An old saying

An old saying

There is an old saying,

Out of use, not heard much anymore,

Yet it is something true if not very comforting.

No surprise there, truth not always something desired,

It brings out the ragged aspects of life to clearly

Breaking down the false sense of security we need to surround us,

Not allowing the precariousness of life to present itself

In colors too stark,

In deep colors of grey, black leading down the dark tunnel to where?

The saying is very simple really:

Life turns on a dime.

One Wednesday he was fine,

Ken an elderly man of 78 whom I have known a long time.

A quiet man,

With a good sense of humor,

Got around well,

Or at least he did.

On Thursday morning I was called in,

Ken was there complaining of sever pain in his hips,

Very difficult to walk,

What is happening to me he asks?

Next day it is now in his shoulders,

Same amount of pain,

Helpless,

So we call an ambulance and take him to ER.

Doctors somewhat baffled to what is the matter,

So the search begins to find out the cause.

Then his lungs become inflamed,

Breathing difficult,

Talking tiring leaves him gasping for air,

Anxious,

Scared,

Yet also resigned after the initial shock

Over his freedom torn from him,

Heading to he knows not where,

Death,

Perhaps years trapped in a bed,

Which is worse?

He wants to live,

Does not want to just give up

If this dis-ease becomes more serious,

He looked at me and said,

“I want to live”.

So one day he is walking around happy,

The next bed ridden,

Extreme pain his companion,

Bed-mate,
For how long?

Yes life does turn on a dime,

Perhaps it is good the starkness of this statement,

What it really means,

Is forgotten in the rush of our everyday lives,

Perhaps at times repression is something good,

At others perhaps not,

Each must decide for themselves, how conscious they want to be.