Riley explains life and death to Damon

“This is a dead plant. (showing a dried up leaf to Damon) Plants die when they don’t get enough water. Water is… very… agua-ey… and very… um, splashy. If you don’t give it to plants they just die, like this. Sometimes people die too. When they die they’re not alive anymore. When you’re alive you can move around, but when you’re dead you can’t move anymore. That’s how it works.”

Riley has been very interested in what it means to die these last few weeks, but not in a morbid way, and she doesn’t seem worried about it, I think she’s just trying to figure it out. I’m not sure what brought it on… I think maybe a combination of learning about he dinosaur bones at the museum, then that conversation I had with her when Teddy Kennedy died. She’ll bring it up at random times. She had a conversation with my Dad about it, wondering if when he dies, does that mean she doesn’t have a grandpa anymore? That night when she fas falling asleep she asked me, “Do I have a long time before I die?” I said yes, a long time, so long she doesn’t have to worry about it. They she asked, “Do you have a long time?” I said yes, I probably have a long time too. She thought a while then said, “Grandpa doesn’t have a long time.”

It’s strange to talk about it because I don’t want to scare her or worry her, but she seems like she’s just trying to gather practical information. I suppose it’s better to try to figure out what it all means now, rather then when someone she loves actually does die. Makes me a little uncomfortable to talk about because I don’t really want to think about it… or even really acknowledge the possibility. But I think it’s better to be honest then make it into some weird mysterious thing. or even worse, to lie and say it doesn’t happen.

Anyway, that’s the deep thoughts going on around here…