Life or Death

He knew this place was a life or death opportunity. Hate it. Love the friends. How do you hate a place, stay where there are no walls, and go back willingly, and in the end say the experience was the right thing? I think I know; you know it's this or die and you want to live. Aaron wanted to live. He died. Some of his friends live to the death of drugs. When evil seeps into the community the death it spreads doesn't always require a hearse.

Seven years ago we spent a few August Days in Bend with Aaron. A final family gathering. When we checked out of the hotel we had no way of knowing it was the last. Death doesn't end the ache of addiction, it transfers the pain to the living in grief.

Inconveniences and Problems

Life is inconvenient. It has a way of getting in the way of my well planned and unplanned days. A phone call is how life typically announces itself. Regardless of the ring tone, a noise where there was none cuts into peace--even if that peace was only tolerance of some other inconvenience.

When I am at my best, I live life aware of the difference between inconvenience and problem. When I'm stuck in traffic its an inconvenience for me. The people involved in the wreck which snarled the traffic have problems. My expectations are directly related to my annoyance with inconveniences. I have the ability to choose my attitude toward inconveniences. Problems may trigger emotions which require attention, but my emotions can be checked against my intentions when inconveniences arise. I know the difference. I've had a problem and I've been inconvenienced.