life.

It's too bad that it takes a monumental event in our lives to realize the importance of life.  I'm speaking for myself, of course, but assuming that others tend to take life for granted too, to a point.

By monumental, I mean the birth of a child, or the death of someone close.  These are the things that make me take a step back and appreciate life.  Not my life necessarily, but life in general.  Life is a miracle.  Whether you are a religious sort, spiritual, or other, you have to acknowledge that life is damn amazing.

A combination of several recent events has me in awe.  Today alone, I'm feeling very deep, humbling feelings.  They stem from a sudden death of a loved one.  It was a tragic day for my wife's side of the family, losing someone that went entirely too soon.

Paige was someone that I connected with.  You could talk to her about anything, and she always knew what to say and how to say it--in her own, frank way.  Obviously, I didn't know her near as well as I would have liked, or as others knew her.  Nor am I positioning myself for unnecessary condolences--save those for her mom and siblings.  The fact is, I knew Paige, I liked her, and right now I'm sad that she's gone.  Her death is one that seems unrealistic.  It hasn't sunk in yet.  But I know that once it does, I'll dearly miss our late night chats about saving the world.  She was extremely personable, and knew how to get you to open your mind and express all of your feelings at once.  This normally took place while sharing a bottle of wine.  My wife and/or brother-in-law typically would end up crying at some point during this.

Paige's sister is very pregnant.  It's a girl.  I can't imagine the flood of emotions these good people are feeling and will be feeling.

Life.

As usual, whenever something like this happens, I start strongly contemplating life.  The miracle of birth, and the sorrow of death.  Everything in between we take for granted.  Until someone is gone, or at least sick, we tend to be complacent with our relationships.  And with having children, "It's just something that happens" is the impression I get from a lot of folks.  To some, it is.  To others, it doesn't just fall in their laps.  We get so caught up in the day-to-day things that are right in front of us, that we lose track of the bigger picture and the truly important things.

I don't do New Year's resolutions, I just make adjustments.  My new adjustment is to be thankful for everyone good in my life.  It is to never take my children or family or life for granted.  It is to not look at these things as "just something that happens", but to be thankful in a religious, spiritual, or other way that I am a living, breathing dude, and I have amazing living, breathing people surrounding me.  Fact is, any of these people could be gone at any time.  Not fun to think about, but it certainly keeps you grounded, and thankful.

Life can be fragile.  We need to be appreciative.

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