CORONAVIRUS REFLECTIONS

Unless you are very rich, being retired means living in a rut: not knowing when you are going to pass away, and as a result, not knowing how much to spend so that your savings will last. So, when a crisis starts expanding its ugly shadow, those of us who have savings in the stock market start looking right and left for advice. So, one recent evening I called a long-time friend who is very cautious with his spending habits and asked him what he would do at my place. His answer was short and sweet: “Sit tight.” My answer was also very concrete: “Unfortunately, I don’t have many years to wait for the market to go up.” After the conversation ended, I suddenly felt a deep sadness envelop my whole being; the shadow of death had suddenly become a reality. I was surprised because I always thought that I was not afraid of dying; and I wasn’t. However, the conversation with my friend made me realize that death does not only mean to lose one’s life; most importantly it means to let go of all the people we have met in this long journey. In my case, when I leave this earth I will have to let go of my school mates, with whom I spent a fantastic youth; all those people I met in my trips around the world, with whom I enjoyed beautiful landscapes and intimate talks; some very good friends, a few, that I love like brothers and sisters; partners with whom I shared meaningful itineraries; books that have taught me so many of the secrets of this mysterious existence; pets that have shared with me their unending loyalty; and the memories of those who were my teachers in this life. My son? My son is a different story because I will never leave him.