A Reminder of Life's Fragility (Week 5)

"What do you mean you've never read Faulkner?" A woman I struck a conversation with in the row across from me was quite startled at discovering this gaping hole in my literary catalog. Wasting no time, she thrust the text As I Lay Dying into my lap, instantly deciding how I would spend the next 5 hours of my trip. Coming into the text with no expectations, I was quickly introduced to the sharp examination this text performs on the coming of death. I instantly thought of my own mother who is aging beautifully but like any other human, will not live forever. Where would she want to be buried? What does the narrative of her life sound like from her death bed? Are there any regrets? Will I have any regrets on mine? And just like that, I thought about a girl that I've been seeing for a long time. We're trying out the east coast for a while and the first destination is Pittsburgh. I really do love her. Should I marry her? Life is short after all. 25 years young soon became 25 years old and the reality of the brevity of being human came back into focus. This is all thanks to a friendly conversation with my neighbor on the bus and an author I have finally read who goes by the name of William Faulkner.