Phil Ochs wrote a song called "When I'm Gone." Each verse has three lines of things he won't be able to do when he's gone, followed by a fourth line saying "So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here." The lines from his song which most resonate with me are:
Won't see the golden of the sun when I'm gone
And I won't breathe the bracing air when I'm gone
All my days won't be dances of delight when I'm gone
All the pleasures of love will not be mine when I'm gone
My pen won't pour out a lyric line when I'm gone
Won't be asked to do my share when I'm gone
Can't say who's to praise and who's to blame when I'm gone
Is there anything I would add? For me, it's about sun, leaves, trees, oceans, breezes, dancing, family, friends, laughing, children, music, love, and joy. He captures some of those things, and for the rest, I'm not sure I can write lines beautiful enough to go with his.
If I'm lucky, I'm halfway through my life. If I'm not lucky, even less time is left. This is how I want to pass the time while I'm here: in sun, leaves, trees, oceans, breezes, dancing, family, friends, laughing, children, music, love, and joy.
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