It seems that Gill has been thinking about end of life planning lately. Wills, funeral arrangements and other such happiness. It also seems that her thoughts may have gotten away on her a little. Unless there’s something that only she knows, writing a will and setting money aside for a decent burial don’t mean that you’re going to die the moment you finish putting pen to paper. But it’s difficult to be too hard on her. None of us likes thinking about this stuff, and she’s hardly the first one to have her emotions take over even when we know better.
Yesterday I was feeling rather sad, realizing I’m not getting any younger, and would have to start planning for when this Earthly race is done. I honestly thought about all the fun stuff I would have to give up because of all the ways it could kill you. I also thought I’d get some weird illness doctors couldn’t figure out and would end up dying alone in some cold hospital room. But even with all of these thoughts on my mind, I could still think of a happy time in my life.
Firemen’s Park
Picture this. My sister and I are children. We are spending time at our Gran (paternal grandmother’s) house. We have spent a lively morning walking through the neighborhood, visiting a store or going to my great-aunt and uncle’s farm. We have just had lunch when gran suggests we should go to the nearby park. We walk across a bridge, over a road, and down a steep path. Let me also stop to let you know that it’s the perfect summer day, temperature in the high 70’s (mid 20’s), lovely little breeze. Getting off the path we find some shady spots to ride these rocking horses, one a turtle. There was in its time, but not now a metal slide. Take a walk with me just a smidge further to find a river with plenty of room for stones to be tossed. After time it’s back over the road for some well deserved lemonade and treats.
Thoughts
My sister and I have long since moved from that tiny slice of heaven, and now our views generally contain concrete and moving vehicles. But when I get to a sad corner like yesterday, I think of those days filled with sunshine, stones in a river, and about how much fun there is left to be had.
Question
What’s your go to memory or thought for when you are feeling sad?
