One of my oldest friends is dying

[treesha]

How special that you had time with him and also his family. Im sure they all appreciate your presence and support. Losing longtime friends is hard! About 6 months ago a friend of mine for decades went missing on a solo wilderness short hike without a trace. Experienced lifelong outdoorsy guy backpacker hiker, knew the area very well, a true mystery. I never knew a person who vanished, it is a different loss than a “regular” death and probably a bit more troubling with a strange sort of mysterious drawn out grief.  I have learned missing people is more common than I ever could’ve imagined. His family collected his things, tons of books and albums. RIP to our friends and peace to those who grieve them. 

[bitflipper]

I still remember the first time that somebody I knew died. We were 16. He fell while doing a dare-ya stunt at a construction site. That's when I disabused myself of the teenage delusion of immortality.