I'm back after a very eventful vacation. Not quite relaxed or in high spirits, as one would expect after a vacation or at the start of a brand new year.
I thought the worst was the shocking news that my sister and nephew had a narrow escape on a flight that caught fire 30 minutes into their journey on the day we left for home. While we waited for her to land in my home country 5 hours after my flight, we had no idea of the ordeal she went through till much later. To our relief, she arrived safely with junior 10 hours later. She tells me that the experience was the closest to death she ever felt.
In the following days, two of our close relatives passed away. None of the news shocked me or moved me. The day after the funeral of one, we heard of the passing away of my grandfather. At the time, I was suffering from a bad case of the flu and I was getting ready to leave home as my vacation was nearly over so I was not able to "pay my final respects" to him by making the 7-hour drive to his home-town. I also happen to believe that it is a pointless tradition to pay respects to the dead at a funeral with your attendance, unless it is to support the ones left behind during this trying time. I was not even sad or feeling homesick to leave home, as everyone's minds were preoccupied with other issues. Only now that I have settled back here with 2 days of sick leave to rest (for acute bronchitis, as the doctor put it), I can feel the emotions associated with the loss and fond memories of my grandfather returning. His pleasant toothless smile as he rolled his eyes to recall facts and his customary white suit are what stuck with me as the strongest mental images of him.
Life can be so temporary, and yet we strive to live like immortals.
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