"If you listen without fear..."

"...you find that when he stands close to you, your life becomes a song, a praise. When he touches you, your smallest talents become gold; the most ordinary loves break your heart with their beauty."

That's from a book I just finished called Keturah and Lord Death, by Martine Leavitt. I haven't been able to get this notion of death out of my head. When you hear someone, at a funeral, or in a newspaper article, talk about someone who's just died, doesn't the person who was lost always sound so amazing? I've always been a little cynical about eulogies...of course you're not going to badmouth a dead person in front of all their friends and family. But after reading this book I started to think that maybe only when death is near are we really able to see each other clearly. The only person I've ever lost or been afraid of losing was my grandfather, so I can't say that I have much experience with death. And I wonder if it's possible, without death looking over your shoulder, to see the amazing good in those around you and understand the bad for what it is- fear and ignorance, mostly. And what if we could see ourselves that way?

In other, lighter news, Eric and I are having so much fun training for our triathlon in October. The only thing that has me worried is the swim, which is a 1/2 mile in the ocean. I can run until the sun goes down, and I think I can handle myself on a bike, but I'm just not a swimmer. To be frank, my butt sinks. I have to expend so much energy just to stay on top of the water that moving forward is kind of a bonus at this point. But, that's what it's all about right? If I was already good at everything, then life would be boring. That's what I tell myself in the pool as the eighty-year-old woman in the next lane does flip turns while I cough and sputter at the end of every lap:). I did get a new speedo and goggles for my birthday (thanks K-team!), so maybe that will help. At least I'll look fast. Luckily, elementary backstroke is allowed...