mike
Something that has been on my mind as of late, in thinking about my dad’s death, is that he was 60 when he died.
I’m 30.
Obviously death isn’t set for me at age 60, but what if? My dad surely didn’t think he’d only have 60 years on this planet. What if I am at the half-way point in life? What would he have done differently if he knew at age 30 that his life was half over?
I believe I know some of the things he would have done differently, in terms of living life in the moment, taken from some conversations we had in the months leading up to his death.
He started realizing that it was not the material possessions, like his classic Chevelle or Corvette, accumulated over the years that were important, but rather the people in his life that loved him, respected him and cared about him. And while he thought perhaps he had focused too much on those possessions, the nearly 200 people that showed up for his funeral hopefully showed him that in his 60 years, he touched a lot of lives.
It’s not about feeling the wind in your hair with the top open on your Corvette…it’s about the freedom of that moment. It’s not about the car, it’s about who is riding shotgun.
We all want nice things, but what good are they on their own? Why have a nice dining room table if it’s not surrounded by friends, laughter, food and drink?
Many times, in this digital camera age, I’ve thought to myself how we need to take more pictures, to preserve the memories of a moment. Now I think we need to have more moments worthy of taking pictures. Pictures don’t visit you in the hospital or come to your funeral, the people in them do.
I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me in the next 30 years…after that I’ll start looking back at pictures.
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Nice post. You are right, friends and family are the most important things in life, and sometimes we lose site of that. I get sad sometimes out here in AZ because I am so far from family and friends. Thanks for continuing to be my friend.
— Brian Jul 27, 12:51 PM #