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 The Fourth Tuesday We Talk About Death

(excerpt from Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom)

"Let's bei! ith this idea#" Morrie said$ "%&eryo!e k!os they're oi! to die# but

!obody belie&es it$" e as i! a busi!esslike mood this Tuesday$ The subect as

death# the rst item o! my list$ *efore + arri&ed# Morrie had scribbled a fe !otes o!

small hite pieces of paper so that he ould!'t foret$ is shaky ha!driti! as

!o i!decipherable to e&eryo!e but him$ +t as almost Labor Day# a!d throuh the

o,ce i!do + could see the spi!ach-colored hedes of the backyard a!d hear the

yells of childre! playi! do! the street# their last eek of freedom before school

bea!$

*ack i! Detroit# the !espaper strikers ere eari! up for a hue holiday

demo!stratio!# to sho the solidarity of u!io!s aai!st ma!aeme!t$ .! the pla!e

ride i!# + had read about a oma! ho had shot her husba!d a!d to dauhters as

they lay sleepi!# claimi! she as protecti! them from "the bad people$" +!/alifor!ia# the layers i! the .$ 0$ 1impso! trial ere becomi! hue celebrities$

ere i! Morrie's o,ce# life e!t o! o!e precious day at a time$ 2o e sat toether#

a fe feet from the !eest additio! to the house3 a! oxye! machi!e$ +t as small

a!d portable# about k!ee-hih$ .! some !ihts# he! he could!'t et e!ouh air to

sallo# Morrie attached the lo! plastic tubi! to his !ose# clampi! o! his !ostrils

like a leech$ + hated the idea of Morrie co!!ected to a machi!e of a!y ki!d# a!d +

tried !ot to look at it as Morrie spoke$

"%&eryo!e k!os they're oi! to die#" he said aai!# "but !obody belie&es it$ +f e

did# e ould do thi!s di4ere!tly$"

1o e kid oursel&es about death# + said$

"5es$ *ut there's a better approach$ To k!o you're oi! to die# a!d to be prepared

for it at a!y time$ That's better$ That ay you ca! actually be more i!&ol&ed i! your

life hile you're li&i!$"

o ca! you e&er be prepared to die6

"Do hat the *uddhists do$ %&ery day# ha&e a little bird o! your shoulder that asks#

7+s today the day6 Am +ready6 Am + doi! all + !eed to do6 Am + bei! the perso!

+a!t to be6' "

e tur!ed his head to his shoulder as if the bird ere there !o$

"+s today the day + die6" he said$

Morrie borroed freely from all reliio!s$ e as bor! 0eish# but became a!

a!ostic he! he as a tee!aer# partly because of all that had happe!ed to him

as a child$ e e!oyed some of the philosophies of *uddhism a!d /hristia!ity# a!d

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he still felt at home# culturally# i! 0udaism$ e as a reliious mutt# hich made him

e&e! more ope! to the stude!ts he tauht o&er the years$A!d the thi!s he as

sayi! i! his !al mo!ths o! earth seemed to tra!sce!d all reliious di4ere!ces$

Death has a ay of doi! that$

"The truth is# Mitch#" he said# "o!ce you lear! ho to die# you lear! ho to li&e$"

+ !odded$

"+'m oi! to say it aai!#" he said$ ".!ce you lear! ho to die# you lear! ho to

li&e$" e smiled# a!d +reali8ed hat he as doi!$ e as maki! sure + absorbed

this poi!t# ithout embarrassi! me by aski!$ +t as part of hat made him a ood

teacher$

Did you thi!k much about death before you ot sick# + asked$

"2o$" Morrie smiled$ "+as like e&eryo!e else$ + o!ce told a frie!d of mi!e# i! a

mome!t of exubera!ce# 7+'m o!!a be the healthiest old ma! you e&er met9'

" o old ere you6

"+! my sixties$"

1o you ere optimistic$

"Why !ot6 Like + said# !o o!e really belie&es they're oi! to die$"

*ut e&eryo!e k!os someo!e ho has died# + said$ Why is it so hard to thi!k about

dyi!6

"*ecause#" Morrie co!ti!ued# "most of us all alk arou!d as if e're sleepalki!$

We really do!'t experie!ce the orld fully# because e're half-asleep# doi! thi!s

e automatically thi!k e ha&e to do$"

A!d faci! death cha!es all that6

".h# yes$ 5ou strip aay all that stu4 a!d you focus o! the esse!tials$ Whe! you

reali8e you are oi! to die# you see e&erythi! much di4ere!tly$

e sihed$ "Lear! ho to die# a!d you lear! ho to li&e$"

+ !oticed that he :ui&ered !o he! he mo&ed his ha!ds$ is lasses hu! arou!dhis !eck# a!d he! he lifted them to his eyes# they slid arou!d his temples# as if he

ere tryi! to put them o! someo!e else i! the dark$ +reached o&er to help uide

them o!to his ears$

"Tha!k you#" Morrie hispered$ e smiled he! my ha!d brushed up aai!st his

head$ The slihtest huma! co!tact as immediate oy$

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"Mitch$ /a! + tell you somethi!6" .f course# + said$

"5ou miht !ot like it$" Why !ot6

"Well# the truth is# if you really liste! to that bird o! your shoulder# if you accept that

you ca! die at a!y timethe! you miht !ot be as ambitious as you are$"

+ forced a small ri!$

"The thi!s you spe!d so much time o!-all this ork you do-miht !ot seem as

importa!t$ 5ou miht ha&e to make room for some more spiritual thi!s$"

1piritual thi!s6

"5ou hate that ord# do!'t you6 71piritual$' 5ou thi!k it's touchy-feely stu4$"

Well# + said$

e tried to i!k# a bad try# a!d + broke do! a!d lauhed$

"Mitch#" he said# lauhi! alo!# "e&e! + do!'t k!o hat 7spiritual de&elopme!t'

really mea!s$ *ut + do k!o e're decie!t i! some ay$ We are too i!&ol&ed i!

materialistic thi!s# a!d they do!'t satisfy us$ The lo&i! relatio!ships e ha&e# the

u!i&erse arou!d us# e take these thi!s for ra!ted$"

e !odded toard the i!do ith the su!shi!e streami! i!$ "5ou see that6 5ou

ca! o out there# outside# a!ytime$ 5ou ca! ru! up a!d do! the block a!d o cra8y$

+ ca!'t do that$ + ca!'t o out$ + ca!'t ru!$ + ca!'t be out there ithout fear of etti!

sick$ *ut you k!o hat6 + appreciate that i!do more

tha! you do$"

Appreciate it6

"5es$ + look out that i!do e&ery day$ + !otice the cha!e i! the trees# ho stro!

the i!d is bloi!$ +t's as if + ca! see time actually passi! throuh that

i!dopa!e$ *ecause + k!o my time is almost do!e# + am dra! to !ature like +'m

seei! it for the rst time$"

e stopped# a!d for a mome!t e both ust looked out the i!do$ + tried to see

hat he sa$ + tried to see time a!d seaso!s# my life passi! i! slo motio!$ Morrie

dropped his head slihtly a!d curled it toard his shoulder$

"+s it today# little bird6" he asked$ "+s it today6"