Ring in 2024
2023 was the best of times, and the worst of times. (The latter stands out more). Let 2024 be a fresh start.
~ Aristotle Sabouni
Created: 2024-01-01 |
2023 started with a new medical malady that scared me (I was thinking something like ass cancer), the love of my life and wife of 29 years (32 years together) had a heart attack, stroke and then eventually died at my hand (I had to execute the DNR). My aunt died. I went to Iran and was questioned by the Secret Police, cut a trip short, and fled terrified. I had problems selling a couple properties, took a lot of time off work (wasn't acing that part of life). My cat died. I had more car problems than in the prior decade. And everything I wanted to fix in the new house cost more than expected or that I had gotten quotes on, and generally took longer. But other than that....
But this isn't about whining. The inverse of all those things were often fantastic.
I was chatting with Melissa's Cousin (Julie) about some of this (she's a Nurse that deals with death regularly). We are all going to die. My wife had a congenital birth defect that put her life expectancy in her 30s, and instead, she made it to 55 and a few days. She had always wanted siblings and a bigger family, and got to meet and love her brothers in the last year(s). She got to run a half marathon a couple weeks before passing, and had a great life up until the end. The way she passed meant she got daily visits/calls from her favorite people and got to see how much she was loved (and they saw what a fighter she was). Because we never had kids, she feared dying alone -- she got to pass relatively pain free, with her Mom and me holding her hands, in a deluge of love and prayers. Sometimes our purpose in life is to be there for someone else. The alternative, could have been her living with all sorts of complications that would have broken her spirit (blind, in pain, and unable to do the things she loved). So her passing was a blessing, over some of the alternatives, and as my friend said at her memorial, when 100 people show up rom all over the country and all talk about your smile, and thoughtfulness, that's a life well lived.
Because of Melissa's passing, I got much closer to my in-laws (Mary and Bill). We always had a good relationship, but the shared passing of someone close to us, brought us much closer together. I met new people,(including a new girlfriend), and got closer with old friends/family. I became less isolated both geographically and emotionally to many.
I got to fly across the globe and have an adventure, where ultimately, nothing bad happened -- and I got stories to tell. I started simplifying my life. Taking more time for myself. The health scare turned out to be nothing major (just prostate issues, that are just part of aging). And I remade my life from a Happy Husband in Houston... to a Happy Boyfriend in Phoenix. The new house is shaping up and getting there, the old house(s) will sell, and life will go on.
So there's ways to look at anything: either focus on the good, the bad -- or try to just accept both on this short story called "life".
🔗 More
Tags:
[[Category:]]
