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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Reflecting

My friend's service was beautiful, exactly what I would want for myself -- some good music performed by his friends, funny and touching stories told by friends of his from different times in his life, a full crowd. Everything very low-key and just the right tone. And, of course, this had to all be planned on very short notice by his wife, who never expected to have to think of it so soon.

It makes me think about what I want to do with the time -- who knows how much -- I have left and the kinds of relationships I want to build. Nothing specific jumps to mind, but I do think my health and fitness goals take an even higher priority when I think this way. Interestingly, a friend I caught up with today had lost 100 pounds since I last saw him, because he saw pictures from his 40th birthday party and didn't want to be that guy anymore. If I had been asked, when all 3 of us were working together, to guess which of my coworkers would die young, it would have been this guy.

Life is full of surprises, good and bad.

I never used to understand funerals, but by the end of this one, I felt all of us had a little lighter load. It's important to have a time and place for grief and remembering, and a group of people to do that with.

I promise a lighter post tomorrow.

4 comments:

  1. 7:50 AM

    This was a lovely post ...

    To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven …

    Reply
  2. 9:21 AM

    Glad everything went well. Having just helped with a very tiny funeral, where everything was actually preplanned, but still was a lot of work/detail, I can well imagine how much she had to pull together. Did they find a specific cause (I know you said heart attack) - like build up, or birth defect?

    I got started (weight loss) accidentally, by a funeral. Not afraid of dying, but called the widow a couple months later to see what I could do for her, and we met every day at Curves.

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 10:03 AM

      I don't know if they found anything to explain it -- I know an autopsy was done but I don't know what they found. Sometimes there are hidden problems that lurk for years. One of the women in my class said her (also very fit) husband died suddenly while running at 50. I know that I have read that exercise temporarily raises heart attack risk while doing it, but lowers the risk for a heart attack when at rest. Given the choice, knowing what I do about him, he would he would have rather lived an active, busy life and accepted that risk.

      I actually just clicked on the link from your blog to that post about starting Curves. I had forgotten how you got started. It's amazing how chance can change the course of our lives.

  • 5:08 AM

    Jen I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Hope you are feeling okay. And good luck with all that grading too. *hug hug hug*

    Reply

"Count your calories, work out when you can, and try to be good to yourself. All the rest is bulls**t." -- Jillian Michaels at BlogHer '07