Erica Drew Albert ~ 11/26/1990 - 11/22/2078

"What the caterpillar perceives is the end, to the butterfly is just the beginning."

-Anonymous

Erica Drew Albert

11/26/1990-11/22/2078

     Just before her 88th birthday, On November 22nd, 2078, Erica Drew Albert died in her home surrounded by family and friends. She passed from wounds received from an accident involving her hover craft and an oncoming plane. Although she had been asked to relinquish her license for some time, Erica adamantly refused, claiming to be completely capable to operate the hover craft. Her Porsche 911 Turbo Hover Edition was totaled on the scene. Assistance arrived immediately at the scene, where Erica refused medical help explaining that she "just wanted to go home and rest". She died less than an hour later, at her family's beautiful farmhouse in Denver, Colorado. With a smile on her face and her dog, a Samoyed, on her lap Erica's life ended. Just before she passed, she mentioned how happy she was that she got to spend her last hours on Earth in her favorite car, with her beloved dog, and her close family by her side. She leaves behind a loving husband, two children, and four grandchildren.

     The wake is to be held on November 25th, with the funeral scheduled for November 26th, in Norfolk, Ma. She would not have wanted people to mourn her passing, but rather celebrate her life, which is why she is being buried on her birthday. In her will she requested to be buried at a family plot in her hometown, which is where she always felt her soul belonged. Her parents, William and Deborah were laid to rest there as well, along with her sister, Christine Munroe, and brothers, Michael and Daniel Albert.

     Erica was born at Norwood Hospital on a blistering cold night on the 26th of November in the year 1990 to her parents, Deborah and William Albert. She was the youngest of four children, and lived the first fifteen years of her life in the quaint town of Norfolk, Massachusetts. Erica made countless childhood memories while residing at 160 North St. She raised chickens, made life-long friends, and spent the majority of her youth there.

    

     Erica, known affectionately by her family as "Drew" and "Chunky", attended public schools in the Norfolk vicinity. Her elementary schools included the H. Olive Day School and the Freeman Centennial school, both located in Norfolk. At the age of fifteen, Erica relocated to Florida, and for the next six years she moved frequently. From Florida, to Wrentham, Norwood, Foxboro, Fall River, Dartmouth, and finally Plainville. She went to three separate high schools due to constantly moving. Her first semester of freshman year was spent at Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, Ma, before transferring to King Philip High School in Wrentham, Ma to complete her freshman year. In 2006 she moved to Florida, and spent most of her sophomore year at Riverdale High School in Fort Myers, Fl. She eventually returned to Massachusetts and re enrolled in King Philip High School, where she graduated in 2009. After high school, she went to nursing school at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth before opting to take a year off to figure out what she truly wanted to be. Erica decided against nursing, to pursue her passion in nutrition. She then enrolled at Bristol Community College in Attleboro, Ma, before transferring to Framingham State College to study nutrition. Erica graduated from FSC at the top of her class, and soon became one of the most famous and influential dietitians in the country. She taught countless thousands of clients about the importance of eating healthy and how it played a pivotal role in prolonging their lifespan as well as preventing various diseases. It is no wonder Erica lived as long as she did considering her attention to nutrition; if not for the accident, perhaps she would have lived substantially longer.

     Erica was happily married at the age of 25, the couple had two children together. After many years of hard work, the two were finally able to purchase their dream home in Colorado. Erica enjoyed spending her free time outdoors, where she could be frequently found hiking, and horseback riding in the mountains. During retirement, she and her husband spent a lot of time exploring Yellowstone National Park, where they once had a close call with an angry Grizzly Bear. Luckily for them, they narrowly escaped a tragic end. They managed to scare the bear off with the help of a little Taekwondo. After they were nearly mauled, the couple decided to spend their remaining years simply relaxing and enjoying the simple joys of life. A.K.A. the two became avid hover craft racers. Perhaps it was Erica's blatant disregard of driving laws that assisted in her demise. Erica was especially fond of Porsche 911's, and compiled a vast collection of antique models in her later years. It was her most prized Porsche that would inevitably be the end of her.

     It is important to remember that a life well-lived is something to celebrate. Although losing a loved one is an extraordinarily difficult time, if they did not waste their time on Earth, it is something to be grateful for.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

-Dr. Seuss

Erica & her mother, Deborah Albert

May, 2009

Erica driving one of her hovercrafts shortly before her death.

July, 2078

"Success is that way, just a little past splat."

Monk to the seeker

(Porras, Emery, Thompson, 128)

      It is important to remember that no one is perfect, not even the incredibly successful people mentioned in Porras, Emery, and Thompson's Success Built to Last. Everyone makes mistakes along their paths to fulfillment, but if taken stride, they will learn vital life lessons which will only aid them in becoming even more extraordinary. I enjoyed reading the story about the bearded sage giving advice to a man, I have to remind myself on a regular basis that there are going to be speed bumps on the way to my ultimate goals, but I should not let them discourage me.

"Humor makes it a whole lot easier for you to accept who you are and what happens to you."

(Porras, Emery, Thompson, 128)

     If we are unable to laugh at ourselves on occasion, than in my opinion people are far too uptight. Life is way too short to take everything seriously all the time. Everyone suffers at one point or another, but it is essential to pick your battles, and be light-hearted as often as possible. As the authors point out, builders face adversity, phobias, and flaws which they may never completely relinquish (Porras, Emery, Thompson, 128), but they figure out strategies to keep them in check. Once a person is able to accomplish this, it is much easier for them to cope with their inevitable flaws without allowing them to overshadow their potential.

"The Supernatural resembles nature in that, though you drive it out with a pitchfork, it will always come creeping back."

(Enright, 204)

John Culbertson

(Mysupernaturalstories.com)

     The question of whether or not a supernatural realm exists has existed as long as death itself was present in human society. It is natural to wonder if those who have passed before us are still among the living in one form or another. It is nearly impossible to prove this one way or the other, it is typically a matter of personal opinion. As Boswell explains: "All argument is against it; but all belief is for it" (Enright, 205). While I do not believe that vampires or zombies are terrorizing the Earth, I would speculate that souls manifest themselves as apparitions to visit the living long after they have passed. In my lifetime, I have heard countless accounts from trustworthy friends telling their experiences with people they knew who had been long dead. I have yet to encounter a ghost in my lifetime, at least as far as I know, and I am content with that.

"The body dissolves, but the soul, if free from worldly stains, can forever associate with the gods."

(Kramer, 117)

Socrates Drinking Hemlock

(Socrates101.com)

     The Greeks have a positive outlook on death. Socrates, a philosopher in Ancient Greece, taught his pupils that the soul was immortal and lived on long after the body decayed, so there was nothing to fear about crossing over from the physical life to the next. Socrates did not agonize over his death sentence, in fact he fully embraced it. He saw no point in continuing to live if he was not permitted to discuss he virtue, instead he came to the realization that by allowing his body to die, and was choosing to live in the spiritual sense (Kramer, 114).

     Similar to the Chinese death ritual practice, in Greece close family hold vigil by the dying person's side. Greeks have a rather interesting tradition when it comes to dealing with the dead. It is believed that the soul is "released by the heart in a breath of air through one's mouth" (Kramer, 119). The spirit of the deceased is not completely free of their physical body, however, until only the bare bones remain. The most intriguing custom happens at least five years after the loved one has died. The family unearths the remains of the physical body from the grave site as a reminder that their soul has finally reached paradise.

A Concept of Greek Elysium

The Final Resting Place for Pure Souls

(Crystallinks.com)

Works Cited

Enright, D.J. The Oxford Book of Death. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1983. Print.

Kramer, Kenneth Paul. The Sacred Art of Dying.: How World Religions Understand Death. NewYork,  NY [u.a.: Paulist Pr., 1988. Print.

Porras, Jerry L. Stewart, Emery and Mark Thompson. Success Built to Last: Creating a LifeThat            Matters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub., 2007. Print.

Hotaling & Hereafters

     "I'm out walking the streets, addicted, homeless, sleeping in the gutter, and someday I am going to be in a place where I'm supposed to be telling people about this horror. I am supposed to change things."

Norma Hotaling (Porras, Emery, Thompson, 105)

     Norma Hotaling's story of conquering overwhelming adversities in order to achieve her dream was truly inspiring. A former drug-addicted prostitute dwelling in a dilapidated motel among fellow addicts and dealers, she did not hold out much hope for a brighter future. Once beaten by a pimp, Norma was left with a plate, wires and screws in her skull as permanent reminders of her horrowing ordeal. Even though she suffered immensely, Norma persevered to become the prominent figure that she is today. By establishing The Sage Project, she is able to make a difference in countless women's lives, people who were living as Norma once had. Her wish is to assist women get out of the business of prostituting, and begin to create a stable life. She has all of the credentials to aid these women, since she once walked in their shoes; while city officials declared her ill-equipped to pursue her dream, Norma remained undeterred.

"It came down to this. I will do this and make a difference, or I'll commit suicide. It's just that simple and just that hard."

(Porras, Emery, Thompson, 107)

      Thanks to Norma's determination and holding her ground, her project is still making an impact two decades since she began . She is the epitome of a "builder". The thing that impressed me the most about her story was how she found the will to believe in herself even in such a desperate situation. It is astonishing that someone with such an unpromising future can turn her life around to make it something greatly meaningful. I believe there is a lesson to be learned here: no matter the circumstances, everyone is capable of accomplishing anything they can dream of, if they only believe  in themselves.

     While reading about the Mesopotamian versus Egyptian attitudes towards death, it became clear that the two cultures were extremely different in their views. The Mesopotamian premise on mortality seems pessimistic in comparison to the Egyptians belief in an afterlife. The epic story of Gilgamesh describes a man desperately trying to avoid death, a fate he was unsuccessful in deterring. He did learn, however, that even if a man cannot live forever, they can be eternally immortalized in the memories of the living. Gilgamesh was dead, never to rise again (Kramer, 100). In stark contrast to the Mesopotamian feelings towards death, the Egyptian culture fully embraces the idea. It appears as though they look forward to the day that their souls may finally cross over to the afterlife. Their elaborate pyramids, tombs, mummies, funerary writings, along with the Egyptian Book of the Dead further support this theory (Kramer, 100). The legend of Isis and Osiris tells the story of a faithful wife trying to ressurrect her husband, murdered at the hands of their jealous brother, Seth. Isis was successful in bringing him back to life once, but Seth quickly learned of Osiris' revival and quickly cut him into fourteen pieces to be scattered around the Earth. Isis' second attempt to restore her lover did not go as she had hoped. Although he was reborn for the second time, Osirise now belonged below the earth, in the Nether World. Judging by the differences between Mesopotamian and Egyptian views on death and immortality, the Egyptian belief of an afterlife is more appealing to me. I would much rather believe that there is something to look forward to, than feel all is lost once you die except the memory of your existence.

     People have been trying to make sense of heaven and hell for as long as time itself. Typically, heaven has been viewed as a superior place to end up in relation to hell. George Santayana proclaims that heaven consists of "frankly material ideals", a place where fish, milk, cakes, and ales are provided for the worthy inhabitants (Enright, 171).  Enright responds to this assumption: "this all sounds suspiciously like the kind of behaviour that leads to people being sent to hell" (Enright, 171). This leads me to wonder; if there is in fact a heaven, is it a place where deserving souls are finally allowed to indulge themselves in their "sinful" desires while viewing hell from a safe distance, or do the people who are lucky enough to be welcome there follow the same rules they were encouraged to while residing on Earth? Personally, I would hope that as a reward for a life filled with good intentions, one would be allowed to enjoy all the splendors heaven might have to offer.

"Here are cakes for thy body,

cool water for thy throat,

sweet breezes for thy nostrils,

and thou are satisfied."

'The Other World', The Egytian Book of the Dead c. 3300

(Enright, 176)

Works Cited

Enright, D.J. The Oxford Book of Death. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1983. Print.

Kramer, Kenneth Paul. The Sacred Art of Dying.: How World Religions Understand Death. NewYork,  NY [u.a.: Paulist Pr., 1988. Print.

Porras, Jerry L. Stewart, Emery and Mark Thompson. Success Built to Last: Creating a LifeThat            Matters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub., 2007. Print.