{
  "id": 17740660,
  "title": "From here to there",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/from-here-to-there-17740660",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T04:17:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20261102/from-here-to-there"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recently, I traveled to New Hampshire to spend time with old friends who shared a love for pickleball. Reconnecting with these friends, engaging in a game of pickleball beneath a cool October sky, and sharing a meal of pizza and homemade cookies brought a renewed sense of vitality to my life. Our group was primarily composed of individuals in their eighties, and their presence filled me with a profound appreciation for the joy of growing older together. Among them were friends who had triumphed over adversity, surviving pancreatic cancer, a companion whose husband now resides in a memory care facility, and a gentleman who manages his health through a regimen of numerous daily medications. Despite these personal challenges, each of them managed to maintain a semblance of balance in their lives. Together, we laughed, played, feasted, and enjoyed each other's company. For a brief period, the passage of time seemed less like an encumbrance and more like an exhilarating shared journey. Since that visit, I have been pondering a question: What compels us to persist when we witness the gradual loss of friends, sometimes one after another? During a leisurely walk on a nearby trail, my friend Deb shared her thoughts with me, saying, \"Death, being there, is not what I fear; it is the journey there that terrifies me.\" Her words have remained with me since that weekend.",
  "summary": "I recently visited my pickleball friends in New Hampshire. Reconnecting with old friends, playing pickleball under a crisp October sky, followed by laughing over pizza and homemade cookies renewed and reaffirmed my sense of being alive. Our group, made up mostly of octogenarians, seemed to celebrate not only our friendship but the privilege of growing older together. Among us were friends who had…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}