Momentarily Remembering

As I was reading the daily province in Richmond, BC, I leafed by the obituaries. It was an opportunity to remember, not the people on the pages I had no ties to, but that this a part of what remains when I "depart". How do I want to be remembered?

It was interesting reading about people through the lens of others and their biases about the person "they loved there family" "they always stopped to pet dogs" "they were always kind". Some generic, some telling me very little about who the person -- beyond it being someone I wouldn't mind sharing a reading table with at a cafe.

Always with "great sadness" "you are forever in our hearts" -- we get attached. We hold on to things. We are nostalgic about the good times, forgetting about the bad times. As a struggling optimist, I do appreciate the focus on the positive sentiments of person now passed.

It's hard not to get trapped in the allure of what could have been, the glow of idealistic intentions. While we all fall short in one way because we can't be everything to everyone,  I love the intention of these short write ups. Too often we dwell on the what ifs, how we should have done things, where we are headed. These "remembering's" in the classifieds remind me to shift my focus. Life is fleeting. Don't get caught up in what you can't control. Remember what I am living for. Maybe I won't be remembered for what I really loved, contributed or maybe I will. But at least I can enjoy the time I do have left.

Now, to find the Olympic highlights in this daily paper....