Dirty Dancing Memories

I am sure most of you have heard that Patrick Swayze lost his long, brave battle with pancreatic cancer.  I don't know why, but this has hit me somehow.  Perhaps it is because he is so closely tied to my generation.  My early twenty-something bar life was lived to the soundtrack of Dirty Dancing.  I still remember dancing to those songs with my now husband when we were only dating; honestly I can hardly remember ever feeling sexier than being on the dance floor with him then.  I would probably be too embarassed to dance that way now, but fueled by alchohol and young love there was a sense of freedom and joy in just letting myself move that way.  

Dirty Dancing, Ghost, the ultimate guy flick Roadhouse, and my husband's favorite Red Dawn they are markers of my generation.  The trends, the hairstyles, the music.  Losing someone from our own generation brings my own mortality closer to home.  Then the thing that really got me was watching  he and his wife on TV last night.  They were asked about not having children, and if they had considered adoption.  His wife said yes, they had and that people asked them why they had not, and she just did not have an answer for that.  Life just happened.  It was like watching myself.  These two people, married for 34 years.  A good life, probably even a great life together, no regrets for that, but I cannot help but think about her today, now that he is gone.  I cannot help but put myself in her place,  and I cry.  I cry for her, and I cry for myself because life just goes by and before you know it all the time you thought you had to do things is no longer there.  The simple  lack of deciding catches up with you.  

Rest in peace Patrick, I hope that you were able to take all the love with you.