A week in May 2008. It was not an easy week to go through. Emotionally and physically. A four-day headache that refused to budge, and tired shoulders that carried imaginary burdens and self-created pressures, especially when Life has treated me good.
Ninety-six hours was long enough. Medication didn’t work. A friend suggested inhalation for relief. I hoped it would relieve.
Sponged and changed Rohan into his night pajamas. After he had his milk (which his father lovingly convinced him to have), I tucked him to bed. 10:30 p.m ; Cleaned the dishes; cleared the mess. I then gently lowered the bowl of piping hot water. Door locked, I went under the blanket, hopeful to be ‘relieved’ of a heavy head.
The water was a little more than scorching. The wrong temperature to soothe. I felt my skin burn. And almost instantly was transported to the Saturday, just gone by…four days ago. I retracted. Struggled to breathe, till I came out of the covers. I caterpillared to the corner, and rested against the computer table. I was reminded of the very thing that started this emotional stress. Her fire accident , few days ago. Succumbed to 70% burns. She had bathed her 10 month baby girl, and prepared incense for her hair, when her clothes caught fire and there was no escape. Even her will -power that pulled her through to live an extra 5 days, probably for the baby, let her down. What a tragic death, what a great loss! She was just 25.
I sat there now with a heavier head and the heaviest heart...
Whenever things like this happen close to home, it brings us face to face with our mortality, and the ones close to us. Oh! the life we take for granted!.
As someone so rightly put it,
‘So, while we have it, it's best we love it. Care for it and fix it when it's broken. Heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage, old radios and old cars. Children with bad report cards. Dogs with bad hips. Aging parents and grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.....and so, we keep them close! ‘
Life is fragile. Consider where you are investing your time and energies. It’s unusual to hear someone on his death bed say that he wished he had made more money in his lifetime or he wished he had made a certain deal. Usually it is something like, "I wish I had spent more time with my family."
So, tell them what you would want to, NOW, ...
For if tomorrow never comes,
You’ll have no regrets about today.
Ninety-six hours was long enough. Medication didn’t work. A friend suggested inhalation for relief. I hoped it would relieve.
Sponged and changed Rohan into his night pajamas. After he had his milk (which his father lovingly convinced him to have), I tucked him to bed. 10:30 p.m ; Cleaned the dishes; cleared the mess. I then gently lowered the bowl of piping hot water. Door locked, I went under the blanket, hopeful to be ‘relieved’ of a heavy head.
The water was a little more than scorching. The wrong temperature to soothe. I felt my skin burn. And almost instantly was transported to the Saturday, just gone by…four days ago. I retracted. Struggled to breathe, till I came out of the covers. I caterpillared to the corner, and rested against the computer table. I was reminded of the very thing that started this emotional stress. Her fire accident , few days ago. Succumbed to 70% burns. She had bathed her 10 month baby girl, and prepared incense for her hair, when her clothes caught fire and there was no escape. Even her will -power that pulled her through to live an extra 5 days, probably for the baby, let her down. What a tragic death, what a great loss! She was just 25.
I sat there now with a heavier head and the heaviest heart...
Whenever things like this happen close to home, it brings us face to face with our mortality, and the ones close to us. Oh! the life we take for granted!.
As someone so rightly put it,
‘So, while we have it, it's best we love it. Care for it and fix it when it's broken. Heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage, old radios and old cars. Children with bad report cards. Dogs with bad hips. Aging parents and grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.....and so, we keep them close! ‘
Life is fragile. Consider where you are investing your time and energies. It’s unusual to hear someone on his death bed say that he wished he had made more money in his lifetime or he wished he had made a certain deal. Usually it is something like, "I wish I had spent more time with my family."
So, tell them what you would want to, NOW, ...
For if tomorrow never comes,
You’ll have no regrets about today.
1 comment:
This is one of a kind note from a friend who cares beyond herself.
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