6. THE ROAD GOES EVER ON AND ON

Jim did say to me several times over the years, “First you live and then you die,” but we never even thought about what happens when you vanish without a trace. Jim was an avid Tolkien fan, and I believe that he would agree with Tolkien’s lyrical words about the ambiguity of life, expressed in this Old Hobbit Walking Song (Tolkien, J.R.R. 1974. The Return of the King. Lord of the Rings, Collector’s Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin: 308):

S t illroundthecornertheremaywait A new road or a secret gate; And though Iofthavepassedthemby, A day will come at last when I S halltakethehiddenpathsthatrun West of the Moon, East of the Sun.