Oh crap, he's right. But hear me out.

So SE observed that I follow a blog written by a woman that lost her daughter at 18 months, I have a memoir by an author that lost her son during labor, and some other thing that involves the death of a child. I actually have more: I've read The Book of Calamities, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, and follow Ayelet Waldman's blog. Ayelet and her husband decided to terminate a 2nd trimester pregnancy after discovering a genetic anomaly. Why am I drawn to these stories?

I'm pretty comfortable with my current experience of death. I was there for the last few months and final minutes of someone's life, I watched someone go into atrial fibrillation as their liver was exsanguinated, and I volunteered for pediatric hospice. I think it's the same reason I watched "Intervention." It's proof that people are incredibly resilient. I don't think any of them are the same, but they're surviving, and surviving well. They got pregnant again, gave birth, and emerged with their marriages intact. The worst things can happen to you, and you can still be okay.

I think I often seek guarantees in unlikely places. Life is neither REI nor Nordstrom (though that would be awesome). So in the end it's not so much the tragedy of the above that I focus on, but the rising from the ashes and continuing to live a good life, everyday, and making an effort be happy that I admire.