I was directed to Being Mortal by my son. Shortly after his mother passed he asked me to read the book so I could prepare myself and him for what will eventual come for me.
As Dr. Gawande points out we are all mortal beings. He is a surgeon who was trained to treat illness and frailty and fight for life to the bitter end. His thoughts on seeing terminal ill suffer have led him to believe the medical community in many ways is failing the terminally ill. He has several suggestions on how to improve the quality of life for those of us dealing with our end of life issues.
One of his major points is helping determine what is important to the individual at the end of their life. I write this blog as a reference for my son, so he can make decisions based on my desires. To start, I am currently in relatively good health and of a sound mind.
I see divisions between people and countries widening. This is not a solution, but a sure way to create conflict. I see a world where the cycle of violence increases and my goal and mission in life goes unheeded.
In truth everyone wants shelter from the elements, enough food for themselves and loved ones, good health. and can live without fear.
This summer I began getting a pedicure. My reasons to start began with an inability to position nail clippers to properly cut my toe nails. In retrospect my vanity got in the way of good health. I’m a man who thought it was unmanly to get a pedicure.
Boy, was I wrong!
I choose now to come out of the closet and identify the source of this block. I do this because...
Yes, in the low elementary grades. There should be a strict curriculum. Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic provide a platform. But once that platform is built, students now have the basis to explore and learn based on needs and desires. The emphasis of the education should be on encouraging that exploration.
What bothers me most about the stop WOKE acts in Florida, is these practices are being encouraged in High Schools and Colleges. Conservative students are rewarded without being challenged. They are just right.
Is this country a democracy. Our founding fathers chose the right of free speech as the 1st Amendment.
The question was how to deal with the beam. I floated the idea of lowering the cabinets, that was vetoed by the contractor because the toe gap would be lost. In retrospect that was the correct decision. But the uppers were a problem.
This is where the communication gap became a challenge. Every time I asked what they would do, he would respond no problem. As the uppers went up the cabinets to the left of the stove were about an inch higher then the cabinets to the right of the stove and as I kept asking I always got an answer of “No Problem.”
All the uppers were in place except for where the beam is and still “No Problem.”
Then it hit me. The solution was to buy a shorter cabinet to accommodate the beam. I called the supplier. The cabinets were in stock somewhere in the US and they could have one buy Wednesday. I ordered another cabinet and had the planned cabinet placed to the left of the refrigerator, where it can serve for cleaning and office supplies, but another delay.
My most important RoleWhat it means to me…As a nearly retired nobody, I look back in my life at times...
For the First Time.
DeeDee not only joined my on the couch. She came up onto my chest and looked me in the eye as if to say your my human now.
I never considered DeeDee my cat, but myself as her human. It worked better that way.
That day on the couch cemented a bond which last’s to this day. DeeDee helped my through my darkest hours.
I had started noticing that when I first started the machine at night the air was stuffy. While initial recommendations were that I should continue using my machine I decided caution was the best course and stopped.
My first concern was why was the machine recalled? This was not a simple question to answer and took several weeks to put together the following is what I discovered:
- In order to quiet the motor, Phillips had covered the motor with a foam pad.
- Overtime this pad would dry out.
- This drying process was quickened by using an automated cleaning system such as SoClean, which I used daily.
- Eventual small foam particles would enter into the air pathways leading to my mask.
- Hence, I was breathing little foam particles.
Personal HighlightsCOVID is here to stay. We have neither the resolve or the unity needed to combat this disease. It...
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