Here are some left over thoughts about death and dying, although here I would rather call them thoughts about life and living. At my age these thoughts come more frequently, but they are relevant for folks of any age.

It helps to have a reason to live. It’s difficult enough just staying alive when you get to my age. Body wants to slow down, be lazy. Body is tired more of the time. Body has less energy, less reserves, gets worn-out more easily. Often there is more pain too – in the joints, in the feet, in the hip’s ball and socket, and so on and so on.

I had an old rainbow friend who called himself Cedar Tree. He lived down in the Four Corners area of Colorado. He took care of his dying parents when they couldn’t take care of themselves; and then soon after they died, he died. He followed them home.

At that same time, this was a bit over ten years ago, I started a new family with Aspen, my wife of fourteen years. Now I have more reasons to live, three more of them actually. And I’m still connected to my older kids too, even though Jonathan is almost fifty and Ariana is in her mid thirties.

It’s not just being responsible for my kids that keeps me alive. It’s living daily with the beginnings of life, not the end of it as Cedar Tree did. Almost my entire day, every day, is spent with my three boys. I live in their world. I hardly ever leave it, not even when I’m tripping or writing.

As long as you are really living, that is, using the life energy that is in your body to live, not just to stay around to watch more TV, you will stay alive as long as you want to. If you are not using it, you will lose it.

And at any age really, it is good to be living a life worth living.

Eugene