Bookends

Many parts of life seem to have bookends
Recognizable beginnings and endings
Events that say: "This is the start."
A point where you can tell: "This is the end."

We like bookends -
They make order out of our messy lives,
And give us concrete memories
That help us define who and what we are.

It is easy to see some bookends:
I got this job on this date,
I left that job on that date,
The time in between I did this.

There are times that we know are a bookend, as they happen:
I am starting school,
I am graduating from college,
I am getting married today.

Other bookends are only apparent when looking back:
I got pregnant within this five day range,
I started feeling distant from my relationship in these months,
I have been feeling unwell for several days, maybe a week?

Nebulous events in our life make for good living -
They make terrible stories.
We prefer plot, action, resolution,
All tied up neatly, with a little foreshadowing.

Life isn't like that. 
We all are born and all die
Which means we all share those bookends.
It is what we do in the time between,
And how long that time is,
That will determine who we become.

What part of the world we change,
And what our eulogy will be -
When someone tries to create a single story,
Out of millions of of messy, complicated moments,
That make up the time between birth and death.