Last Furlough

Everybody has experienced disappointment in love. Remember the electric shock, the pernicious adrenalin rush when you get that  long dreaded or perhaps, even worse, not expected message. For some in long relationships, which require unraveling, both emotionally and economically, the final parting can take time. Depending on whether there are discreet attempts to let the partner, who is being left, make a gentle landing, the interim between a separation and divorce can end up taking years. Most people don’t possess the wisdom or the patience to endure such losses. However, if you look at life as a finite matter then you might accept losing someone you love. You might allow yourself to enjoy the last few years or even months with him or her, since these are a lifetime in microcosm. If there were any hope for reconciliation, it would lie in following this kind of path. Yet such losses are also training for more ultimate situations. Let’s say you know that you're mortally ill and only have months left to live, you can either complain bitterly about your lot, barely concealing your hatred and envy for those who are not similarly afflicted, or you can live each day as if it were forever. Even though medical science has made enormous strides in increasing longevity, there's always going to be a point where the finishing line is within sight. The question is: can you take those last steps in your stride?