It never rains, then it pours!
Resi Cave, WONOGIRI
(A cautionary tale.)
Just lost Marc, my French friend who ran a bar with his localborn wife. Lost my friend and colleague James a couple of months back too. And Alex, another great guy on the Residents' Committee where I live. My friend's mother is another.
Just this year.
Dear oh dear oh dear!!!
An elderly friend of a friend of mine decided one day to visit a cave on a bus tour, organised by a club she belongs to.
This lady is a healthy, reasonably fit 76 year old. She does pilates-for-pensioners once a week.
Still, she's a bit frail - 76 ! - and the lighting in the cave was not adequate and the path underfoot was uncertain.
My friend's friend slipped and fell. She broke one leg at the level of the hip, the other leg at the ankle.
Now she is in hospital about to have the first of possibly several surgical operations. It is hoped she will make a full recovery within six months. In the meantime, she is bed-ridden.
What do you think will happen next?
She is a cheerful, optimistic, sociable, confident little lady. Even a bit adventurous!
She went into this adventure without checking the risks ... what might go wrong and how to manage the potential threats. Turned out bats and guano were the least of her worries.
“Beware! Beware! The Forest of Sin!
None come out, but many go in!”
Not to say "don't run any risks, especially when you're old", just saying "look before you leap" ... she can do what she wants, enjoy her life, but identify the risks alongside the desires and take action to reduce them beforehand.
===Letter of sympathy to the older sister of the lady who fell.
Dear Madam,
I can imagine Mrs. Kus [the name of the lady who fell over] who is usually agile will have to take an enforced rest for a while.
We are all sad, we share your sadness, but no one could have foretold this preordained disaster.
Thank goodness that at least Mrs. Kus is in the best possible care.
I remember how you always advised that older people should take especial care to avoid situations where they might fall.
I remember very well your oft-repeated caution about the need to be careful.
But no matter what has happened, all we can do now is to accept the fates reserved to us and adapt to our destiny.
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Keep it clean, keep it lean