“I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.” – Will Rogers

I do not watch or listen to network news of any type. Life is too short to give that drivel any of whatever time I have left. Sports and local weather gets my viewing time. We read the Karnes City paper for Eagleford news and puzzles. I have become very comfortable with my narrowed focus.

Sports – Weather – Eagleford. Ahhhhhhh……..life is so sweet and simple.

Without really realizing it, several years ago my eyes began to stray to another section of the paper. I cannot state unequivocally that this was a conscious choice. I was drawn like a moth to a flame. It seemed as a rite of passage at 65.

The OBITUARIES. The final, written eulogy for each of us. The tolling of the bell. The final score card. The Coup De Grace if you are so lucky. The only real state of ataraxia. The great desinence.

I confess. I read the obits. Religiously. Moreover, gleefully because I am not in them.

This seems like bizarre behavior to me. Am I weird? Indeed, is there something wrong with me? Do others engage in voyeurism this selcouth?

If I lived in or even had a hometown somewhere reading the obits would be like checking up on your neighbors. Understandable behavior albeit somewhat intrusive.

However, I do not have a hometown. I am not from around here. I am a gypsy. I move around a lot. I do not know these people. Why should I care who died and when? I should not. So why do I read the obits?

Probably some form of morbid curiosity motivates me. This I know for sure:

I check the age at death and the cause. These are facts, as they relate to the entire population that affect my life. They become a statistical measuring rod with which I can determine whether I am beating the odds.

I also look for WWII vets. A dozen years ago there were quite few of them in the obits. Not so much anymore. A whole generation is passing away.

“The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.” – Will Rogers