Vanity of Life and Death

 Am I vain for wondering how many people would attend my funeral?

This question occurred to me earlier this week, immediately on the heels of another question: if I were to suddenly die, how many people would attend my funeral? My mind has a tendency to go to dark and often unfortunate places, which is where this particular line of thinking originates from. And yet, it is a line of thinking I cannot (or perhaps WILL not) let go of, at least not right away.

In the summer of 2022, I attended the pre-funeral visitation for an old classmate of mine. And when I say old classmate, I mean that when were in the same class from K-8th grade. It was jarring. He was only thirty, and yet there he was, dead. Many, many people were also in attendance for the visitation, and I think that that is where all of this stems from.

We make our way through life, touching the lives of others, either for good or ill. How many? How many would mourn your passing? How many would even remember you?