Tod und Verklärung on a human scale

Terrible things happen: the people we love most, and those that we especially admire, sicken and die; our highly competent bodies are overwhelmed by an avalanche of painful disabilities and disfigurements (I can no longer play the piano or assemble collages, among many other things). But it’s possible to cope with these disasters — not with the blaring of trumpets in resurrection, but in the more modest unfolding of loss, longing, and resolution: Tod und Verklärung on a human scale. In this posting, I’ll wander through several examples from my current life, starting with some things I see out of my big window here at Avant. Loss, longing, and resolution. Unpacked in more detail, as a narrative: — loss and lamentation — longing for the lost thing — resolution: appreciating the value of the lost thing (plus a certain amount of wonder that you once had it) Writing at my worktable, I look down on the traffic on El Camino Real and on the side road El Camino Way, where bicyclists whiz by.…