I learned recently that a dear friend from college lost her husband after 35 years of marriage. I never knew her when they weren’t married. When I heard I was understandably struck with sadness for her. But what is less definable is the low grade terror I’ve been walking around with since then. $)%# happens. And as we get older, the chances of scary, $)%#-y things happening increases. Our parents die, we lose our jobs, our health declines, our spouses die. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. How do we balance the joy and adventure and life we still have yet to live with the scary, $)%#-y, inevitable stuff of getting older? We just do. We just hold out our arms and keep our balance as best we can. And have faith that if we fall, someone or something will be there to catch us.

On the Fence carynjune