Apr
I am not dead!
In 2003, April 20 fell on the Sunday that the Christians celebrate Easter. I was spraying plants in the front yard. Suddenly, my chest seized up. My arms felt like they were made of lead, and my jaw hurt. I tried to ride out the pain, to no avail. I took an aspirin. That did not help. It got worse. Audrey drove me to the emergency room.
To make a long story short, at one point the doctor said, “Do you realize that you are in the middle of a heart attack?”
April 20 was Easter, a Christian holiday. It is also National Stoners day and Hitler’s Birthday. Talk about three things that are opposed to an old Heathen like me.
I am not dead!
We do not know why these things happen to some people and not to others. Is it Wyrd punishing us? Is it the result of some wrong from this life or the past? Could it be a malicious thing from some spirit or entity or spellcaster? Most often, the answer to all these is a resounding NO. It just happens. Sometimes it is due to smoking or bad diet, and sometimes it’s just genetics or circumstance. The only thing to do is to pick yourself up, deal with the problem, and continue living. Whatever the ailment or injury, it may cause some permanent changes in how you live. However, as you are alive, you still have enough life to make a difference.
I have said it many times. Life can be unfair. You can either whine about it or live in spite of it. The unfair condition might mean you have to work harder to keep up with everyone else. It may mean you have to give up some thing, or that you cannot do everything that other folks can. That does not make you special. Many others also live in spite of impediments and burdens.
The important thing is to make the decision to live well. Problem or not, the center of the equation is YOU! The final decision on how to face life is yours. Choose to live strong, live well and live with dignity.
By the way, my attitude toward “life is unfair” is not a recent thing. I had crossed that bridge over 25 years ago due to other circumstances in my life.
