> > Is this a universal phenomenon? Does everyone experience this as a
> > traumatic moment, after which you know that your days are numbered?
I remember clearly the day I realized my own mortality. I was in third grade at the time, and the realization hit me very hard. I have often wondered if my parents noticed any change, since, looking back, I became as depressed as I think is possible for an eight-year-old.
Kathryn Riley