Those Plans Are Over

I was driving through Winnetka this morning when I saw a large group of police cars surrounding the street at the intersection of DeSoto and Saticoy. They street beyond Saticoy was cordoned with police tape. I wondered if they hadn't been filming something, as movies in this town are prone to do.

I knew it was much more serious since it wasn't police motorcycles in a motorcade, which is usually who deals with this stuff. They were the police cruisers and they weren't letting anyone through. I'm sure a crime had been committed, and most likely the scene had a death.

What struck me was the white glove traffic cop who was standing at the intersection. He was cleaning his sunglasses and yawning. Seemed really bored. He wasn't anywhere at the ready. Nor did it seem ANYTHING bothered him. Just another day in the San Fernando Valley. It occurred to me how little people care when you die a sudden death. In particular law enforcement. They just don't give two shits. I've only seen one dead body in my life. And that was my grandmother who died of old age. This was more than likely a crime. And it seemed certainly bad. The white glove traffic cop just was clocking in and clocking out. Maybe this was his way to cope.

I had a conversation about sudden death yesterday. Guy was found in a parking lot in a library. Just up and died. No details, no name...just dead body. There didn't seem like a full investigation to foul play (as related to me by my friend who'd seen the whole ordeal). It'd also been a library where I'd often stop by since they have better DVDs than the city of Los Angeles (it was in Burbank...they're L.A. but they don't like to think of themselves that way). It was at this point that...unless it was a suicide...this dude and the crime scene I'd passed may've made plans that night. They may've Yelp'd a restaurant or planned to see the new movie and called and texted and Facebook'd everyone or whatever to indicate he had something going on. Well, those are the end of those plans. That's it. You just...have no other plans. It seems rather grim, but this dude no longer has to worry about what he wants for dinner anymore. No longer has to remember to take out the garbage. Or that nagging oil change he's been putting off...that's done. Or gripe about traffic in L.A. You no longer have anyone to impress. Worrying about bank account? That's done. It's strange to think that in one moment, no matter what that moment would be...your life sort of is done. The book is closed. There are no more thoughts or memories. I guess you probably should consider making the most of the fragile time you have here. It's not a bad thing to know the time clock ticks. I figure you could do much more this way, as a motivator. It's always a daily reminder how quickly it goes.