The Seven Lives of a Human

Once upon a time there was a cute, towheaded boy living in the deserts of the American Southwest. A curious boy, obsessed with puzzles and chess, but he was also a good boy who almost always pleased his mom.

Like most children, this boy died when he turned into a teenager. Like his body, his curiosity metamorphosed into obsessions, from Dungeons and Dragons to playing jazz and programming computers. He kissed a girl, a couple even, but still thought he was a good boy, even when carelessly, he broke a heart or two.

An obsession with Jesus killed this teenager at the ripe age of nineteen, finding himself on a Mormon mission. His resurrection at his return, filled him with pride. Breaking more hearts, including his own.

As Jesus died, so did this young man. Loosing his religion, he fled to the Pacific Northwest. Hoping to find solace and answers in the moss-covered trees. Obsessions with Buddhism and Tarot and Classical myths, he was happy piling his obsessions around him in stacks.

This man died as well when he fell in love, married and had children. He funneled his obsessions into his family, making chemistry experiments in the basement, building robots, and passing on his trumpet. He was happy and fulfilled. Now his pride was in others.

That man died as well, when his family, like fledglings, flew away. Like the Phoenix shaking the ashes from its feathers, he recognizes the transience of this life. If lucky, this life may last a couple of decades, but how to live this life? To reacquaint myself with myself? Excavate artifacts from past lives? Be a Dungeon Master and spin the old records? No melancholy, only curiosity for this new life.

Most humans, if done right, have seven lives. We may miss the carefree innocence of our childhood, or the excitement of driving our destiny as a young adult, but lives move on. We must enjoy each one. Even the last one with a tired body full of the scars of experience. While slower, we don’t stop living. We may bask in the light of our past, like re-watching beloved movies. We move on, to allow others to live.