“The problem with life is that it doesn’t last as long as death.” That was actually my senior quote. I did not opt for the oft-used John Mellencamp quote of , “Hold onto sixteen as long as you can / Changes come around real soon make us women and men.” Nope, I wasn’t even sixteen anymore, so that quote would have been depressing. I also thought about using a quote similar to my father’s college quote: “My Utopia -- me on a tropical island with only women.” His quote was a lot like that, really.
I wanted to write something fun for my senior quote, but I also felt like it had to be memorable. I ended up with something that was not very funny and likely forgettable, but it came from me and not someone else. I think it’s the best senior quote that I’ve seen… just because it’s mine. And you can see the truth in it. Death does last much longer than life, whether you believe in life after (in) death or not. The other truth is that I want that life to last as long as possible.
My friend Jason died less than a month after I turned in my senior quote. Some people who read the yearbook may think I wrote it in spite of him. I remember the night my sister called and told me he was dead. That’s a weird thing, hearing your friend died over the phone. I couldn’t go to the funeral. Sure, everyone from school thought I went, but I just couldn’t. Instead of going, I went to Clovernook Park where we played baseball together. That’s where he was for me, not in some Mahogany box.
Another friend played football for Custer. After our game against that team senior year, I looked for him on the field, but I just couldn’t find him. I eventually gave up and figured he had quit, even though he was one of their best players. Anyhow, I was in this bowling league with a guy named Joe who also played for Custer. I asked him where Tim was, since I couldn’t find him at the game. “He’s dead,” was the answer I got. It’s not a very nice feeling to hear that when you’re bowling. I don’t remember what my score was.