Avicii (...I know. Hella way to start a post after being MIA for longer than a Tyler Perry series!) Anyway, as I was saying, Avicii's song has been playing on repeat on my head.
...One day you'll leave this world behind...
The Nights by Avicii
My grandad passed on recently. We buried him last week. Orada (which in my native language means lion) was 91 and had lived to see three generations. He ran a good race.
Here are a couple of things I learned amidst the tears.
1. Are you Ready?
Ready or not... Here I come
Ready or not by the Fugees
Orada's health had been in the red for a while. A series of strokes coupled with prostrate challenges had seen him become a regular at the hospital. We knew all this and yet, his death still caught us by surprise. We cried rivers. Attempted to pinch ourselves out of our 'dreams' and even questioned his doctor's credentials. To his credit, the good doctor, having seen this scene many times, gracefully embodied his favourite Grey's Anatomy avatar and consoled us to acceptance.
2. It's a short trip, enjoy it.
Where did the time, where did the time go?
Expectations by Wale x 6Lack
Orada's burial gave us a chance to relive his history. We were regaled with tales of his younger days, vicariously relived almost a century through pictures and reflected on his words.
It was interesting for me to see him in his youthful element. Quite a charmer he was! It was even more intriguing to see his metamorphosis into a wheelchair in his final years.
In the day-to-day, it seems like time isn't moving. Yet documented in pictures and words, memories and regrets, life is moving.
3. Sobering Reminder
Dunia tunapita...Binadamu ni mchanga (We are passing this world...Man is soil
Samba Mapangala
We all know we shall die at some point. Yet in between living and trying to make a living, we somehow 'forget' that this is the path for all mortals.
The death of a loved one has a way of shaking you back to this reality. Not just a life but a meaningful life. An intentional life.
As Seneca famously said;
As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.
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