I’ve just wolfed down a killer Klondike Bar, dark chocolate mind you, that is sitting rather heavy on the 4 extra dry martinis I made for myself tonight. Look, don’t let the headline scare you, I’m just experimenting tonight. I’ve spent the last couple of months writing pablum for the masses. Headlines and short snippets designed to get folks to click on a story. Don’t get me wrong, it is good work and I love that an uneducated biker dude like me was given the chance. It’s just not me, you know? I love to write. I love to express my thoughts in ways I hope that help people understand who I am. That’s immortality, right? It’s what we all look for, no?
So I’m sitting here tonight, no deadlines, no AP style guidelines stifling my words. Just me. Well, me and the ice-cold, very-dry martinis and a few packs of Marlboro Skyline 100s. Free form at its best.
Why do we fear death so? We know it’s going to happen. It’s the only certainty in life. We have no clue what tomorrow may bring, but we all know we will eventually die. So why do we fear it? If you are a religious person, you know your soul is taken care of. If you are an atheist, there is no afterlife, so death is just …. Death.
So why all the worry? Why the preplanning, the huge amounts of dollars spent on this? We spend more money and time on what might happen after we die than we do while we are actually alive.
I think we need to look at death like a vacation. Okay, I know, I lost a few of you there. But hang in there with me. What is a vacation after all? We all want rest, relaxation and to be able to forget the day-to-day worries of a living life. Death is a free travel trailer. Right?
Death is like parking your camper at a campsite you’ve never been to before. It may turn out to be a kick ass weekend, or you find you’ve set up camp next to a family that believes that whatever you believe in is wrong and they will spend every waking moment of their life proving it to you. It’s a frickin crap shoot and I’m not sure I’m willing to put that all on two, if you get my drift.
We all die. If I die 10 years sooner because I love my martinis and a smoke then so be it. I liken it to marathon racers. If you ever talk to a marathoner they will tell you they get into a zone. They stop seeing what is around them. They see their feet hitting the pavement one after the other. The goal of finishing becomes everything. And by doing this, they lose everything.
Life is what life is. We take what we are given and we try to make the best of it. Some of us get great ingredients, some of us try to make bread with clay and salt. it is what it is, but more so, it is what we make out of it.
I leave you tonight with one thought, And ye harm no one, do what ye will.
Gregor