Lately, I have been obsessed with the song If We Were Vampires by Jason Isbell covered by Chester See. This might be the saddest song I have ever heard. And those of you who know me, know that I don’t do SAD. Real life is serious and sad. So when I consume media (movies, books, television, music) I want it to be happy. I think I’ve only ever written one novel with a sad ending and it was a choose your own adventure ending. (Seriously, if you choose not to save the lost puppy, you deserve a sad ending.)

So the fact that this song has been on repeat for me for weeks is remarkable. So what makes it so poignant? Mortality has been on my mind a lot. With the sudden death of a family member almost a year ago, I have definitely focused a lot more on valuing the time I have, and spending it on what really matters. Friends. Family. Relationships. Experiences.

Those dishes can wait another day. That expensive piece of furniture can wait in favor of a trip with my husband.

This has dovetailed nicely with the TV show The Good Place which wrapped up recently. Without spoiling it, I will say that it forces the viewer to take a long hard look at their lives in a similar way to If We Were Vampires. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend it, and the podcast: The Good Place The Podcast. And as Marc Evan Jackson ends his podcasts, comment below with something good in the world. And then, go do something good.