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Obituaries are more about life than death
There was a time when I would have nothing to do with newspaper obituaries. It was always the one section I was guaranteed to skip unless there had been a recent death in my own family or circle of friends.
In my omnipotent youth, obits were the domain of the dead, and not of those of us with so much life ahead of us. Admittedly, this outlook depended on the inane assumption that old age is the only cause of death, and precluded the many illnesses and mishaps that can claim a person’s life well before their time.
Deep down, perhaps I realized the dubious nature of the above assumption but was in denial of the cold reality that a person’s lifespan is thoroughly unpredictable, not to mention unconnected to any notion of fairness. (Hello cancer, you unforgivable rat bastard.)
Gradually, however, the passage of time and the cruelties of fate have served to dismantle the luxury of that denial. At 48, I can now look back on all too many friends and loved ones who exited this life for reasons that have nothing to do with age nor even necessarily with how well they took care of their health. The culprits have included heart attacks, terminal illnesses, car accidents, a house fire, and suicide…
