Death on a Sidewalk

Today seemed like a pretty ordinary day at first. I slept in, took Majerle for a walk on the beach, did some reading at a nearby cafe, watched a few episodes of Arrested Development.

Late in the afternoon we decided to buy some produce at one of the outdoor markets downtown to fill our empty fridge. On our way there, we chatted about restaurants we'd like to eat at this week, the recent Coyotes victory over the Red Wings, the wind surfers I saw out in the sea today, regular stuff.

Then I noticed an unusual gathering of people on the street across from the Cathedral. And then I saw a man's lifeless body laying on the sidewalk near a bus stop, with a blanket covering his head and torso, but tattooed arms and legs remaining in view. Here laid the body of a deceased man. A few police officers stood near the body, visiting causally with each other.

We stopped for a moment to take in the fact that a man was lying footsteps away from us, dead. There was no blood and seemingly no urgent pursuit of a criminal, so we assumed that this was a natural death of sorts. There were a few blocks of cheese on the ground surrounding the man's head, so like us, perhaps he too had just decided to go buy some groceries.

As we walked towards the market, our demeanor having drastically changed, our dinner plans didn't seem so important. After we bought a few items, we again passed the bus stop just ten minutes later. The body was gone, the police officers were gone, and most of the people gathered had dispersed.

I was present in the hospital room when my grandpa died 12 years ago. Since then I have not been in such close proximity with a death. This was on my mind for much of the day afterwards, but really life just went on, back to planning our dinner and evening. But for awhile today, that man's death affected a lot of people. While the rest of us go on with our lives, surely he leaves behind family and friends who will be forever affected.

Part of the experience today makes me wonder what I am doing so far away from home and from my family, but I'm also reminded that I'm here because I'm trying to make the most of this short life while I can.