Years ago I heard Garrison Keillor bemoaning the banality of American life. "All you need to know about someone is that they live down the street from a Blockbuster's, eat at McDonald's and watch the Super Bowl." At least it went something like that. To be truthful, all I can remember is the part about Blockbuster's, which is amusing since that commercial enterprise is now just a memory. In a way, I admire people who are satisfied staying in the same job for three decades or the same town for their entire lives. That's just not me. I suppose I get bored too easily. I like change and travel and new hobbies. I'm fascinated by people who stepped up to the plate and swung for the fence, whether they struck out or hit a homer. Here's an obit for Barney Conrad, described as "novelist, diplomat, club owner who hung out with Sinatra and was gored by a bull in Spain." What a life!
And yes, I do read a lot of obituaries. I don't think it's unhealthy.
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