Heaven Adjacent

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

“We’re all going to die,” Nelson said, leaning forward over his knees and staring down the end of his fishing pole. “So it doesn’t pay to go through life fearing death. Mind you, I realize as I say so . . . it’s one of those things that says easy and does hard.”

“No. But why should it have to? I’m going to die. We all are. And we all know it. We like to think it’s eons in the future, but we could walk out in front of a truck tomorrow. Hell, today. And we all know that, too. But we waste our precious time. Why? Why do we live like we’re not going to die?”