The answer

Why don’t people off themselves by age 75, depressed from watching people die? Because your kind authoress here forgot something quite important.

Because we also watch people LIVE.

Babies are born, kids grow, and we get to see the tired and weary things about our world made Technicolor-new by viewing it through their eyes. Holidays regain their luster and excitement. The pile of leaves that I ignore as I walk by it alone once again becomes a tempting lure when a young one comes near. Although I grew tired of it 20 years ago, somewhere else there is a kid who thinks staying up for the entire Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon is a Herculean feat that s/he can master. A mundane Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinner is another, younger person’s favoritist meal ever.

And so your humble authoress has realized that while she will always be solemn when people pass, she needs to spend much more time choosing to pay attention to LIFE and those who LIVE it.

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Speaking of totally dead things… 😉

NaNo? I still have 3K words in. My story, although it races in my brain, goes nowhere when I sit at my keyboard. I’m not quitting…but the chances of winning are slim. Very.

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We attempted to make Martha Stewart’s “Perfect Chocolate Cake.” We started a little after 7, and I’m still not done. FIVE HOURS?!?! The frosting isn’t whipping like it should…because it’s still freaking warm even though we finished cooking it over 3 hours ago. Tempted to wrap the unfrosted cake up in foil, cover the frosting, and finish tomorrow. All told, we’ve used four bowls, 2 pans, and the mixer bowl twice.

This cake? Better be so damn good it knocks me into a chocolate-induced coma of happy dreams tomorrow.

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Back to ‘work’ while I’m waiting for the frosting ganache to cool. I’m writing my part of our Operational Plan for 2006. Due end-of-day tomorrow. And although it’s written in my head…I’ve just started to let it tumble out on paper.