Our cohort is thinning. We watch as icons, friends, and family of our generation die. So many of us have already lost our parents, and our grandparents have been consigned to our memories for years.
PHOTOGRAPH BY SAPPINGTON TODD—GETTY IMAGES/BLOOMIMAGE RF
It is a natural process but a sobering one. Our days may still be many, but the time ahead of us is far shorter than the time we have already lived.
We are of a particular generation, us boomers. We who live on reflect on our mortality and what our lives will mean to those who will continue after we are gone.
A friend of mine used to joke that he read the obituary first thing in the paper, and if he didn’t see his name, he knew it would be a good day. Gallows humor perhaps, but now is the time to ensure the gift that is the remainder of our lives is lived well. What do we have yet to accomplish? Have we been faithful to our ideals, and what amends must we make for the times we did not?
What will we leave behind to those we love? Will they remember us as unique parts of their lives, filled with experiences of beautiful times together? Now is the time to reach out to them and make our time together memorable- it is a gift for us both.