It comes in 3's

In my family we (sister, brother and I) have been brought up to be somewhat tougher skinned and inundated to death. Since I can remember we've faced death in the family on a regular schedule. As you can probably imagine, learning about death so young was a fairly harrowing bit of news. Actually, I should back up and add in a little bit of information before going on. My mother has always been a home health nurse and this means she's around a lot of elderly or sickly folks and helps them manage their days as best as possible with a smile on her face and kind words for people knocking on Deaths door. It's a pretty thankless job a lot of the time. She's faced plenty of people who weren't ready to go and were sometimes very, very cruel to her and any of us who helped out because they were scared. As she's worked throughout my life so far a lot have passed on, peacefully or no.

Like I started to say, my family has had many a bout with Death and dealing with the feelings associated with passing on and dealing with whats left behind someone going. My mother and father sat all of us down when the time came and explained that it's something natural and it can come at any time. That it's okay to be shocked, saddened, angry and so many more emotions than you can even begin to count. I develop bonds with people pretty quickly and have ever since I was a child. If I liked someone even a bit I would treat them as a friend. I was around my mom's clients and family a lot as could be expected when you're a kid (Well, the family portion anyway. Being around clients is kind of specific. I'm losing my point a bit here.

I develop bonds with people. Okay. When I was a kid my granny would always be in the hospital and I never really understood why she never came out of it. All I knew is that she was sweet, always happy to see me and willing to tolerate my little minds rambles from behind her IV's and under a flimsy hospital sheet. We'd visit her every week and it was the first weekly event I'd ever look forward to. Then there was one week we didn't go. I was asking why we weren't leaving to see her and if we were going another day. I'd come running back in and keep repeating it. Hoping that I'd wear my parents down and that we'd go already! We didn't go.

The next morning I remember waking up and starting over again. "When are we going? Can we go now?" Finally, my dad told me to get into the car and we left. I was excited. I'd won! We were going to see gran, who would listen to me, tell me jokes and how special I was. We didn't go to the hospital to see her. We went to see my mom at work. She took a break while her client then slept and sat down with my dad to give me the talk they'd given my brother and sister. They told me gran had passed on yesterday. That it was going to be hard to understand, it would hurt for a time but that we can feel good in our memories. That she's in a better place and able to look down on everyone. And that the feeling I got everytime I saw her didn't have to go away because I couldn't see her. That she's always around and I couldn't get rid of her if I tried to.
That was my first brush with Death. I'll remember that speech till the day I go too.

People can be taken in a moment whether you're prepared or not. They can be stricken with disease that eats at them, struck by a vehicle or just grabbed away in millions of other ways. You're never really prepared for it to come to you or come for you. This year has been a whirlwind of death for my family. We lost my niece recently, my dad was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and given a sentence of time left and my favorite Uncle (I know, you shouldn't play favorites but this is my blog) Jay is laying in a bed withering away as we speak. It's heavy. Death always comes with that weight and it doesn't get easier to lift it up. As I think of him waiting there I'm filled with a bit of sadness but also relieved somewhat. His pain is coming to an end and he'll be able to rest in peace.

As I sit here and think on all this tragedy and loss I'm glad I've learned the lessons that came with it. I'm glad my parents were strong enough to help me learn to cope as I can. I'm sad he's being taken so soon from us just like many people are who truly don't deserve it. I'm leaning hard on the advice they gave me and the advice others have imparted on me after their own bouts with close to home death. This night will be tough but tomorrow I'll be thankful his pain is over and that I'll be able to look back on his life and times with me and smile. I'll be able to look to the sky and see him and nothing can change that.

If I can pass on anything to you all from reading this post it's this; Treasure time with people you love because it goes faster than you can blink. Don't hesistate to say the things you feel and always, always find time to come together with family whether its friends who are as close as family or your blood.

I love each and every one of my friends and family no matter what. Have a happy and stress free Thanksgiving. Squeeze people close and smile often.

Till next time.

It's...1:30 A.M. and I want to write

So, I went ahead and got Spotify after my buddy Marvin had told me just how much he liked it. This had to be...two or three months ago now. I'm sitting here after just finishing up writing a chapter in the newest idea I had and it dawned on me, for about the millionth time, how much we all listen to music these days. Not too long ago you'd have to sit around a radio the whole family shared and listen to something you maybe didn't like but shouldered because it was fun to listen to and better than hearing the paint dry.

But now? We have iPhones with multiple playlists to call up at a moments notice, tablets and computers with tons of legally, or pirated if you are brave enough, music we get by the album or discography just to have. Have you ever stopped to think about this? Where people would sit around one single radio and listen to a story crafted by someone or lyrics poured out of someones heart and mind, we all can take a jog or any number of small tasks and have that music become the soundtrack to our life. And yea, its gone downhill by some peoples standards but it's still pure creativity. It had to be designed, crafted, poured over and the lyrics were crafted from someones experiences, their hopes, their dreams and all for us to enjoy it while we walk to the market, jog around the lake, drive our cars, lounge around our homes. It's amazing!

Not to mention the podcasts, live coverage of concerts and events or e-books we can take with us. What started with the ability to make music more and more accessible and on the go has turned into being able to narrate a majority of your waking life with pure creative endeavors. I'd like to say I had some grandiose point or statement to make here but I am just always fascinated with things that we're all starting to take for granted more and more as we're spoiled. It's a great time to be alive and out in the world. Each day we spin on this big blue marble more and more choices open up. We just gotta keep an eye out that we don't get swallowed up by the amount of things offered to us and lose sight of how good we got it. Just some, admittedly random, food for thought.

Till next time!

Peer Pressure!

So, for about the 3000th time, I've started a blog. Hopefully this one will stick and not just be an address out there in the series of tubes. I'm pretty self conscious about sharing my writing (and I'm 'supposed' to be a writer!) but seeing my friend Jason give it a go? I might as well hop back into the pool headfirst!

I've had a lot of friends come and go in life. People get busy, things change and friendships gain a little bit of distance in them, no big. But these last few years I've been gaining a lot of perspective on life and the people who walk into and out of yours as you go and I gotta say, I'm a damn lucky man. I've got people who I could call after not talking for months, maybe years, and they're all willing to lend me a supportive ear, a ride home if I'm a little too wastey faced to drive, a couch to sleep on...You get it. They're good people who don't stop continuing to be good people and great friends just because we all get a little too busy working on the Rubik's Cube called 'Life'.

Friends are probably my favorite thing about this life. They accept you at face value and all the stupid things you do as you grow older.  Listen, commiserate, dislike people you do, tolerate and love the people you do and all because of a mutual appreciation and connection that runs deeper than I think most people ever realize. It's ingrained in your mind just to do these things that we do as friends but when you step back and look at it. Truly amazing and a blessing.

This is somewhat sappy so I'm gonna wrap it up shorter than I usually like to post. Long story short, step back and try and see your friends for what they really are and it'll make you appreciate life and it's mysteries. Hopefully you all liked my little rants and I'll try to post somewhat regularly!

Stay frosty!