The frame of avoiding tragedy

“One of the privileges given to those who've avoided dying young is the blessed right to grow old. The honor of physical decline is waiting, and you have to get used to that reality.”
–Haruki Murakami

What a fascinating frame: to view growing old under the lens of having “avoided dying young.” Many of the things we complain about are, in themselves, great blessings.

One of the responsibilities for those of us who have avoided living in poverty is that we must wake up, get dressed, and go to work. The tax we must pay as people who have avoided experiencing homelessness is that we must pay rent. The chores we must do as people who have avoided nakedness and hunger are laundry and dishes. 

What other unpleasant things can we view under this frame?

To finish, here’s a poem called Rituals of Care by one of my favorite poets, David Gate.

Doing the laundry 
and the dishes 
and meal preparation
are not tasks of the mundane 
because being clothed 
and clean 
and fed 
declares the dignity 
of human life 
and nurtures us 
into new days 
into new eras
they are not mundane, no 
they are the rituals of care