Sleeping Beauty

Pale. Clammy. Despair. Striking. Lifeless.

Death, though a natural part of life, is many things. Besides taxes, it is the one thing guaranteed in life. It steals unexpectedly. The subject of afterlife is one of the greatest mysteries on earth. Death be not proud. The wages of sin are death. Death has numerous names: the Grim Reaper, the black carriage, etc.

The irony is that death seems insignificant when it's only one person when compared to the whole world. People fail to understand how one person can mean the whole world to others. A death in the family means rearranging your life in its entirety and you never know how much you need that person in order to have stabilization. As humans, we get too comfortable with the status quo and change is difficult. That's what made the transition to college so difficult. What I think graduating will be. Moving to a new house. Having a baby. Death.

We read about death in books, see it in film, and hear about it from others, but, like parenting, we are never taught this in any class and don't need a license for it (though we are issued a death certificate). It, unfortunately, is something that must be experienced. And not everyone grieves the same way.

Death is one of the scariest things to think about. I don't want to lose anyone close to me. I just experienced the most awful, nerve-wracking, adrenaline-pumping week of my life in which four family members were afflicted. I stick to my ideology of no news is good news. The only time you often hear from people is when something goes wrong. Heck, most families are lucky if they ever have a family get-together because they claim they have "no time" in their busy schedules. Yet, familes drop whatever is in their life to attend a funeral and pay their respects and say hi to the family and maybe even provide comfort. I've only attended one funeral in my life and I did not enjoy the experience. I sat with my cousins in the back before and with them during the ceremony in the second or third row.

I want life to stay as it is (stationary) as I move forward. However, you can't always get what you want. Life has to go on. Babies are born as elders die, and the circle of life is complete once again. We never know when our last day is (only God knows). Cherishing and appreciating what you have is difficult when you've had it since you can remember. Let's hope and be thankful for our loved ones everyday. For death, cruel, cruel death, be not proud.

Make life beautiful and enjoy every minute.