And The Battle Goes On by Dr. Juan Harrison
And The Battle Goes On
You wake up with “Thank you Lord for another day” and prepare to do battle. Your opponent may be your aching body begging you to roll over and pull the covers over your head. Maybe with the aid of a nightstand to push down on, you get your feet on the floor and headed toward the shower, tub, or throne.
Like a truculent two-year-old objecting to a bath or bedtime, old Arthur, like inertia, tries to convince you to sit down or lie down and wait until you feel better. Fortunately, you’ve fought this battle for a while and have learned to ignore Naggin Pain and Harriet Headache.
Seems like, like a heavy cart, if you can get the thing moving, you’re halfway there. The mind is so powerful. Several days I didn’t feel like working, but by making myself get started on a job, the machine took over. I still didn’t feel good, but, little by little, I settled into a rhythm as the machine led me on. Maybe flipping on the switch to the vacuum cleaner or steamer gets you started as you begin to throw off the mental and physical negative forces that want you to give up and give in.
You almost laugh as you think of your younger self and the Grandpa McCoy you’ve become. You’re moving. You don’t hear your name on the list of obituaries or the local radio station or in the local paper that may only arrive once or twice a week.
It’s understandable when the spouse has passed or gone and the house, duplex, or apartment may feel like an island of loneliness. Sometimes a pet helps fill a void. Still, nothing replaces the hugs and touch of family and friends as they take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to check on us. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a friend or relative call you each day to make sure you’re still kicking. No one wants to think about being alone and not being missed by anyone for days. To have a friend you must invest in others. In the end there’s not enough money to get anyone to care about you if you haven’t made the effort to be involved in others’ lives.
We must focus on our blessings and the good things in our lives. If we evolve into or have always been a negative, crabby person, good luck on having any human care about you. In the end material things are the least valuable things that we have; relationships with people are the most valuable. Hopefully we’ve been able to develop caring relationships based on love and respect.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
