Skip to main content

Divesting


 Is there anything that sounds sweeter than the gurgle of a happy baby? That’s what I awoke hearing after a brief afternoon nap. Jenn White and her one-year-old baby, Wyndham, had come by for a visit with Mary. Lying in bed listening to Wyndy Jim, as she calls him, gurgle and giggle brought a smile to my face and for a few moments helped me forget how ill I am.

 

Having a few weeks before undergoing the MAiD procedure gives me time to do a number of things that I wouldn’t be able to accomplish if my death had been sudden. One of those things is to divest myself of certain possessions. I have many things I have accumulated over my life that have meaning and more sentimental value than financial. I have begun to give away some of my stuff to people I care about and who I know will appreciate that object in their lives. Another one of those giveaway moments happened during Wyn’s visit.

 

I have had a bongo drum for a number of years that I purchased at a Wild Impulse fall sale. I’d bring it out from time to time and play with it. I studied a few online videos to see how I might get different sounds, but of late it has been sitting in the corner of the living room adding ornamental value and not much else.

 

I decided to give it to Wyndy Jim. He immediately began to bang his hands on the skin with his mom joining in. Mary gave him a blue silicon spoon and he banged the drum with it. He clearly didn’t want to work, preferring instead to bang on his drum all day. 

 

Thanks to Wyndham for giving this bongo a new home. It was a genuine feel-good moment all round.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Counting

  It’s feels strange to be counting the rest of my life in weeks and days and curling games on TV. While we haven’t finalized the date for MAiD we are aiming for early November. Some examples… Last week, confirmation of my cataract surgery arrived by mail with a date later in November. Nope. I won’t be here for that. A couple of days ago, a friend and former colleague dropped off some cookies and stayed for a brief visit. She said she would be out of province for about six weeks. As she was leaving, she said she would see me later. Nope. I won’t be here when you get back. The other evening I was asked why I was staying up so late. I replied that I was watching a women’s curling game and for me there were just a few games left in my life to watch so I was staying up. And all of a sudden it doesn’t feel as if there is enough time to make sure all the other things are looked after. One major item has been checked off the list: organizing and pre-paying for cremation. All I needed was ...

After the Transplant Doctor Consultation

Last Friday started sunny and calm outside. Inside, another story. Getting out of bed is very difficult most days. It takes a lot of energy and oxygen to get myself going. This morning I found myself in a coughing loop. The more I coughed, the lower my blood oxygen level dropped. Coughing is physically exhausting. After being unable to stop coughing, I switched from the concentrator to a tank of oxygen which gives me purer O2 and helps break the coughing loop. It worked, but I had used a lot of physical energy. I only have so much and I needed to save some for my meeting with a doctor from the transplant team at Toronto General Hospital. The meeting started late because the video conferencing app Microsoft Teams didn’t work. [surprise, surprise; btw I hate MS Teams] We finally got the audio portion working, but the doctor could not see us. We could see her and we could hear each other. The first 30 minutes or so was the doctor exploring my health history. I’m getting very good at telli...

Time is running out

The sand in the hourglass measuring the remaining time in my life is running out.   The past couple of days have been very difficult. My energy is low. My breathing more laboured. I have by times felt nauseous at the thought of eating. Overall I have never felt so weak. My body is shutting down.   ------------------------ "The mystery of life isn't a problem to  solve , but a reality to experience." Frank Herbert, Dune ------------------------   I know there is a time limit on the human body. I once read that human beings had evolved to live between 50 and 60 years, but 20th Century science and medicine had extended lifespans to 80+ years. About a year ago I looked back at males in my family. My father and my two grandfathers lived into their early 80s so I concluded I might have another decade. What I failed to consider is longevity on the female side of the family. My mom died at 78. Her mother at 77. Mom's sister at the very young age of 44. Seems my genetics line...