Choices
It was an emotional day yesterday at the burial. My uncle was the oldest relative, and had been having problems with his health for a while, including several surgeries over the last year. It was not unexpected, but no less sad. He was a good and simple man. I here and there envy him for the way he lived his life, but my path is a different one. My uncle was lain to rest next to my aunt, who died in 1999. I was good to see my family again, tho I would have preferred it over the traditional Sinterklaas we always do december 5th for as long as I can remember.
Near the grave of my aunt and uncle is the coolest grave, ever - in between of rows of white and grey stone is a see-through headstone with a single, brilliantly coloured image. If you ever walk on Waalhoven you can't miss it - it is right at the start, and really stands out. It is the grave of one of my classmates. He was also called Sander and after graduating he we both went to the same school to get the same ICT education. He was a bit of a man's man, but we both shared a passion for computer generated graphics so we talked about that a lot. He made the image that is decorating his headstone himself, though it was never planned as such. On a cold day his car got into a spin on a patch of ice and flew off the road. End of line.
It made an impression. I was a serious student. Got through school with hard work and few social engagements. While I did hang with classmates I did not have much of a social life and that suited me just fine. I played Warhammer a lot and that was pretty much it. I had some vagually defined future plans that involved a university degree and a good job, but not much more that that. But that day I made a conscious choice to life.
There are many paths through life, and choosing one does not invalidate others. Over the years I'd seen many friends, nephews, nieces and others choose theirs or simply sailing through life in their own way. Some have chosen business life, others family, others became ex-pats. But I made this choice. Work to life, spend my free time on hobbies and friends. Do it responsibly, yes, but life first. Have space to spend on passions. That is not to say that it had been easy these last few years. Such a choice has consequences. I've tried to keep making responsible choices, and those logical choices have at one point or another made it difficult on me, too. It is not an effortless road, and sometimes I wish I had more flexibility. But by and large, I can live with it.
It is not so much 'life today, for tomorrow you may be dead', but 'if your life flashes before your eyes, be sure it is worth seeing again'.
Anyway. So here is some free insight (tm). Don't spend it all in one place.
Near the grave of my aunt and uncle is the coolest grave, ever - in between of rows of white and grey stone is a see-through headstone with a single, brilliantly coloured image. If you ever walk on Waalhoven you can't miss it - it is right at the start, and really stands out. It is the grave of one of my classmates. He was also called Sander and after graduating he we both went to the same school to get the same ICT education. He was a bit of a man's man, but we both shared a passion for computer generated graphics so we talked about that a lot. He made the image that is decorating his headstone himself, though it was never planned as such. On a cold day his car got into a spin on a patch of ice and flew off the road. End of line.
It made an impression. I was a serious student. Got through school with hard work and few social engagements. While I did hang with classmates I did not have much of a social life and that suited me just fine. I played Warhammer a lot and that was pretty much it. I had some vagually defined future plans that involved a university degree and a good job, but not much more that that. But that day I made a conscious choice to life.
There are many paths through life, and choosing one does not invalidate others. Over the years I'd seen many friends, nephews, nieces and others choose theirs or simply sailing through life in their own way. Some have chosen business life, others family, others became ex-pats. But I made this choice. Work to life, spend my free time on hobbies and friends. Do it responsibly, yes, but life first. Have space to spend on passions. That is not to say that it had been easy these last few years. Such a choice has consequences. I've tried to keep making responsible choices, and those logical choices have at one point or another made it difficult on me, too. It is not an effortless road, and sometimes I wish I had more flexibility. But by and large, I can live with it.
It is not so much 'life today, for tomorrow you may be dead', but 'if your life flashes before your eyes, be sure it is worth seeing again'.
Anyway. So here is some free insight (tm). Don't spend it all in one place.