This morning brought news of the death of another person I have long known. In the past, this was very common. Now it is less and less so. I think it’s because I have outlived so many friends and acquaintances. I used to wonder why I have survived so long but now I think it is because of my genes. My mother will be 100 next April 4. Others in her family have been remarkably long-lived as well. There were some things I survived that had nothing to do with genes such as car accidents and war. A question I answered long ago is what do you do with the extra life you been granted? For me, the answer was a simple one-word – write. If you expect me to write something of tremendous import in this blog – don’t! I attempt to entertain with fiction and in this blog, I muse about the world we live in. Living this long has given me a chance to see how things repeat. They are never exactly the same but they have a very familiar pattern. This is true whether it is the activities of celebrities or the machinations of politicians or simply young people falling in love. These familiar patterns are reassuring because, despite their frustrations at times, it means the world will continue long after my genes give up.
