Slipping through the time....

My job has this weird effect on me... I love my work... I can reach a person and a family at so many different levels. For all that I do, I can really make a difference in a person's life... or should I say quality of life. I love pencil sketching and I remember when I was in my 11th std., I drew a picture of my dad sitting in this easy chair with a walking stick right next to him and bald. My dad had this amazing silky soft hair which he used to handle in such a way. But I never could see him grow old... In my heart, he is still young and energetic and lovely.

In my job, I see lots of elderly patients in their late 80's and early 90's with various degrees of dementia. I find it so painful to watch them. You know what kind of image I have when I see a patient with dementia... An empty shell... Whatever we are, we have been slips away into this void and imagine not being able to recognise your own hands, your lovable partner and your children... what do you think life would be worth, if your are lost like this? Nothing, I suppose...

But each time I see them, even if it's everyday sometimes two or three times a day, I still introduce myself to them and some can talk, some have no expression and some just mumble. Each time you come close to such a patient, its the smell that makes me have this Dejavu. Its a mix of soap, powder, cornflakes with milk and pee and shit*** with strange smell of depression. It never changes from one patient to another. It catches upon me at times.

I remember one of my lovely lady, who is 91 years old, who kept crying for her father and kept saying that she has lost her dress for her prom party. Silly life, ain't it. You go through life with smile, tear, pain, surprise and various emotions and you end up getting old and whatever you have been through just disappears from your mind and you become nothing that you were... So tell me, now... Having to go through this life like this, is it worth it... Do tell me. I find that death is more inviting in this situation. What is your thought about this, my people.

Feeling bad!!!

Its been a OK day today!!! Been a bit cloudy and slightly wet. I was listening to some song as I walked down home. In the midst of my uneventful dull and dragging days, I feel more alive during this walk. Its a 20 minutes walk for me via a park, small hill, bridge, a housing block and an industrial estate. I can feel the aura around each and every part, I walk through. I brush my hands through most of the trees in reach as I walk up and down. There are a few houses with lovely gardens which are having blooming flowers and few houses with different breeds of dogs and few houses where they display a lot of stuff over the window and a few houses with children. The same with the smell, Each house emanates a different smell, which is so vivid. So I breath in each moment of my time during this walk, which get me ready for a long dull tiring day and unwinds me after I come from the work.

So, here I'm today as usual walking my way from work... I come across 3 bus stops on the way home. As I was almost reaching the last bus stop, I watched these two pigeons which were flying down to the bush near the bus stop. For some weird reason, I watched one of this birdie just fly right into the glass wall side of the bus stop, which I think is a serious judgement error. It went and hit the wall, ''PPPHHHAAATTTCCHHH''. I know it sounds silly. For some weird reason, I ran towards the bird and sat next it. I watched it shudder and slowly die right in front of my eyes. My adrenaline was still rushing and I couldn't stop shivering. I didn't know what to do, once the bird died and I just sat there for, what I think is almost 10 minutes.

Finally, I just left the pigeon there and walked past through my usual way. I felt so heavy at heart. You know when there is an incident especially bad one, you go through all the phases. It's not like I don't see death... In fact I see death every where around me. I watch people wither away right in front of my eyes. I see at least 2 to 3 patients dying everyday. I have started patients on IPOC ( Integrated pathway of care for the dying ) which technically means you stop all the treatment and investigations and just let the patient pass away as painless as possible. But as I was walking down the road today, I couldn't help wondering... ''Is my life any more worthy than this pigeon that has died''.