I’m 43 years old.

When I was a young man I did a lot of stupid shit, and I lost a lot of friends who did stupid shit too. I lost friends to drugs, to prison, to violence and to the road. I went to a lot of funerals.

I’ve grown up now (sort of, anyway), and these days most of the people I’m friends with are grown ups too. And they’re still dying.

I’ve lost two friends in two weeks, both of them to fucking cancer. Another has an illness he’ll never recover from.

It sucks. Getting older sucks.

Oh there’s a lot to be said for it, don’t get me wrong. Age brings confidence, and experience, and a lot less giving of a shit. And those are really good things. I wouldn’t go back to being twenty if you paid me, but that’s not the point. The point is that age takes away as much as it gives. Age takes away friends, and that’s a sad thing.

RIP my brothers.