obituaries and such

at the risk of sounding morbid, i'm fascinated by obituaries. i read them in the local paper, and i'm a dedicated Time magazine obit follower. besides your epitaph (which means "on the gravestone" in Greek), it's the only public writing of your life that will probably ever be. kind of tragic in a way, but true nonetheless.

i always feel bad for the little old ladies with amazing names that have nothing written about them except for their date of death and the names of their children. i think everyone should write their obit before they die, and include a story that epitomizes their experience in life.

this idea of peoples' stories also intrigues me. a few years ago my dad read a few chapters of the book Blue Highways to me (yeah, my dad reads to me sometimes. it's awesome). i liked it because ordinary people got their stories published. stories about famous people tire me after awhile, because i don't find them as inspiring. when i find out that everyday people have done amazing things, it gives me much more hope than when i find out that winston churchill did sweet things. (no offense to winston churchill.. he's a neat guy). i've started talking to people at my church, asking them about various stories i heard mentioned in passing. it's one of my dreams to write a book of peoples' stories, and i hope i get the chance to some day.