Life Cycle

/ Tracy Abell

I’ve been scarce in these parts and am just popping in to to say a quick hello.  My elderly friend, R, is in the hospital.  He’s not doing well and is facing some tough decisions.  I’m right there with him, facing tough lessons of my own, namely those same old questions about inserting myself in his life – how much and how far?  I’m starting to think this must’ve been a difficult lesson for me in previous lives since I’m getting so many opportunities to master it this time around!   Yeehaw.

Anyway, didn’t stop by to be a downer but to share the little epiphany I experienced today while visiting R in the hospital:

Toddlers are all about kicking and screaming their way toward independence.  Teenagers revisit this developmental stage as they kick and scream to assert their personhood.  And senior citizens?  Well, they’re not above a little metaphorical kicking and screaming of their own.

As I sat at the foot of R’s bed, I realized if I closed my eyes I could easily imagine it was Wildebeest going on and on and on…..

There’s a reason people say that the more things change, the more they stay the same; they say it because it’s true.

             

18 thoughts on “Life Cycle”

    • Kicking and screaming is great, I think. Yesterday it struck me how funny this time on the planet is with all the reliving/relearning.
      Thanks for the good thoughts, Robin.

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  2. Sorry about the sadness. Glad for the epiphany. Sometimes they are all we get, but they are something to be cherished, still. How good of you to keep your friend company through this.

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    • Yes, the epiphany was definitely a keeper mostly because it made me laugh and laugh (inside). Life is just a merry-go-round of the same-old, same-old. Thanks for sharing in my thoughts, Jeannine.

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    • Oh, I like the thought of you thinking about me. Maybe that’s when I started to laugh because I felt your vibe! R is grateful I’m there with him and he’s being very nice to the nurses. 🙂

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  5. Most of us–well, me anyway–would lose patience with that with our relatives. You’re standing by him, even when he’s fighting you, and he’s only a friend. Hugs.

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    • I’d definitely have a harder time if this was a relative. R doesn’t come with all the baggage (between us, anyway) so I can maintain.
      Thanks for the nice thoughts and hugs, Barb.

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    • Karma is a kick. HAHAHAHAHAHA……… Oy.
      As for being a hero, you’re caring for your mother and I think it would be way more difficult to do this when you share a history. Give yourself major props.

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    • Thank you, Sarah. I really appreciated having that funny insight yesterday because it let me carry on while seeing the situation from a different perspective.

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  9. Kicking and screaming is great, I think. Yesterday it struck me how funny this time on the planet is with all the reliving/relearning.

    Thanks for the good thoughts, Robin.

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  10. I’d definitely have a harder time if this was a relative. R doesn’t come with all the baggage (between us, anyway) so I can maintain.

    Thanks for the nice thoughts and hugs, Barb.

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  11. Karma is a kick. HAHAHAHAHAHA……… Oy.

    As for being a hero, you’re caring for your mother and I think it would be way more difficult to do this when you share a history. Give yourself major props.

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