2/20/12
There is a nursing home near my workplace. I pass it every working day. With its big sign and empty parking lot, it looks quite lonesome. Today I saw a man pushing a wheelchair on the sidewalk next to the nursing home, so I slowed my car down. When I approached him, I saw the man’s gray hair and frail body. He must be in his late sixties, I thought. Then I looked into the wheelchair. An elder woman was lying there, and her eyes are closed and her body was twisted in an odd way. I wondered who this woman was. Was she her mom or wife? It was hard to tell. She must be paralyzed or might be even unconscious. Suddenly I was swept with a burst of sadness. I sobbed uncontrollably all the way to home.
As I get older, I think more about sickness and death. My parents are now in their seventies and eighties, and luckily they are in relatively good health. But I can’t help thinking about them. What should I do if they are sick? I also think about my own health and my husband’s health. Are we ready to take care of each other?
Old age, sickness, and death are all a part of life and nobody can get around them. Such a circle of life!
