Friday, June 23, 2023

A Prayer Request And Numbering Our Days

 One of the habits I tend to practice when I am on vacation is that I regularly track The Book of Face on my phone, mostly as a method of uploading pictures of what we are doing.  As with here, it is always a pleasure to share the places I go with people.  A secondary output of that is I tend to get more updates on people's lives than what I typically do. 

Thus, it was with a bit of shock that I saw one morning that my long time (40+ year) best friend from high school days, The Director, had a stroke.

As it turns out, not just a single stroke.  Likely this was the second or third one and a coworker had finally noticed it. He was in the hospital, then out, then back in as he was still having issues.  He is, thankfully, stabilized and home and working on starting his recovery.

Given my experience with TB The Elder, I am sensitized to strokes.  Given the fact The Director is my age, I am doubly so.

It is a reminder of the realities of life and the fact that life - at least this life - is not endless.

That thought has been on my mind anyway due to the last year or so, with a combination of my father's death, the loss of my job (initially of interest, then of the actual job itself), and doing the actuary math of lifestyles of the over 50.  

My estimate - given family history, which is likely an general guide but never a precise one, suggests that at best I likely have 25-30 years max.  How much of that time remains "productive" remains to be seen but is a great unknown as well.

One of my great strengths - and weaknesses - is that I always like doing and learning new things.  That is of great benefit in that it keeps the mind engaged. It is less good in that one sometimes struggles to keep the commitment and focus on a few things to the point that one becomes more skilled in them.  

And now, with this reminder, it is a good thing to take stock precisely of what I am doing and what I intend to spend the next years - if I am granted them - working on.  Likely it will be a continuing combination of old and new - after all, without the willingness to try the new I would never have gone to Greece or started hiking - but the reality is that I simply cannot just keep "adding" new things without end.  There has to be a combination of adding the new while continuing to focus on those items that I have committed to improving on.

As always I would ask - and I ask only because I know of your generosity in this area - that you would keep the The Director and his family in your thoughts and prayers.  And perhaps, pray for all of us that we, as Moses suggested in Psalm 90, might "number our days" accordingly that we might spend them in the best way possible.

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:10 AM

    I hope your friend recovers T.B. It is a good thing his coworkers noticed the signs and were able to convince him to go seek treatment. This may have saved his Life.

    Positive thoughts for he and his family.

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    1. Thank you very much.

      He is incredibly fortunate that his coworkers recognized it and told him - and that he acted; I have known people that would have just not considered it a big deal (frankly, probably including me).

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  2. Praying for complete healing...

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    1. Thank you sbrgirl. I spoke with him this week; he sounded good and was in high spirits. Also, accepting that he needs to pace himself.

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  3. Best hopes for his recovery.

    Not very long ago I idly wondered how many of any given group of men were still around at 70.
    Social Security has an easy to read Actuarial Life Table, and it is interesting to see the numbers.
    Interesting in this context means terrifying!
    https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html

    We recently wrapped up watching Chris Hemsworth's "Limitless" series on aging. It is on Disney + and worth viewing.
    Part of the takeaway is the huge importance on the mental benefits of doing new things as we age.

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    1. Thank you John.

      Yikes, that table is terrifying (he mutters to himself, arguing he needs to do better).

      Thanks for the recommendation on the Hemsworth series. I will say that this supports the other things that I have read. It also gives me thought for managing whatever future comes (and where we live); social interaction seems to play a large role as well.

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  4. Nylon126:58 AM

    The Director and his family will be added to the prayer rotation TB, glad to do so. The pernicious thing about strokes is that they can hit any age.

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    1. Thank you Nylon12, much appreciated.

      You are right, although it bothers me mentally - strokes are something I always associate with "older people". Probably just the limits of my social circle.

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    2. Nylon129:17 AM

      Hate to tell you TB, when that face in the mirror starts sprouting gray hair, well....then........ :)

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    3. I do not like those odds, Nylon12....

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  5. Praying for the Director. I have a friend that suffered one last year. She's about my age. She got to the hospital within the first hour. It appears no long term issues. Time is important.

    Keeping the brain well for the long haul... I'm doing everything I know how to keep systems running at their best. Mom passed at 61 and dad made 72. Both had real longevity in the family. Their mothers passed at 99 and 104. Lots of upper 90's in siblings... Time will tell....

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    1. STxAR, from speaking with The Director this week, it sounds like they expect him to make a full recovery. It was explained to him that it is as if a golf ball sized spot in his brain is not active there anymore and the brain is now trying to build new routes through the gap.

      We can do the best we can with keeping our health up and our mind active. Ultimately of course, the decision is not up to us.

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  6. You have my prayers too. Sound like the news is good so far.

    I think it would be sad to feel that one has nothing interesting to learn or do. I think you have a good plan.

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    1. Thanks Leigh. Speaking to him this week he sounded like his old self; we will hopefully see him next weekend.

      I cannot imagine being in a place where one would say "I am done" with all learning. Hopefully my plan works out.

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