Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Gone too soon

I was brushing my teeth this morning when my dad suddenly blurted out "Sweetheart, patay na yung isa sa mga cowboys." No idea as to who he was referring to, I asked "Sinong cowboy?" "Yung dun sa brokeback mountain," my dad replied.

"Huwaaat? Sino dun? Shyet! Si Jake Gyllenhaal?" I specifically said Jake's name because I didn't want for Heath Ledger to die so soon. Then my dad said "Hindi, yung si Ledger." My heart skipped a beat.

Actor Heath Ledger dies at 28.

I know we're not related (well, we should have been if he didn't pass away so early hahaha), but I was really devastated when I heard the sad news. To quote Mel Gibson, his co-star in the movie The Patriot, "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."

Gone too soon.

Truth is, I always get scared when someone young or younger than me passes away. Morbid thoughts cross my mind and I always end up thinking "what if it was me?" I'm afraid to die - there I said it! I'm not ready to leave this world yet. I have so many things I want to do, so many experiences for me to take part of. I have to ask forgiveness from a lot of people, and at the same time, I have a lot of love & happiness to share. I can't leave just yet.

Having said that, I also don't want for people I love to leave so soon. I've experienced the pain of losing a loved one when my mom passed away almost 4 months after I turned 7 years old. I didn't really feel the impact of her passing away until I think I was in high school already. Sure, my dad, brothers and sister were there for me, but it was different not having a mom. I can imagine what Heath's daughter, Mathilda, will go through when she grows up.

Life and death - both are difficult to master. Life, you want to experience more, death, you try to avoid. And yet, when you explore life, this may actually lead you to your death. How ironic.

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