Paul Newman 1925-2008

Growing up means facing the inevitability of watching the generations that came before us come to an end. It means losing, one by one, people who we once thought of as unbreakable, untouchable, eternal. Still, regardless of whether a natural order is followed, the human condition is one of experiencing a bittersweet sensation:

We gain as we age, we lose as we age.

But this is not necessarily in reference to losing someone close. Sometimes, the death of one is the sorrow of millions. Today, this sorrow translates to the passing of one of Hollywood's legends:

Paul Newman is gone.

I feel just that much older.