BE ALERT

I didn't know Charlie Stockley, but he was a friend of a friend and he died on Christmas Eve at the age of 38 - SF Chronicle. He had cystic fibrosis and desperately needed a lung transplant that tragically didn't arrive in time. Hearing about children's deaths always gets to me, but there something even more cutting hearing about a peers death, a stronger reminder of my own mortality. His site, that my friend Kyra, made to update people on Charlie's condition now reads:

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Charlie Stockley on the night of December 24th. As we search for meaning in this terrible loss, we fervently believe that Charlie's courageous battle with Cystic Fibrosis has inspired countless people to register as the organ donors that someday might save the lives of others in his situation. Although Charlie didn't receive the lungs he so desperately needed, we know he would be happy if only one person was helped by his struggle. Charlie's family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude for the love, prayers and support that sustained them during this difficult ordeal and demonstrated how many lives were touched by this remarkable man. If you are thinking of sending commemorative flowers for the family, instead please honor Charlie's memory either by registering as an organ donor or making a contribution to any chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We welcome and appreciate any words/thoughts you have in our guest book below, too.

I had already registered as an organ donor, but this is another reminder that gifting our organs can save real lives and the whole thing is a reminder how tenuous all our lives our. So please, if you haven't done so yet, consider registering as an organ donor.

At lunch this week, I got a fortune that read "Opportunity only comes along once. Be alert". There's a lot of truth in that and really there no time for clinging to the sadness we collect in our lives. And obviously I'm referring to other stuff that is going on in my life, but at the same time we need to have patience for things to take the time it does and not push our experiences away. The dialectical tension between sucking the marrow out of life and finding the patience for life's tiny changes is one I'm quite familiar with and no closer to any definitive answers. Ah, the process of constantly finding the balance as life swings around us...