It was a day for death....
.... if there could ever be such a day---
It struck me as odd, on the way to work this afternoon, the number of death-related references I passed.
On any regular day there is the occasional, even incidental references to death--- passing conversations, news reports, mortuary advertisements--- but, today, the frequency of reference was enough to give me pause.
First, there was a church marquee that asked the question: Where will you spend eternity? Not an off-hand question for a church marquee, but, most of the churches near my house use quirky, play-on-word slogans to entice new followers. This was the first time I could recall such an ominous line.
Then, there was the cemetery that I pass everyday. Most times, the cemetery is quiet--- perhaps the occasional burial. Today, however, the cemetery had seen FOUR new residents move in. The funerals had just finished, the mounds freshly formed, the tents still sitting over the graves.
Finally, another 5 miles down the road, a funeral procession barreled past. The line of cars had more than halfway passed before I realized it was an actual procession. The blinking emergency lights were the only indication any of us had to pull over. I had never seen a procession fly through the city the way this one did.
What's the old adage of things always coming in "3s"?
In the 15-minute ride to work for my Saturday night shift, my brain was overwhelmed with death---
Anyone working retail on a Saturday night knows all-too-well what it feels like to be overwhelmed with death... Surely, I'm not the only retail worker who's toyed with the idea of homicide.
And, then it dawned on me... we're only a few short weeks from the madness of holiday shopping--- a yearly debacle that makes working retail comparable to corporal punishment.
The closer we get to the holiday season, the less my thoughts turn to homicide and the more my thoughts turn to suicide. It must be less painful to gouge one's eyes out with spoons than to deal with some of the atrocious holiday shoppers out there.
So, today was a day for death...a wonderful reminder of the wonderful things to come *sigh*
--- a depressive start to a depressive night in preparation for a depressive season...
.... if there could ever be such a day---
It struck me as odd, on the way to work this afternoon, the number of death-related references I passed.
On any regular day there is the occasional, even incidental references to death--- passing conversations, news reports, mortuary advertisements--- but, today, the frequency of reference was enough to give me pause.
First, there was a church marquee that asked the question: Where will you spend eternity? Not an off-hand question for a church marquee, but, most of the churches near my house use quirky, play-on-word slogans to entice new followers. This was the first time I could recall such an ominous line.
Then, there was the cemetery that I pass everyday. Most times, the cemetery is quiet--- perhaps the occasional burial. Today, however, the cemetery had seen FOUR new residents move in. The funerals had just finished, the mounds freshly formed, the tents still sitting over the graves.
Finally, another 5 miles down the road, a funeral procession barreled past. The line of cars had more than halfway passed before I realized it was an actual procession. The blinking emergency lights were the only indication any of us had to pull over. I had never seen a procession fly through the city the way this one did.
In the 15-minute ride to work for my Saturday night shift, my brain was overwhelmed with death---
Anyone working retail on a Saturday night knows all-too-well what it feels like to be overwhelmed with death... Surely, I'm not the only retail worker who's toyed with the idea of homicide.
And, then it dawned on me... we're only a few short weeks from the madness of holiday shopping--- a yearly debacle that makes working retail comparable to corporal punishment.
The closer we get to the holiday season, the less my thoughts turn to homicide and the more my thoughts turn to suicide. It must be less painful to gouge one's eyes out with spoons than to deal with some of the atrocious holiday shoppers out there.
So, today was a day for death...a wonderful reminder of the wonderful things to come *sigh*
--- a depressive start to a depressive night in preparation for a depressive season...
I don't much care for death - unless it's DEATH, as in Terry Pratchett.
ReplyDelete"It must be less painful to gouge one's eyes out with spoons than to deal with some of the atrocious holiday shoppers out there." I can only imagine.
ReplyDeleteI think the older I get, the less the idea of my own death bothers me. (Maybe I'm just tired...)
ReplyDeleteAs for the Christmas season, last year I didn't put up a tree, and friends and family each exchanged a single "token" gift (scarf, candle, etc.) No shopping. No anxiety. No gift exchanges or guilt. It was WONDERFUL! The shared Christmas dinner became the focal point of the family holiday, and I hope that we will continue this new tradition.
Perhaps it was a reminder of life, too. Little prompts to say the days are passing, and you've much to do, so sing and dance and do your work well.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment I'm in a class where I'm the junior member by 20 years. One of my classmates is 95. She's bright and lively and has lived much, and has much to share.
So. No more thoughts of dark days for you, my friend. Rather, think of the wonderful tales you'll tell using dusky Halloween nights and vanishing first-Thanksgiving colonists and creatures drawn by lights and snow, who've a taste for holiday shoppers.
This is your season. Drink it in. Revel in it.
Live it to the utmost.
sad reality,
ReplyDeletewhen it comes, it simply unstoppable,
so I don't worry about it at all.