The Mad Sadness of Being
The 4 Slices of Pizza Theory
What a start to the year, eh?
And I’m not talking about US politrix.
Where to begin, begin, begin…
It’s odd being aware that I have a form of depression. I mean, I guess it’s cool because I can recognize when I’m starting to cycle, which helps navigate the process better. Despite that, a rain cloud is still a rain cloud even if you can appreciate the beauty that it later brings.
Easier said then done, eh? Especially when it’s pouring buckets…
Which brings us to the 4 slices of pizza theory.
I can’t take credit for this idea. And I wish I could find the article where I first saw it. But basically, imagine the time you have on earth measured in the form of how many pizzas you get to eat each year, if you’re even lucky enough to eat pizza.
For this exercise, let’s say you eat an average of 4 slices of pizza a year. Note: For some, that may be more, others less, but for the purpose of this, and because I’m terrible at math, you only get to eat 4 slices, ok?!
When you approach the journey and apply the lens of the 4 slices, you realize, you might not have as much as you think.
The average human life expectancy in the US is 77 and change, which skews higher for women than men. This means, over the course of a lifetime, you eat 308 slices of pizza when sliced into 8 pieces.
Or 38.5 whole pies.
Now, if you’re 10 years old, you still have 33.5 pizzas left or 268 slices, but at 40, you’re down to 148 slices, or 18.5 pizzas…
But our time isn’t guaranteed. As Uncle Cliff told me after Dad passed, we all have a candle, and some burn longer than others.
I’ve seen it firsthand time and time again.
When I was 26, I had a friend from high school die. Rest in Aloha Clinton, still can’t believe you were only 23.
That’s just 11.5 pizzas.
When I was 19, Colin, the younger brother of another friend, Keenan, passed at the age of 10 in a tragic accident.
That’s 5 pizzas.
Sadly, 2 pizzas later, Keenan would pass with just as many pizzas as Clinton.
PAUSE - BREATHE - RELEASE
It’s estimated that by age 18, kids will have spent about 90% of the time they have with their parents together. That means that just 10% of the remaining approximately 60 years of your time left on Earth, will be spent with your parents. And in reality, it’s far fewer bc you rarely, if ever, get to spend 24/hours a day like you did when you were younger…
The Mad Sadness of Being makes alot of sense now, doesn’t it?
But if there’s something to all the grief, loss, and aging that finds us as the empty boxes of pizzas pile up, it’s that Life continues to teach and there really is soul much beauty to appreciate in this life.
Even some of the saddest things can be quite beautiful for what they bring forth in our awareness.
And maybe mad is just hype? Mad cool = mad dope = mad lit.
Then perhaps the mad sadness of being is just part of being alive.
And if we’re alive, we’ve still time to grow.
And if we’re growing, we have more opportunities to experience. As we go through these experiences, we need to remember the 4 slices of pizza theory.
Soul savor every bite. Live and love fully.
We never know how many slices we really have left.