Putting Things in Perspective

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Weight: 253 lbs.

Today is a sobering reminder that weight isn’t everything and that the universe is made up of so much more than what I eat for dinner.

Tonight we had plans to celebrate my friend Janet’s 47th birthday. She and other longtime friend, Debbie, were due over for a dinner out and a relaxing evening.

Unfortunately, Janet called early this morning to say that she had to cancel, as her sister, Sally, has taken a turn for the worse with her multi-year battle with cancer, and is now struggling with sustaining herself in even the most basic of ways. Janet and her siblings and Sally’s friends have been providing her in-home care and support, but as she is deteriorating, the question has now arisen as to whether she can remain at home any longer. Until very recently she had a good appetite despite her physical deterioration, but apparently is now no longer interested in food and has begun to vomit. She appears to have entered that inward place where people go shortly before passing, and is no longer communicative or able to walk or follow some directions. I know that shortly before my mother passed away some years ago, she turned inward as if preparing for the ultimate detachment from everything and everyone.

Now, instead of celebrating her special day, Janet is standing sad vigil, and their good friends, like Tom and Debbie and I, are awaiting word as to if and how we may help, and how they are all faring at any given moment. Hospice recently became involved, but it is yet unclear whether she will be moved to their facility or remain at home during this critical time. We are all waiting to hear what is decided by those able to determine this for Sally, who no longer is voicing an opinion.

So, such news, although not entirely unexpected, still puts things into much greater perspective as to the true priority of things and the minutiae we all tend to get carried away with when there is nothing more important to focus on. The fact that I did eat some forbidden soups at Danny’s last night seems trite, meaningless, and hugely inconsequential at this moment. Please join us in wishing peace and comfort for Janet, and her siblings, and for Sally … and maybe we can all take some time off from self-absorption and over-emphasis on eating, and perhaps even find peace ourselves in realizing that, in the scheme of things, every bite does not really matter as much as the big picture.

Send / Share / Tweet / Print This: