There’s a moment in The Ballad of Phil and Phyllis—a TikTok song about an immortal groundhog and his mortal love—when the music quiets, and Phil sings of watching everything fade while he stays the same. The fame, the crowds, the shadow he casts… none of it matters when the one you love is slipping away.

That moment hit me hard.

I didn’t expect to tear up over a musical groundhog ballad. But I did. Because this wasn’t just a clever spin on Punxsutawney Phil’s quirky legend. It was about something deeper: the ache of holding on when good things pass. The bittersweet beauty of something fleeting. The quiet question we all carry—What do you do when the person, the season, the joy you loved is gone, and you’re still here?

Oliver Richman, the songwriter behind this unexpected viral masterpiece, writes a new song every day. And somehow, on day 34, he struck gold. TikTok exploded with duets, reactions, and extensions of the story. Another songwriter, Brett Boles, even composed a companion song from Phyllis’s perspective, adding layers of longing and love. Soon a full studio version was recorded—with orchestrations, vocals by Broadway performers, and a music video. Fans (myself included) are now dreaming of a full-blown musical.

Because this song does something incredible. It walks straight into the sorrow of goodbye, and yet somehow… it leaves you with hope. Not a cheap, sugar-coated kind, but the kind that whispers: Love doesn’t end. Memory matters. Something remains.

As a priest and a writer, I’ve seen that truth echoed in so many lives—in grief, in farewells, in faith. And when I heard this song, it felt like a story I already knew, deep down. That’s why I couldn’t help myself. I wrote a short story inspired by Phil and Phyllis. It’s not a retelling, but an homage—a thank you to Oliver Richman, whose creativity and honesty opened a space for all of us to feel something true.

This is the recording I made on my bike of the original draft. You can read the final, polished version here: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/p/nothings-supposed-to-live-forever