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An Empty Seat at the Super Bowl
[Here's one to all of you looking forward to Super Bowl weekend.]
A man was having a great time at the Super Bowl, having been able to score a couple of great seats for him and his buddy, but at the cost of a small fortune. During the first half of the game, he couldn't help but notice a few rows ahead of him an old man sitting next to an empty seat.
At halftime, his curiosity got the better of him. He walked down to ask the old man about the seat that remained vacant.
"Hi, sir, I can't help but notice this empty seat next to you. I mean, it's the Super Bowl. What's that about?"
The old man looked up at him and smiled. "That, sir, is the seat reserved for my wife. You see, she just passed away."
The man nodded politely. "I see. I understand. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," the old man replied.
"But I can't help but ask," the man continued. "Don't you have any other family or close friends who could have used the ticket for such an important event?"
The old man looked up at him again. "Well, yeah," he replied, "but they're all at the funeral...."
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
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