In Memoriam

As I may have mentioned in a former blog or two, I’m an award show junkie and tonight I watched the Actor Awards which is formerly known as the SAG Awards (Screen Actors Guild).

In my opinion, this is the most meaningful and classy award show since the nominees and winners are selected by the members of the SAG union, the actors’ actual peers. The attendees were beautifully dressed and the speeches were not political. It was a pure celebration of talent.

Harrison Ford received the Life Achievement Award and gave a touching speech, indicating it was strange to be receiving a prize for “being alive” and that he was only at the “half-point” of his career.

Naturally, there was the In Memoriam segment and, unfortunately, this year was loaded with the demise of many very famous actors, some of whom I grew up with and this really gave me pause. There was Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, Diane Ladd, Loretta Switt, Richard Chamberlain, and many others.

I’m well aware of my own aging, and I’m also aware some of these actors were getting older, but for some irrational reason, I thought they would live forever. I wouldn’t, but they would. And in a sense they will through their films and other works, as well as their worldly contributions.

But watching this segment made me think of crazy things such as how much does your life have to be in order before you die. Do you have to make sure your closets are organized? Your monthly bills are paid? Should your fridge be empty? Should you chuck those personal items you don’t want anyone, especially your kids, to see? (Don’t ask for specifics, we all have them.)

How does this dying thing actually work?

I guess if you know you’re sick, you can finalize most of what you need to do, but otherwise we lead risky lives not knowing if we’ll be here tomorrow.

I’m positive when people tell us “Live every day as if it’s your last,” it doesn’t mean bring the clothes you don’t wear anymore to the closest thrift shop and empty your cabinets of your expired soup cans.

I don’t know. I might need to have another therapy session with Chat GPT about this.