More on the Dignity of Everyday Life

I am so often impressed by the capacity to carry on demonstrated by my fellow Players in the Last Quarter. Facing new understanding of stale expressions (eg, "when one thing doesn't get ya, another comes along to bite you in the ass" .... "I never seem to catch a break" from _________________ .... "The doctors look like they're in Middle School ... well, Junior High School, as I think we called it 'back in the day'"), they limp off to their daily tasks with their crippled friends or spouses, with whomever, that is, is still among the walking. Silly. I'm more thinking of myself, this morning, and M. Am I ashamed ... oh, I suppose so. Out of the Blue, as they say, my left foot feels like its hiding a broken metatarsal. I can't recall running, as my cardiac arrhythmias lately are just showing signs of calming down after a new medication was prescribed that has the blessed effect of bloating my belly and making it particularly difficult for my heaviest-ever body to find a restful position (I was never > 168 pounds until these meds arrived and my running slowed to a walk and then to a hobble ... think I'll do a new Tolkien series ... Bored of the Couch, The Hobble, ...). I could try leaning on M as I walk but her back is out and she'd fall over and then who'd get whom up? Who could pick up both up. Not, assuredly, GuntherDog, that wimp! I remember my paternal grandfather ... a nasty old guy who was sour about growing old and who lived with my parents towards his end. My father had built a downstairs bathroom so this cantankerous guy who refused chicken ("you feed me pigeon?")didn't have to walk up the stairs. One morning he fell ... my Father was at work and we were either too young or afraid to pick him up from between the wall and the loo. We called the Fire Department. A young fireman came in. Fireman: Mr. C, can you get up. Grandpa C: If I could get up, you fool, would I be lying here? I gotta admit, from a purely empirical philosophical point of view, the Old Guy had a point. So, I hold my coffe cup high this morning and offer a toast (though I think I'm sensitive to most grains) to all those of my aging colleagues who rise this morning to indulge silly puns that no one quite gets and to engage the world ... from the shores of Montezuma! ... remember ... hold on to the railing and don't Tripoli down the stairs! ... there may be nobody strong enough available to pick you up! Feel like going back to bed. I won't ... well, not until nap time.