The Number of Years

Ya just never know, a wise man often said.  As for the number of years we each have on this mortal coil, that's surely the truth.

Before I leave on an airplane trip, I often wax philosophical about mortality, especially since, in Miami, it's too hot to wax your own car.

I realized how silly it is, as my daily drives on I-95 are a far greater cause of death than a 737 to Philly, but I guess it's the lack of control while flying that somehow makes it scarier.  Ha. As if -- any of us truly had control when the Big Man decides to act or not.

Wifey and I had to drive over to the Gables this am, to continue the almost comically complicated process of converting some investment accounts from Merrill Lynch "Advisory" to "Edge" which you handle yourself.  As we left, I asked her what she thought the Ds' lives would be like if we had a "Sully" -like experience this trip but without Captain Sully.  She shut me down right away -- my dark and strange obsession with early death -- but I carried on the conversation a bit.  We concluded the Ds would be just fine -- we've given them a fine foundation for adulthood, and, well American Airlines's insurance carriers would make the finances rosy.  Or rosier...

My partner and friend Stu's Dad Bill works most days.  He's nearing 82.  He walks hunched over, and tells us he feels every day of his long life.  Others say they feel young, but look to the rest of the world like they're old as fuh...

My friend Jeff's Dad would have turned 80 today.  He died a few months ago.  He always said he planned on a VERY long life -- both of his parents made it to their mid 90s.  That was not the hand he was dealt...

Still, today I bought tickets to see U2 in June, and went ahead and renewed my Canes tickets for next Fall -- so I guess I really DO plan on being around awhile longer.

Hell -- my urologist who I'll call Bob, since that's his name (nickname: "He with ENORMOUS finger") said my prostate was stable -- I only need to see him once a year, instead of every 6 months -- so I got that going for me.

And most importantly, on the future plate, is the Big Fat Colombian wedding we're having for D1 in September.  Even my 92 year old suegra plans on being around for that one...

Wifey and I are both having buyer's remorse about this Philly trip.  Our friends' daughter is getting married, and since we missed her sister's ceremony, Wifey feels we need to attend this one.  Weather in Philly is going to be miserable -- freezing rain, maybe an ice storm.  But I figure we'll have a few laughs, and tales to tell.  The groom is Israeli -- I met him once, and he knows, apparently, all there is to know about, well, everything.  So that'll be good for some tales to bring home to the 305.

And, if  by some freak of fate, my whistling past the graveyard backfires, and we don't return, well, then all I can say is:  we had one hell of a time, and it's a wonderful life.