Obituaries

I love to read obituaries. This may sound weird, or maybe even somewhat dark, but really it’s not. It’s not that I’m obsessed with death. Quite the opposite. I’m obsessed with life. Whether it’s my life or someone else’s. And whether they are alive or have passed on.

An example would be of my blogger friend, Sheryl Craig Russell. She is very much alive but many in her family are now deceased. She has lived a most fascinating life. A life I would have most certainly chosen for myself. She posts about the cowboys in her family. I mean real cowboys on real ranches in Montana. She shares the beautiful life that she and her sister lived with their loving parents and extended family under that big Montana sky. The cowboy life wasn’t meant to be for me but I can still live it through her words and pictures. 

Sometimes in life we (we, as in me) tend to focus on our own life and the world around us is but a blur. My life. My family. My yard. My job position. My store. My road. My hobby. My time. My this and that. But the fact is…life is not just me (me, as in us). This world consists of so many moving parts (parts, as in people). And these people are real. Every person adds value to this world and we all help to make this world run through our jobs and contribution to society. (I’m being very optimistic with that statement knowing there are unpleasantries in this world. But you get what I’m trying to say.) 

With every obituary, I read a short bio about someone who was special in their own way. I’m drawn into their life for a quick moment. Some stories have stayed with me for a long time. Maybe this person served our country. Or, perhaps they were a quilter, a trusted mechanic, an artist, a fireman, someone active in the community, or a teacher. Maybe they were on the 4-H committee, or sat on the board of our county museum. Maybe they simply lived a quiet life, worked hard to support a family, and went fishing on the weekends. Whoever they were, they most likely touched the lives of others. And as I read about their life, they touch mine.  

I think reading about another person’s life grounds me. The realty is that someday my obituary will be posted and read by others. It is but a thin line between life and death. And it is a curious thing…you know…that next step. As I read though, I actually feel a peace and somewhat of a bond with someone whom I probably never met, but for a time, we shared this earth together. Common ground. But now they’ve moved onto that next phase.

Every person leaves a legacy of some sort. And a lot of these people probably didn’t feel their life was quite finished yet. There were more conversations to be had, another fish to catch, or a vacation to take, another dog to pet, more meals to share, another cup of coffee with a friend, an upcoming holiday season with family, or a baby yet to be born. 

But life continues on with or without us. That’s the hard fact of life.

I also love driving backroads through places I’ve never been. I enjoy seeing how other people live.

I notice many things as I observe life from my car. Like how people care for their yards. I notice the scenery around their home and picture what it would look like in the fall. I pay attention to color of their front door. (I have a little fascination with front doors.) I wonder how far they have to drive to buy groceries or go to work and school.

How many generations owned that farmland? I wonder what are the forgotten memories in that old barn that are tucked away in empty grain bins and stalls, in worn out tractor tires, in the smell of old oil and weathered leather, and in the neglected tufts of hay. 

I know my own life but I’m always curious as to how others live (or lived) their’s. I hope that doesn’t make me a nosey person. All I have to say is this world is made up of some pretty cool people and I enjoy knowing about their lives. 

♥️

Andi