Yesterday I went to the 'wake' for my cousin's daughter Maria. About 80 people showed up. She was 27 and the cause of death is still unknown. She had reported feeling sick and nausea for 3 days earlier. In those 27 years, she lived in Australia for a while, in Brazil for two years, and chased eclipses with her family in Patagonia and elsewhere. She also helped her Mother provide dental care for a Sioux reservation and worked as a Congressional page. Among the testimonials, her friends repeatedly described her as fearless (bordering on reckless?) but especially disarming and charming. I was struck by how many people felt that Maria had inspired them to be more outgoing and adventurous.

While she led by example, it is possible her lifestyle and personality took her life prematurely. And yet, what life she lived was lived richly.