Art & Parkinson’s
Rest & Unrest
Firemen Fantasies
Hal had a fall tonight. I was upstairs in a Zoom meeting and heard a bang. Often, I have to think for a second in order to interpret the quality of the bang. Maybe he dropped something. Maybe the neighbors slammed a door. But this time, there was no question in my mind. I rushed downstairs and found him on the floor in the bathroom.
We tried getting him into a position where he could get himself up, but I didn’t think we’d be able to do it safely. So we called the EMT’s. Three large guys from the fire department stomped upstairs, through the narrow hallway, and into the bathroom. They lifted him up in a few seconds, walked him to his bed, and went on their way.
While Hal was resting, I went into the kitchen to do the dishes. When I came in to check on him a bit later, he said to me, “I thought you were in there having fireman fantasies!” The farthest thing from my mind, given my exhaustion. But it was a lovely idea!
A Long Way To Go
The visiting nurse from the palliative care program was here the other day. We were discussing various issues and she said, kindly, at one point, “You have a long way to go.” It was a body blow. A reality check, a wake-up call that this is a marathon—not a sprint—in so many ways.
