Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze died yesterday and he was only 57 years old. That is younger than my parents which kind of scares the hell out of me. I kind of start to panic when I realize that the people I love are truly mortal. Somehow it's easier to think of them as immortal or to think that I will be gone before them so that I do not have to deal with their passings. I'm a bit of a coward in that respect.

Cancer is such a vicious disease. It's horrible to think that some people are diagnosed and then basically have the sword of Damocles hanging over their head. Knowing that death is imminent but never entirely sure exactly when it will strike. I must say that I thank god every day that my father's cancer has not come back.

For all accounts, Patrick Swayze seemed like a really nice guy. He loved his wife completely, which in my book is the ultimate mark of a good man. His movies may not have been great but they made a lot of people happy.

I cannot count how many times I have seen Dirty Dancing. When I was a kid, I used to watch the Time of Your Life end dance sequence over and over again. I will still stop and watch every time that it is on TV.

The world has lost a very cool person.