Mere Mortals

There's nothing like having the crap scared out of you (medically) to wake you up to your own mortality.

A few months back, was my turn. Before I go on, all is well, and thankfully it was just that - a scare. But it did get me thinking... My dad passed when I was just 22 years old. He was only 51. He and I were together when it happened, so it will always been fresh in my mind. Your priorities at 22 are very different than what they are at 36.

It scared the be-jezzus out of me to think I could leave the wife and kids in a few years. A quick doctor's appointment later and everything checked out - in fact, in some ways I was actually pleasantly surprised. But for a few long and grueling days, I was forced to look my own mortality in the eye.

I remember doing that when I was 18... yes, it was weird to think about it so young, but hey... I distinctly remember thinking that if I were to check out right there, it would be OK. Not in an emo-Goth, I wanna die kind of way, but with a deep sense of peace. I haven't felt that in a long while - no wonder with all the noise and stress in today's life. That was a long time ago... and priorities change. Today, I want to be here for my kids as long as I'm able. I still wish my dad could have seen some of my later accomplishments, like graduating college, marriage, and kids - especially since he was a huge proponent of all them. So job number one is to be here for my kids. I want to see them graduate. I want to see them get hitched. And I want to see my grand kids.