Strange associations


    The woman-- a beauty in her prime age-- had problems with her legs for decades. A wedding picture--she in a white dress by her husband's side-- stood silently, yet boldly, on a wall in her bedroom. Aging slowly, her walking became harder and harder, so at one point she had to rely on a walker, special shoes, different bathroom arrangements, helpers, and who knows what else... But her brain was sharp and she accepted her lot with serenity, so she got to live long. 

    Every time I entered her house, the now frail woman seemed glued to a sofa, and she was always in good spirits; I had to get very close and almost shout because she could not hear well, even with her hearing aid...When she misunderstood my words, I let it be...

    Then she was sleeping a lot. Unusually deep. When we received the news that she had passed, I sensed relief. Her ashes were poured over her husband's in an urn in her son's office, and the house was cleaned, remodeled, things donated, and there was no sign of her disease. And more relief... At church, a celebration of life event was organized in her memory and people were happy that after all she had a good life. And for the rest of them, life went on as usual.

    I am disturbed to think that we treat humans no longer alive as some material to be collected, kept as an object, eventually biodegrade; to see the relief of disposing as when recycling things;  the satisfaction of decluttering the house of the old, to make space for the new and more beautiful...

    What is a life...?

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 31, 2023 at 9:37 PM

    Așa e. In timp ce citeam. Aveam in minte aceeași intrebare/senzație esențială, la care se reduce totul : What Is Life?

    David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. cara forestieriJune 1, 2023 at 10:14 AM

      Se aduna tot mai multe experiente de genul acesta pe masura ce inaintam in viata. Si nu poti sa nu te gandesti... Gasesc poezia un fel de remediu de supravietuire.

      Delete

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