Running Life

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
5:32 PM

Like most of us lately, I have been thinking a lot about Gyrth. And about death. Two things I had not thought to connect together for a long time yet.

My first real experience with death, and with loss, was when I was in high school, about 16, I guess. That is, I had had relatives who'd died but they were great-aunt types who I'd last seen when I was roughly three. Their passing, while sad, did not greatly affect me since I didn't know them well. But my junior year in high school, a classmate and friend was killed in a car accident. He was a sweet and popular guy and was deeply mourned.

Since then, I have an image in my head that describes how I feel when someone has died way before their time. I always thought of us, all the kids I knew, as running along the paths of our lives, to wherever they would lead us, and Phil had been running with us, when he fell and would never get up again. Like the rest of us kept on running, in the way that time speeds us so quickly away from that moment of our friends' passing, while there was an emptiness among us where that person should be. I feel the same way now, that we're all going to keep living our lives and running along our paths, but without Gyrth there to run with us.

I feel differently about elderly people who have lived long and full lives. When my granddad died, I felt that he had reached the end of his path, and that it was time for him to stop running and finally rest. Maybe he's waiting at the end of his path for the rest of us to catch up, I don't know.

It's time for us to head out on the road to go to the viewing. I'll see some of you there. I'm glad to be running with the people in my life, along our paths that cross for a time, whether it's short or long. My path is better for crossing yours, even though we feel the emptiness of those who have fallen.