During this time of crisis I feel much worse for the younger people. I am 75 and have lived three quarters of a century. Believe me I’m not ready to jump into my grave but I am, in a very real sense, satisfied. Have you ever heard that right before you die you see your life playing like a movie in your mind. Well I have been giving a lot of thought to my past, and to all the people who have journeyed with me throughout these many years. It is a wonderful thing to remember the love and support I was offered by so many people. I am very grateful for each and everyone of you.
It is also hard not to think about death when you witness your peers and those even younger getting sick and dying. It is hard not to think about death when you have aches and pains and limitations that every day seem worse than the day before.
The horrifying pictures of suffering and loss that we are seeing on a continuous basis on the daily news is overwhelming.
I was thinking about some of the reactions people are having and I remembered, as a young nurse, learning the stages of grief described by Swiss-American Psychiatrist, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross:
shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and acceptance.
I also learned that dealing with death was like staring directly into the sun ☀️. You can only do it for a short time and then you have to turn away.
Watching a couple of programs on NETFLIX tonight was a wonderful bit of denial for me. For a short time it was just an ordinary, relaxing Saturday night. I turned away from the sun and gave my eyes a rest.
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