May
30
Death after Life
Today I had a rare chance to reflect upon life – all the while paying my respects to death. My grandfather’s sister-in-law Mici had passed away after outliving her husband for a good two decades. And boy, had she lived: you could tell from the throng of her sobbing family members splayed amidst the soft, wet stalks of grass outside the quaint little chapel. I stared over the hillsides of Notranjska, across the miniature cemetery to the powder blue sky and reflected on how much I missed my Nono. The last time I saw him, I was only seven. I imagined calling out to him across a cosmic meadow and through the sands of time…
His brother France is one of only two remaining children on this Earth and had forged himself a career driven life, replete with all the benefits. Though he didn’t seem to enjoy them much. He never had kids and never got married and he will eventually pass on alone. Respected. But alone. And then there’s my great aunt Francka, who at 91 has eyes that reflect light like two brilliant diamonds buried in the Sahara desert. She grew up being the only girl in a family of seven children and had far from an easy life, living through numerous wars including the Big Two. But she sure hasn’t let that stop her from living her life on her terms, as evident in her sprightly demeanor and confident eloquence.
Her son (a soft-spoken cardiologist) and I ended up striking up a conversation about Alma Karlin, a Slovenian author who somehow managed to learn ten languages and travel around the world for a decade by herself with no money at all a century ago! She would end up penning quite a few books that enjoyed tremendous recognition abroad – yet ironically – are only now garnering the attention they deserve in Slovenia, her homeland. She died broke – but fulfilled. And far from alone. Perhaps it’s time you asked yourself – are you living the life that you actually WANT? And when you die, what will the people at your funeral have to say about YOU?
