Fools of Time

"Time makes fools of us all" (stolen with admiration from someone wittier than i)

I recently learned that a family member has been struggling with cancer, has gone through all the treatments they have available, and is at a point wherein they are what appears to be a holding pattern awaiting death.  It's been a slow-burn of an impact for me - I was notified in parts a few times in the past week (as the information was disseminated over several days) and one of the biggest impacts is ironically something I used to actually value - distance away from family.

One of the things I was always nudged to do growing up was to "visit".  We'd have company or family over and a parent would tell me to go "visit".  I begrudged every moment - it took me away from clearly more important things like video games, books, sleeping, or whatever odd alternative preference I had at the time.  At the time, I did not see the value in all these earnest, open people had and I selfishly presumed that my assessment was simply true.

So, on the heels of learning about my cancer-ridden family member, I'm going to commit August 2015 (which starts in two days) to re-connection.  The idea is simple: I acquire and snail-mail one letter per day to a different family members.  I've got enough family that I can write 31 letters and never use the same address - though I will have to dig up some.  I intend to submit the letters as posts - perhaps accompanying each with pictures of the closed envelope - and documenting the result.

Hopefully I'll get a little snapshot into these people's lives, and perhaps they'll want to continue the dialog.  Perhaps, alternatively, they'll want me to Facebook-friend them instead - thinking the paper letter archaic.  Or perhaps they'll unleash a torrent of frustration that this is the first time I've written them in 40 years.

I have been something of a fool for 40 years.  Perhaps some of it can be recovered.