Reason, Season or Lifetime

 

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you figure out which one it is,

you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,

it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty;

to provide you with guidance and support;

to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend, and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without  any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient  time,

this person will  say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,

because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;

things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,

and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

Death Wishes

NB: I am NOT suicidal!
This post is likely to be perceived as very weird given I'm in middle age but I just attended a funeral prompting me to have some thoughts about my own death and I wish to communicate them publicly lest there be any question about my posthumous fate.

Firstly, I want my remains donated to science for purposes of plastination. Think Body Worlds, that cool worldwide traveling exhibit with cross-sected organs, hanging tattooed skin and plasticized muscles and tendons holding yoga poses. If they can use an eyeball or something, great! If not, they can feed me to the lab rats. I do not want to take up precious space in the ground and cremation strikes me as more morbid than death itself.

I reject the idea of a sad and tearful funeral service. Such a somber and uninspiring mood - utterly counter to how I've lived my life. I hope people will joyfully congregate and tell stories and share smiles and laughter. Black attire and fussy suits are strictly verboten. Grieve quietly.

And if I'm really lucky somebody will dedicate a park bench in my honor on one of my favorite hiking trails inscribed with Rumi's "Reach Higher...Reach for your Spirit".

Fucking C

Sorry Gramma.

I wish we could eliminate the letter c from our alphabet. No living thing is impervious to mutant cell migration and the dreaded CANCER. Family, friends, pets, and family's and friend's family and friends and pets - everyone has personal experience with this wretched disease. Francis (Frankie) P., my beautiful, sweet 10 year old cat, has a tumor in his nose. It is a form of skin cancer. He is an indoor/outdoor cat exposed to the sun and other elements. Our vet said that his cat was diagnosed 4 years ago with a similar carcinoma so you can never tell how long they will live. I guess it depends on how aggressive the growth is. Eventually it will impede his breathing so hopefully I will be well attuned to his comfort since cats are brilliant illusionists and can hide anything.

It all started when he urinated outside his normal litter area - in his case in our house since he litters outside. I knew immediately something was wrong so we had a blood panel done. His white blood cells were 3 times the upper end of normal so we went through a course of antibiotic and retested. He obviously had a UTI and the levels had come down significantly but were still well above normal. I knew in my gut it was cancer but the vet suggested another round of antibiotic. Like a monkey I inspect every square inch of Frankie routinely and nothing was particularly amiss. He usually gets a little wheezy around this time of year, probably allergies, but last week I noticed he was excessively noisy as he was grooming. Then on Friday I saw a little bloody scab near his nostril so I looked closer and it looked like his nostril was inside out, i.e. tissue protruding. I knew it wasn't just inflammation from a scratch or fight.

So here we are. Again waiting for death. And heartbreak. Praying like hell that he'll slip away when it's time and I don't have to play God.