Fragile

My college roommate, who was a psychology major, once told me about a spectrum of conversational interest. At one end are things, which are mildly interesting to talk about. In the middle are people, who are more interesting. And at the other end are ideas, which are the most interesting.

I thought about this yesterday when it occurred to me that my blog had been very “thing-focused” for the last few days!

So let’s move on to people. Today’s photo is very appropriate, because I’ve been getting reminders lately about the impermanence of life. Sad reminders, actually.

Last week, one of my coworkers was diagnosed with breast cancer. It appears to have been caught early, but she’s still understandably shaken. She doesn’t yet know how it will be treated, so there’s a lot of uncertainty in her condition right now.

And then, out of the blue, a woman I used to know in Florida, in a town where I once worked, was killed in a car crash on Wednesday. She was a public official, and an extremely competent one -- capable, fair, smart. I always admired her approach to issues and her leadership ability.

I found this especially upsetting, even though I barely knew her, and certainly not much beyond her public roles. I kept thinking about how she got into her car Wednesday evening with no idea what was about to happen.

One minute you’re here, the next, you’re not. Fragile.

(Photo: Bleecker Street, April 2008)