I wrote this one night a few evenings ago before I turned out my light. I don't know why I thought that particular thought. I just did. I wasn't reading anything remotely close to the idea of people passing.
I guess it's true enough though.
When you're younger the first family members who leave are the Grandparents.
The oldest members of the family. It makes sense.
Two Grandparents left in their 70's.
One in her 90's and another in between.
Then, an Uncle. An Aunt. Then another and another.
A four-legged family member.
Another Aunt and Uncle.
Then a couple of friends I went to school with in the 60's.
A fellow work colleague or two.
Closer to home a Father.
More Family Pets including a precious yellow lab who still makes the tears flow five years later.
Then Mum...
In laws.
More friends.
Then, more recently, a cousin and lastly a precious little girl- a mini-schnauzer. ~sniff~
That's just a rough overview but you can see from that list that the final pins are being put in place and in the next 30 years- if I'm that lucky, a huge black bowling ball- with my name on it, will mow down one of those final pins- in my lane of life, me being one of them.
Cripes.
I have often thought about that bowling alley analogy these past few years. When I tell someone they smile, giggle and say they've never quite thought about one's end of days that way.
Yup.
Just one big lane over at the local Bowling Alley.
10 pins- 5 if your a five pin bowler.
Numerous balls and bam!
One can always hope that the Grim Reaper and his crowd are less than professional bowlers and one's "game" could be extended indefinitely.
Overall though, it means there's not that many games left to play. There's been a whack of pins mowed down before me. I'm not even going to start to count them. It would just be too depressing, although sometimes I find myself thinking-
Just 30 more times to decorate the tree, sing Joy to the World and celebrate Christmas Day.
A couple of dozen chances to go out to dinner on a birthday.
Two, maybe three decades of summer days.
Twenty trips to London or Paris.
Well, I could go on but you see what I mean.
One could start to feel quite alone in this big old world but as a famous "Scarlet" said one day into the wind-
"I'll think about that tomorrow- Fiddly-Dee-Dee!"
