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I’m not unhappy about becoming old. I’m not unhappy about what must be. It makes me cry only when I see my friends go before me and life is emptied. I don’t believe in an afterlife, but I still fully expect to see my brother again. And it’s like a dream life. But, you know, there’s something I’m finding out as I’m aging that I am in love with the world.

And I look right now, as we speak together, out my window in my studio and I see my trees and my beautiful, beautiful maples that are hundreds of years old, they’re beautiful. And you see I can see how beautiful they are. I can take time to see how beautiful they are. It is a blessing to get old. It is a blessing to find the time to do the things, to read the books, to listen to the music.

You know, I don’t think I’m rationalizing anything. I really don’t. This is all inevitable and I have no control over it. “Bumble-ardy” was a combination of the deepest pain and the wondrous feeling of coming into my own and it took a long time. It took a very long time, but it’s genuine. Unless I’m crazy. I could be crazy and you could be talking to a crazy person.

By Trent Gilliss | Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 7:13am

—Maurice Sendak (1928-2012), from his interview on NPR’s Fresh Air


afterlife, aging, death, Maurice Sendak, mortality

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2 Comments

Submitted by Patrick on Wed, 2012-05-09 15:17

I don't think Maurice was crazy, and 'roger that' on the tree's, I hope he finds where the peaceful things are. Fun intended.

Submitted by Patrick on Wed, 2012-05-09 16:37

Peaceful fun, is that not joy?  Is loud fun overjoy?  Maybe the answer is in the tree's, in the breeze between the monkey's knee's. lol.

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