Finality

Today I was planning on blogging about our sunday trip to Mapua. The weather dawned perfectly, dad and I bike there, crossed on the new ferry to Rabbit Island, missed our ferry back, stayed for an extra hour, were an hour late to lunch. It was all very beautiful (the biking) and exciting (racing to the ferry and proving how easy it is to miss), and we even went swimming in the ocean for the first time this season. In general, a remarkable day.

But just this evening we found out that our neighbor, one of the most remarkable people I have ever met, died last night. Today was not a day without excitement, either - some apple champagne blew up last night, my mother found out she won a raffle, I learned how to sharpen tools and managed to cut myself on one (not seriously). But it all seems very pale now in comparison.

Its hard to think that other events are important in light of something as profound as death. This is the first time I've been so close to it; our grandmother died when we were one, but I don't remember it, although my mother says I was constipated for weeks (its funny how even so young we can register grief, even in unexpected ways). And I didn't even know David particularly well, although he was the sort of person that made an immediate impression. I want to remember him through attempting to be as generous, cheerful, delightful as he was. I doubt I will be successful, but all you can do is try. Which is really partly what living is all about.