Thursday, July 31, 2008

Tenuous Tenacity

I was talking to my dear friend Linda today. She and I used to work at a Mom and Pop natural foods/meat market back home. She's the kind of friend who you can let your hair down with, and pick up where you left off regardless of the time between visits. Since I've moved to Alaska, we've really been burning up the phone wires! She lost her long time room mate about four months ago due to failing health. A couple of months before that she lost her job. She always seems so upbeat and would give her proverbial shirt to anyone who might need it. I just love her a bunch! Well, in the past two weeks she has fallen twice, bruising ribs and spraining her right wrist. She still isn't sure how it all came about, yet still has that great attitude. How she does it, I don't know. I called another friend that I had lost track of for a bit, and she is undergoing testing for bone cancer. Her husband suffered two strokes the weekend after she recieved this bit of news. I just wish I could somehow make things better for these guys. They are all around my age (pushing 50), not spring chickens, yet not ancient either! It's amazing how fast your life can change, and how precious little we can do to stave off some of life's little "surprises." I just know that there are some things that are irreplaceable; i.e. health, family, and friends. I'm going to treasure these gifts even more. Life is too short to lose sight of things so signifcant.

4 comments:

NameChanged said...

I'm sorry to hear about Linda. Has she been checked for MS? That can sometimes manifest as a loss of balance.

Bitty said...

We obviously haunt the same haunts, so I am simply going to have to add you to my blogroll. What took me so long? :) What little I've read here interests me a lot. I'll come back later and read more.

Lately I've had a strong sense of time passing by really, really swiftly. It hasn't helped that I've spent a lot of time looking at old photos and marveling over how something or another could possibly have been 30 years ago, when it seemed to have happened only 10 years ago.

And so many people around me seem so much more fragile than they used to, as you're observing.

Sigh.

(I'm no MS expert, but I have two family members with it. It's not easily diagnosed, but namechanged's suggestion is a good one. My sister was diagnosed "young," at about 30. She's had good docs and good meds, and she's in reasonably good shape, although she has to rest a lot and her vision is fading. My brother-in-law -- a different sister's hubby; that would be too cruel -- was diagnosed past age 40. I suspect he hid/was in denial about his symptoms until it was too late to do much to help him. He can barely walk and is nearly blind. It's heartbreaking.)

kkryno said...

Namechanged,
She has had alot of tough breaks lately that I didn't mention. I wish the Dougs could go by and check on her as she has no car to top everything else off. I might ask them.

kkryno said...

Bitty; I've so enjoyed reading your blog, and I'm glad you've stopped by. Please visit anytime! I hadn't even thought of MS. Linda and I share a mutual friend who has it I'll pass it along. I totally get what you mean about time passing. Where my kids are concerned, it's been at break-neck speed. Lately time with those I hold dear seems to be just out of fingertip reach. (sniffle) Thanks for some great insight and letting me "bend your ear" so to speak.