Hospice/Chasing Whimsies

 

     In the post, The Debt I Owe, I mentioned how I thought that some volunteer work on the reg would be a good idea. Specifically, something where helping to feed others is the main focus. The restaurant I work at, as well as some of the others in our group, take food a few times a month over to Beth Israel Hospital and feed hospice patients and their family members. I went on Tuesday for the first time.

    Like so many experiences in this life the visit was a combination of emotions. Most of the patients in hospice care are not going to get better; they're simply trying to get comfortable. As my fellow volunteers and I took food into the rooms, we saw some very sick people surrounded by their kids, husbands, wives, and friends. Everyone doing their best to make peace with what was happening. All I and the others could offer was a smile and some good food. Hopefully a tiny bit of comfort, if only for a few moments. It was humbling.

   We tend to walk around avoiding the ideas of death and dying, trying to constantly push away the notion that we're not promised tomorrow. In the movie, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, (A FKC Endorsement) Joe Cross travels around our country, as he's on a 60 day juice cleanse, talking to folks about their eating habits and lifestyle. Many of these people obese, living a fairly sedimentary life. He asked them if they would ever consider a juice cleanse for themselves. Nearly everyone said no to the idea. When he asked them why, almost everyone had the same answer, "I don't wanna not live, man." The irony of it all was ridiculous. People over doing it on food that's absolutely terrible for them, taking years off their lives, all because they don't want to, "Not live." I get it though. How long have I been doing that same shit?

    Life is short friends. Too short to never have a slice of pizza or a bowl of ice cream again, but also too short to be constantly filling ourselves with the kinds of food that lead to all sorts of health troubles.   The reason this blog came about was because I began to recognize my own problems and unhealthy ways. Every single one of us will face death someday, but why contribute to it any more than we need to? Seeing those patients in the hospice center reminded me that someday we'll all deal with our own end and we don't know when or how that will be. Right now at this moment though, we're here. While we're here, let make sure we're being good to ourselves. Eat some vegetables, go for that run, sign up for that iron man. Why? Because we don't wanna not live, man. 

    Below is your Ping’s Clip for the day. I posted this awhile back so for those of you who are already familiar with this please forgive the repeat. This is all I could think about after my hospice visit. I heard this clip a few months ago and I still think about it every day. From one of my heroes, Mr. Kevin Smith.

Ping says, "Mike looks like Kevin Smith! You Listen Now!!"

CI-8/15/2012-2478