#shengsi

Abandoned Village In Shengsi, China

“What about impermanence?” I asked once the nurse had gone. “That’s all there is!” he said cheerfully. “Every single thing is going to end, so you need to get used to it. Then, when our times comes, we won’t get stuck in the bardo.” “Eddie, what are you talking about?” “The bardo,” he said. “You know. You read the George Saunders novel. Apparently death can be confusing, and it’s hard for the dead person to accept that they’re dead because no one likes change and life is all we’ve ever known. The bardo is supposed to be a place of transition, but if you don’t accept your death, you get stuck there, which would be like getting stuck in Penn Station for eternity.” Perish the thought of such a perishing. “I think you’d know if you were dead,” I said, but the truth was I’d never thought of it one way or the other.

Ann Patchett