Being alone gives me a lot of time to think. Now, that might be a good thing or maybe not but at least it keeps the mind active and that is good. When I'm not sitting here at the computer writing, I like to do something to keep the cobwebs away. I have a stack of books just waiting to be read but will probably save those for the winter time when I can just curl up on a cold day and get lost for a few hours. I enjoy working Cryptograms and try to solve a couple of them every day. The rest of the time, I find some way to "think". Even watching TV will trigger thoughts some times and remembrances.
I think this really hit home last week when my very good friend collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. I've watched over the last few years as she has slowly slipped away into her own world, one in which she couldn't share with anyone and occasionally try to come back into ours. The world of Dementia is a cruel thing, it destroys the mind in such a way that the person is still there, still caring, still being cared for but not completely whole.
But my friend refused help from her family and friends. I think she knew and was afraid to admit it was taking over. She was losing control and I think all of us would fight as long as we could too. But when she fell and still refused help, her husband knew it couldn't continue and called for help when he couldn't get her up. She's been put through test after test and discovered she'd had a small heart attack. She'd never had any heart problems so it was a shock to all of us. However, medication and rest seems to be helping her and now that she is back on her Diabetes medication, which she had not been taking, her physical health is improving. But not the mental health as with Dementia, there is no cure. They may be able to give her something to help a little while but it will never go away and it is only delaying the inevitable. But with our loved ones, we want to do everything we can and keep them with us as long as we can.
So as I sat on my porch one night enjoying the warm night, I thought about life. It is kind of like a day. We rise at Sunrise and we go to work or school or play during the day and then after Sunset, we go to bed. Life is a lot like a day.
Sunrise is the birth of a day and also represents our birth and just as the sun inches its way up over the horizon, as infants we slowly grow and change until the day dawns bright and we continue to grow. We learn, we work, we play and we spend the daylights hours living our life. Sunset brings that time when we begin to slow down. We retire and become less active as we reflect back on what the day has produced and as the sun sets we go off to slumberland.
So our lives are like a day. Just as the sun rises and sets each day and brings with it the sunshine and the rain, the warmth and the cold, we laugh, we cry, we love and we grieve. And when the slumberland comes, I know that I will have lived my day to the fullest.
I've had my Sunrise and I'm having a wonderful day as I head for the Sunset. I have the love of my family and my friends and wonderful memories that can never be forgotten.
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