After one hundred and seven long years in this world, I figured it was my chance to give back to the world some of the knowledge that I’ve picked up on the way. Throughout my time on this beautiful earth, I’ve laughed, I’ve cried; I’ve gained and lost so many people along the way. There are few people in the world that saw my young and vivacious self, and even fewer that I considered my closest friends and family. As I bring you along on this journey, I invite you to look back at your own life and reflect on what you did right, because there is no point in dwelling on what you did wrong.
Before I get into my adult life, I need to first give background on myself. I was raised in an Irish-Catholic household, that was fairly relaxed on the religious part. My father was a second generation immigrant from Ireland and grew up in New York. My mother was American through and through, as she lived in places such as Illinois and New Jersey. I had an older brother, William, whom, though I did not admit it often, I admired and appreciated more than most people. I had an adopted cousin, Luke, who I saw as the younger brother I never had as he was seven years younger than me. I made my way through school fairly easily, and I feel as though I should have put more effort into those early years to make the later years easier. My first encounter with death was at age 12 when my grandfather on my mother’s side died. Up until this point in my life, I had not really considered death and its absurd connotations, but, in reality, for one to live, they must die. I feel that this was a turning point in my life, as I developed a sense of urgency and this is when I learned my first major lesson about life; it is so very precious. Every year was another year closer to finally meeting death. I began to study harder, read more, and, most importantly, I began to develop a career path. Prior to my grandfather’s death, he wrote, edited, and published a book titled, “Along the Way.” You won’t find this books on shelves though because it was only distributed to my family. This book is what inspired me to write this narrative about my life so I will never be forgotten and, thus, never truly die.
I continued my life into my junior year of high school, in which I got my first girlfriend and learned the importance of intimate relationships. Though I cannot remember this girl’s name nor what her face looked like, I do remember that she taught me how to care for someone more than you care for yourself. Then she and I went to different colleges and our relationship crumbled like a porcelain doll being hit by a baseball bat. I attended the University of Yale and pursued a law degree so I could be a lawyer, and one day a politician. As I went through college, I didn’t meet many people of note, except for my future bride, as well as my future best man, though I did not know this at the time. Well into my junior year of college, I received word from home that my childhood dog had gotten sick and was going to have to be put down. I raced home just in time to watch as Pixie left this world forever. I now learned my second lesson; life is short and can be ended abruptly. As I carried my fallen friend to her final resting place, I vowed to make every second of my life count and at that moment, I swore off drinking, as one night of drinking can destroy an entire day.
I went on to graduate college and passed the New York Bar Exam, only to meet up with Joan and Kevin, my future bride and best man. I soon found out that they were brother and sister, both living in the neighborhood and decided to stop by to see me after my exam. Throughout this encounter, I began to see Joan in a different light and asked her out on the date that would define the rest of our lives. I remember every word spoken at that first date as I wrote it down years later, with the help of Joan of course. While we continued dating, my relationship with Kevin deepened and he became one of my closest friends. Two years down the road, I asked the scariest question of my life and the answer was the best thing I ever heard. We got married in a small chapel in upstate New York and everything in my life seemed to be great. I was 28, married, and had a successful law firm, but tragedy waits for no man. I got word that both my dad and my mom had fallen ill and were both on the verge of death. I went to see my dad first as his hospital room was closer and I said the last words I would ever say to him, “See you on Monday, I love you.” I went to see my mom who was paler than a human should ever be and I said my last words to her, “I’ll be sure to try the mashed potatoes if I go through the cafeteria. I love you.” They both died within an hour of each other. Depressed and heartbroken, I sat silently weeping in the hospital waiting room, my head resting on the lap of my new wife. I learned my third lesson about life that day; nothing will ever stay good for long.
I continued making my way through life and had two girls at ages thirty-two and thirty-four. Their names are Jackie and Kyra, and they still call me every day, at four pm and five pm respectively. I love them with all of my heart and will never stop loving them. I transitioned from being a lawyer to being a politician and eventually won the presidency of the United States at age forty-nine. I served two terms and left the office with triple the gray hair than I had started with and a different perspective on stress. I was relieved as the literal weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders until my wife and I were shot. I was shot in the shoulder, crippling my arm permanently, but my Joan, the nicest and most loving person I have ever met, was shot in the heart, killing her instantly. The assailant was a simple street thug that didn’t agree with my policies. My last words to her were, “Let’s take a walk down this street, I’ve never noticed it before.” I never got the luxury of last words and I never will. This was when I learned my second to last lesson about life; don’t expect those you love to always be there with you because sometimes life can rip them away.
My children were already in college at this point, so I was living alone in a mediocre apartment in New York and I reopened my law firm. Over time, my heart finally began to mend from this final traumatic loss. I retired from work at age sixty-seven and used the money my wife and I had saved up to buy a house in my childhood town in New Jersey in my childhood town. As I would wander the streets alone, I would see buildings that had once been so familiar, my old church, my elementary school, and my middle school were all familiar landmarks I would walk by often. As I lived out my days, I never loved again as no one I saw was as perfect as Joan had been.
As I come up to the present, I realized something. Life can be a pain in the ass, but without all of the tragedy and sadness, how would we feel about eating ice cream or playing with a puppy. Without sadness, there cannot be joy, and without death, there cannot be life. Perhaps the most important, without the pain, how can we learn to love. I have lived over one hundred and seven years on this Earth and I think I am qualified to say that life can be terrible and tragic, sure, but can’t it also be wonderful. Do not think of my tale as a sorrowful or misery filled one. Think of all the little joys of life that we all experience. Think about the rainbows, puppies, and ice cream. Never dwell on the sad stuff. What can you expect out of life? A rollercoaster of love and hate, forgiveness and sorrow, and joy and melancholy. The highs will be very high, and the lows will be extremely low. When my time comes, I won’t fight, I will embrace death with open arms as so many before me have and haven’t. Why fear death when that’s just taking time away from living?