16 Responses

  1. Laurie Beeman
    Laurie Beeman at |

    Well, there has been so many people our age who have died so young.
    I, like you, have made it my policy to love living every day, and no regrets!
    You truly don’t know how much time you have, and best to make the most of it.
    My mom lived til she was 91, playing bridge, having a few boyfriends, but
    keeping her independance. She is my inspiration because she was an
    eternal optimist, and was lovely to be around. That optimism is quite infectious!!
    Love your articles Colleen, they truly make us think about life!! and death!!

    Reply
  2. Dora Dueck
    Dora Dueck at |

    I like your montage, also the discussion… (As you may remember, I have a few photos like that in my albums as well!) I understand the dis-ease writing about death connected to travel. Travel is this category in our minds where death is not supposed to happen. Perhaps some of us read travel literature to enter dreams, even illusions. But I like your approach — not sealing it away.

    Reply
  3. Karen
    Karen at |

    Great blog, love all the responses. Fascinating.

    Reply
  4. Tony Owen
    Tony Owen at |

    Death…nice place to visit…would not want to live there!

    Reply
  5. sarah
    sarah at |

    Collen,
    You would like the story I read today in Helen Simpson’s new book of short stories “In Flight Entertainment” about a death in first class. Hope you are well – visit my facebook page for a much edited album of Jon’s san Miguel photos. Lovely – thought you might appreciate some, being a photog yourself – btw, I love these montages of artifacts and found things you front your blog posts with. So, you collect and scrounge as well as write and photograph. Well done!
    cheers,
    Sarah

    Reply
  6. Laurie
    Laurie at |

    My mother’s father died aboard an Air Canada flight returning from Hawaii on his ‘last’ holiday; he had Lobster Thermidor for dinner, a drink, fell asleep and never woke up. We always thought that was a brilliant way to go. Interestingly, amazingly, the woman who has become my friend and bookkeeper worked for Air Canada at that time and was part of the crisis management team for dealing with the airspace issues, landing and plane disembarking, and how it was handled with the passengers and my grandmother; she said it was so memorable she could recall it easily now, some 25 years later! A lot of problem-solving behind the scenes.

    She was shocked when I told her the rest of the story… that the airline called my grama’s house, where all 3 of my uncles were staying, and told my Uncle Norm that their mother had died! They flew into shock, panic, tears, fear (Grandad had end stage emphysema and was self-centred in the extreme)… Norm drove to the airport, barely holding it together, and there was Lillian, reasonably and shockingly cool and collected. I don’t know how they all didn’t vaporize from stress on the spot. Decades later it’s a great family story.

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  7. ruth kozak
    ruth kozak at |

    I think if I am ever to get to Peru and explore the high Andes I would feel it necessary to mention that one should not stay in the high altitudes too long, and cite the incident that happened to a good friend a year ago who was on the trip of her lifetime, visiting all the sites in Peru and on her last posting was in Bolivia, Lake Titicaca before heading by bus down to Santiago Chile. Unfortunately she died of a stroke on the bus before she reached her destination. It was generally believed that she had stayed in the high altitudes far too long!

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  8. Carol Wiebe
    Carol Wiebe at |

    I totally understand.

    Reply

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