I’ve often heard it said that people gain perspective when a loved one dies, but having had that experience this past weekend, I don’t think that’s accurate.
Rather, it’s a reaction to the fact that a catastrophic event has just blasted into smithereens every ounce of your soul’s psychic energy at the rate of about 1,000 metric tons per second. You are simply unable to care about whether a waiter botched an order or someone gave you the evil eye because you have been depleted of the ability to do so.
In other words, the so-called perspective isn’t wisdom, but exhaustion.
My best friend left this mortal coil after a year and a half long battle with cancer. I suspect that it wasn’t cancer that killed her but dehydration: unable to eat or drink, she literally wasted away.
Although there’s a lot to say, I’m not able yet to write much more about this right now so will post about my experience in New Orleans over the last four days, or something similar.