Birthdays and Death

Yet another birthday came and went. There was one surprise, and a pleasant one at that, my friend in Amsterdam called to say Happy Birthday. She was one day late, but still, she's forgiven.

Today I saw the French film Le temps qui reste (Time to Leave is the international title). It's the story about a man who, when he is only 31, is told that he has cancer and just a few more weeks to live. The film then shows how he spends them. It sounds very gloomy, but the film really wasn't. It wasn't upbeat either, it was pretty sad, but still. He tries to make amends for some things he has done, but he doesn't tell anyone other than his grandmother that he's dying, not even his parents. He keeps it to himself, and in that finds some sort of comfort.

It was impossible, especially as he was as old as I am, not to think about how I would react, and what I would do in his place. I have no idea. It's the same thing about disasters. How would I react during an earthquake, a fire, a war or such things. It's a pity you can't find out without actually experiencing it. I really want to know.