Quote: (08-27-2013 11:56 PM)Sonsowey Wrote:
This is terrible that he's only 60 and did this.
My father is over the age of 60, and thankfully, still of totally sound mind and body. He exercises regularly, has been a pescatarian since college, still routinely rocks younger guys on the basketball court with his hook shot, and still has all his mental facilities.
I have seen other 60 year olds who have not lived healthy. They look like they're dying. Hunched over, suffering heart attacks, wrinked up, mentally dull. I don't know perhaps my father had "good genes" or was "lucky" but I think his dedication to exercise and a healthy diet has really helped him live a fulfilling life that continues to be worth living. Of his parents, his mother died relatively early, and his father lived for a long time but only thanks to multiple gastric bypass surgeries. My father has had surgeries on his hips and knees, but nothing life-threatening so far has affected him.
This makes me want to get even healthier, I can't imagine being younger than my father and killing yourself because your mind is already being lost...
I'll do you one better. My dad is 65, was diagnosed with bone cancer 15 years ago and given six months to live. Since his childhood he drank like a fish, smoked a pack a day, and used hard drugs. He is still living. Came to visit me. He's beat up. Can barely walk up the hill to my apartment. His mind is slipping. He speaks slowly. Moves slowly.
But he is still *alive.* I introduced him to a couple of the women in my life. His mind is slipping, but he still knows nice eyes, nice skin, nice ass, nice tits. I took him to Joshua Tree. He'd never seen it. Hard to show that motherfucker something he'd not seen in this country. He's been all over. But this was new. He had trouble walking. Had trouble speaking. But every new bird, every new rock, every new flower blew his mind. When night fell, every new star-- there is so much to see in this life. So much to know.
Of course, the old man was also deeply interested in the 19 year old Hong Kong chick walking on our hiking trail. Son, you better make a move on that. She's interested. Tell her to take your picture.
You will lose your mind, your body, your dick-- whatever you value. But life still has things to show you. Life isn't done with you. I get why people kill themselves. I get it, but they're wrong. Seeing a god damn road runner drinking from a mud puddle changes my life every time. And it changed the life of a 65 year old man who I'd thought had seen everything. You could live for a thousand years and never run out of wonderful shit.
I get why people kill themselves. I contemplate it every day. Still: don't. It's an arrogant thing to do. It's saying: I know all the secrets. Bullshit. You never know. Tomorrow a seagull could steal a kid's ice cream cone in front of you and you'll laugh harder and better than you ever have in your life.
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