We’re all in the same boat.

I think its been said by many well known quotation makers that there is nothing more sure than death and taxes. Well while some be able to get away with not paying the latter, the former is inevitable and unavoidable. A friend has just passed away unexpectedly, who was only in his early sixties. There was no known previous medical history and the medical people tried to save him for half an hour, to no avail. What this sort of sudden death always does is to bring into sharp focus your own mortality, it puts you firmly in your place that despite all the joking , all the bravado, eventually we’re going the same way. I like the old Facebook quote that often comes up: Don’t go to your grave quietly and in full health, slide in kicking and screaming ‘hell, what a ride’ in your knackered worn out shell. It probably has more impact on you if it’s a contemporary who you’ve known for some time, than say your parents or grandparents. But this is not meant to be a downbeat eulogy about death, just an essay on the effect others passing on you.

Yes we all know we’re going to go, some of course make it easy for the grim reaper to wield his sythe, by trying to do themselves in by indulging in dangerous pursuits. Others do by inhaling or ingesting stuff that is definitely not good for you and may hasten your demise. And then some follow all the rules, live healthily, eat sensibly. keep fit, don’t do mountain climbing or whatever and still peg out for no apparent reason. That’s the scary one; we could just drop down and never get up again. At least you wouldn’t know anything about it. I don’t know which I would prefer; as if I had a choice, but peacefully surrounded by your loved ones sounds the best. None of us can predict which way it will be though, and when someone you know passes away suddenly your mortality gene suddenly kicks in and you think about your own lifestyle and loved ones. The devastating part about it is the ones you leave behind in a ‘sudden’. One minute you’re there and the next your’re not with all the heartache and hassle that goes with it.

So this is a tribute to my friend Lez, RIP mate.