RE: Oh dear, you weren't exercising for me...were you?

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Ooh I love this "rant" - so many many tangents to pick up.
I'll start with an "ooh I need to read this" - Lionel Shriver 's The Movement of the Body Through Space ("....an older man who decides to take up running... all he wants to talk about are his runs, and he predictably expects a round of applause after every lap. Much to the chagrin of his wife who, albeit a lifelong runner, has never bought into the trend of running. Sort of ran before it was cool type.")
My kind of author/book:

It pokes great fun at people taking themselves too seriously, and also at how eagerly we latch on to any and every movement, idea or trend in an attempt to define ourselves.

My sister was an addict - running marathons, even at age 61. Suddenly she is dead. Ok, it took several months of horrific pain and struggle (Stage 4 stomach cancer) before she went down at age 62. Even bedridden, she would try to get up and move around. Ever see dogs running in their sleep? She was kinda like that....

Me, I've never been a runner. Bad knees. "Growing pains," doc said when I was 12, but I never outgrew them. Walking will suffice! Running, only in my dreams...

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I'm so sorry to hear that about your sister. My condolences. Can't imagine how frustrating it must've been, for someone to be so active, and suddenly not be able to. Though I do think being physically active is a valuable resource, one that (I imagine and hope) can power you even through illness.

Yes, I heartily recommend Shriver. She is frightfully intelligent and an extremely good novelist. She's the kind of writer who can piss me off how much I disagree with her (she's also a political/social commentator), yet I still have to admit it's usually a flawless write-up.
Her "Should We Stay or Should We go" is also terrific, as is (my personal favorite) "The Post-Birthday World". Really recommend both if you like the notion of alternate realities, and what-if moments.

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Thanks - and I'll add Shriver to my reading list!
Three sisters down, then our dad. So, I escape via fiction, and alternate realities sound great.
Oh those "what-if" moments.
I have to stop going there.
It's hard to shake the idea that it should have been me, not my marathon-running sister.....

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No. Never. Besides, who are you to say how it Should've been? Don't think like that, my friend. It brings no good and they sure as hell wouldn't want you to.

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It's mystifying - who lives healthy yet dies young, and who smokes, drinks, drives without a seatbelt, and lives on and on and on. It's not about merit or purpose. So often, the first to die seem to be the most productive and generous people, parents with young children, volunteers, people with special talents and gifts. This week, one of the really good guys (and extraordinary photographer, WWII fighter pilot, volunteer) died at home on his 101st birthday. A good guy made it -- not just 100 but to 101! Yay!

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But in the same week, a 13-year-old boy died from a sledding accident. His twin sister and his parents burying him in the January snow...

He was also active at home, planting fruit trees with his grandfather, tapping trees and syruping with his family, helping with the chickens, and exploring and taming the land with his dad. He was his dad’s favorite companion. Together they enjoyed hunting, fishing, storm chasing, and observing the stars and sky. Adam was always curious and ready to explore all the world had to offer. He never met a snake, turtle, or toad that he didn’t want to keep as a pet. He never met a Lego set he couldn’t conquer. He aspired to become either an engineer or a paleontologist and had his sights set on attending MIT. He loved his family and spending time with them. Adam enjoyed hearing old stories, learning from his grandparents and great-grandparents.

Nope, it's never fair.

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