A Life Worth Living

It was a different Simon that emerged from the doctor's clinic at 3:10pm on Thursday afternoon. It was a man with the inevitability of death hanging rather too close. With only a month left at most... once endless possibilities seemed to become disturbingly limited. And so three Simon's went their separate ways, each one planning to do something different with their remaining time.

Our first Simon did what anyone would do when they find they're going to die: live a life without consequence. Night after night he partied. Why worry about a hangover when you may just wake up dead the next day. Even 'dangerous' substances like cocaine, guaranteed to ruin someone's life, mean nothing to a life about to be extinguished. And so our first Simon partied; and partied; and partied long after everyone else gave up. But Simon couldn't fill the hole in his heart; and eventually his heart betrayed him. The attack happened at 11:30pm. As Simon lay there, darkness closing in, he realized what a fool he'd been. His dying thought revealed it was true that while all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy; all play makes him a lonely one. And with that our first Simon died alone.

Our second Simon decided to forgive and let live, going out of his way to make peace with those he loved. As he stood at the door the butterflies fluttered around his stomach. One must have got flown up and stuck in his throat when his daughter answered the door. Her face said it all, but Simon managed to get in. After that came the accusations, the blame. The mother was dragged into it to help the opposition. And try as he might, Simon lost the argument before it began. Even the mention of his upcoming death didn't persuade her as he left the house. His attempts to resolve things with his friend ended quicker than expected as the door hit him on the nose. The story repeated elsewhere. Eventually he stood on the beach where he'd first met her, skipping rocks. Times had been better then. It was as the rock sank the heart attack struck him. As he lay there his last thought crossed his mind. While love conquers all, hate is far stronger. Isn't it true that you can love someone for ten years, but hate them for a lifetime? And with that our second Simon, the one that sort redemption and companionship, died alone.

Now we come to the third Simon. The man who realised that he had nothing left to live for was an excuse to get rid of everything. He quickly went to charity events, helping at every moment he could. And it was at one such event that he met her. The woman of his dreams. Thus the last moments of his life were the happiest. For isn't it true that life is worthless without someone to share it with? And when the faithful day came she was there for him as the darkness closed in.

So now we come to the end of our bleak tale of death. The morals of the story? Well some could argue that there are several. But learn from Simon. Embrace every day like it was you last, as it may be. Because if you don't live your life, well, you might as well be dead.

The Blank Page

Ah the white page. The blank, endless canvas. You taunt us; and toy with us. In our heads thousands of possibilities swirl, but you force us to choose one. Just one. There are a million ways this scene could go. Which one is the best one? Should he say this, or that? Move this way, or that? Every little word changes it ever so slightly. Like a butterfly, who flaps its wings to cause a hurricane in China. Or gets stepped on in the past to upset the future. The blank page is like a cloud of butterflies on which we must carefully step on. One line, one movement, one word out of place and the story falls apart ever so slightly. Like taking a block from Jenga. We carefully ease words onto the paper, seeing whether they want to stay there. But that's the problem with the blank page. What should go where? Writers are word smiths, toying with them. Putting them together to make a whole far greater than the individuals. But what if it's the wrong words? History proves that the wrong word, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, can cause the deaths of those rivaled by a hurricane. A writer's job isn't easy. In fact it's incredibly hard. Using only words we must create fictional worlds, fictional stories that make you laugh. That make you cry. Turning the same words you find on any street corner and turning them into masterpieces. The blank page continues to mock, daring writers to write the words. To see what can happen. The blank page is the scariest thing to the writer, but oh so satisfying when filled.