Reading the obits

Until recently, I was never a faithful reader of obituaries. I blame my parents for this. In my 20s and 30s, I hated the “who-just-died” recitations during our weekly phone calls. “Too morbid,” I said, and they were hard pressed to argue.

After losing both my mother and husband in the past year, I must confess I’ve taken to reading the obits. First, I run down the ages and hope the percentages run in my favor. I want to see that mostly people older than me are dying. Then I read the stories.

On the day columnist Robert Novak’s appeared, so did that of a woman a couple years younger than me, Judith Ann Mickley. Novak we know was legend, and I take nothing away from him in saying that I was more inspired by Judith Ann. She rescued animals, loved a dog named Murphy and cats Spook and Sugar, was an “awesome cook” with Christmas cookies that were a “work of art” and (gently, I’m sure) taught her relatives which fork to use for what. Her family said she was a GIVER. All caps. We could all learn a thing or two from Judith Ann.

BTW, in case you are thinking this “Dog Journal” is becoming too morbid, too many entries about death, I will tell you what my parents did when I complained during those weekly calls: “That’s life, kiddo.” This grieving process takes a while. Stay with me on this.

Follow Me

Is Your Life a Balancing Act?

Periodically (but never more than once a quarter), I’ll send subscribers a free electronic newsletter with fun time management tips and resources to bring order out of chaos in your lives, plus a link to my latest column. Just enter your email address below to receive the newsletter by email.

Please wait...

Thank you for sign up!

Contact Pat

For columns and bookings, use the contact form to get in touch.

“Balancing Tips” Newsletter Archives

Pat has issued a number of newsletters with tips and resources for getting your overbooked life back in balance. Click here for copies of past issues that you might find helpful.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *