Dying
I’m sorry that I haven’t posted for a couple of weeks. As you’ll learn in this post, I’ve been a little preoccupied with other concerns.
The day after my last post, I received an e mail that a friend and colleague had passed away. She suffered a massive heart attack on Friday, died on Saturday, and was buried on Monday.
She was 56 years old.
Claudia’s funeral was beautiful. It was attended by family, friends, and former students. Her four daughters lovingly shared their memories of their mother, and she was eulogized by her boss. My friend was full of passion and energy when it came to her cello playing and her teaching. She is missed by many.
A week later, my mother-in-law’s significant other succumbed to cancer. He had been battling prostate cancer for about a year. Additionally, he was beginning to suffer from Parkinsons, and arthritis was getting the best of him.
I feel sad for my mother-in-law. She developed her friendship with Earl shortly after both of their spouses passed away in 1997. They propped each other up during their grief, and became consistent companions over the next eleven years.
My mother-in-law has had her own health challenges over the years. She’s had knee and hip replacements and heart surgery over the last dozen years. She is currently using a walker, because she hasn’t fully regained her leg strength since her heart surgery in April. Between her lack of mobility and the loss of her companion, I’m concerned about her prognosis for the future. Time will tell.
The Princess and I have been on our own for the last week while the Sweetheart flew home to her mother and then to a business meeting. Last night, at bedtime, the Princess told my wife that she had been having dreams about something happening to me as well. We don’t know what that something is; it scares her enough that she doesn’t want to talk about it for fear of dreaming about it further.
I’m not afraid of death. I am, however, concerned about the process of dying.
Death can come at any time, regardless of how healthy my lifestyle is. I also know that healthy lifestyle won’t necessarily fix everything if I get hit by a truck and it makes me an invalid for life.
I think, though, that dying the ways that Claudia and Earl did is almost completely avoidable. That’s why I’m choosing to move toward a raw food diet.
However, I haven’t been honoring that commitment as well as I could lately. I also noticed, when I checked in at Roger Haeske’s forum, that others are struggling, too.
So, as my mother used to say, it’s time to shit or get off of the pot.
Easier said than done, Mom, but I promise to do my best.
