Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Obituary

While waiting for my grande mocha at Starbucks this morning I picked up the newspaper and started to read through the obituary. Having never paid much attention to such section before I was surprised to see how extensive the obituaries are on the local paper. Some of them are as long as 300 words detailing significant events in the person’s live. As I scanned through the page, the name Sylvia Jane Lane grabbed my attention. I’ve always liked the name Sylvia, which means woods or forest (like Pennsylvania or Penn’s forest). Born in Eddyville, KY, her husband always referred to her as Jane. After separated by death from her better half almost 20 years ago, Sylvia lived with her daughter’s family and enjoyed spending time with her two grand daughters. I imagine she was a nice lady. Whenever I hear the name Sylvia I think of Gwyneth Paltrow, who played Sylvia Plath in the biography movie about the poet’s life. And that led me to think about all my books packed neatly in boxes stacked in the storage room. The thought of my books reminded me how much I miss having my own apartment in Rochester. I’ve always like cozy couches, warm blankets, hot tea, moving music and good books. I miss all that. At least I know they’re safe in storage.

So what would your obituary reads like? I guess the key is to write your own and live life that way.


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