“I’d heard from a mutual acquaintance that he’d been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and didn’t have long to live. Yesterday, though, he was very much alive, sitting in the shade of an oak tree and savoring an orange popsicle. What small bites he took, letting each one slowly melt in his mouth before nibbling at the popsicle again. I thought, So that’s how you eat a popsicle when you know you’re dying.”