I found out that my

I found out that my grandfather died in his sleep yesterday. We weren’t very close. I’ve never been close to any family outside of my mother, sister and daughter. Like my father he seemed to have given up on life years ago. Unlike my father he didn’t take matters into his own hands and just waited for his body to shut down. I can remember staying with my grandparents when I was young and looking through his huge collection of SciFi paperbacks. In particular, he read just about anything that Isaac Asimov published. He was also a great chess player. I remember thinking here’s a smart guy I wonder what he’s done with his life.

He and my father were only related by marriage but they both seemed beaten down by the American Dream. They appeared to have these bigger ambitions for themselves. They wanted more. However, they acquiesced to cultural norms and the rules of society that told them how to live their life. Then again how well did I know either of them? I’m probably just thinking about myself.